{"entity":{"id":"therapy-isotope-supply-chain","kind":"technology","name":"Therapeutic isotope supply chain (Mo-99, Lu-177, Ac-225)","aka":[],"tldr":"Where the radioactive atoms for imaging and therapy actually come from: ageing reactors, new accelerators, and a scramble for actinium.","summary":"Mo-99/Tc-99m for SPECT still depends on a few research reactors (BR2, HFR Petten, OPAL, SAFARI) with accelerator alternatives from NorthStar and SHINE. Lu-177 (non-carrier-added) is supplied by ITM, SHINE, Eckert & Ziegler, Curium and NorthStar; Ac-225 supply is the binding constraint for alpha therapy, with US DOE, TerraPower Isotopes, Orano Med (Pb-212), NorthStar, Niowave, and ITM expanding. Supply agreements are now a competitive asset for radiopharma companies.","status":"established","asOf":"2026-09-08","links":[{"label":"US Department of Energy Isotope Program","url":"https://www.isotopes.gov/"}],"tags":["supporting"],"related":[],"cancers":[],"sections":["radiopharma"],"technologies":["radioligand-therapy","targeted-alpha-therapy","radiopharmacy-network"],"targets":[],"drugs":[],"companies":["itm","terrapower-isotopes","orano-med","northstar-medical-radioisotopes","shine-technologies","eckert-ziegler","curium"],"institutions":[],"pathways":[],"terms":[],"trials":[],"people":[],"bottlenecks":[],"keyPapers":[],"journals":[],"dependsOn":[],"notes":[],"principle":"Reactor neutron capture (Lu-176→Lu-177), Th-229 decay chains and accelerator spallation (Ac-225), and electron-accelerator photonuclear routes (Mo-99) produce isotopes that are purified, calibrated, and shipped against decay.","strengths":["Multiple new non-reactor routes since 2020"],"limitations":["Ac-225 shortage until late 2020s","Reactor outages cause global shortages","Regulatory licensing of new production sites is slow"]},"route":"/technologies/therapy-isotope-supply-chain/","neighbours":{"section":[{"id":"radiopharma","kind":"section","name":"Radiopharmaceuticals & Theranostics","route":"/fronts/radiopharma/"}],"technology":[{"id":"actinium-225-supply","kind":"technology","name":"Actinium-225 supply: thorium stocks, accelerators and radium targets","route":"/technologies/actinium-225-supply/"},{"id":"lu177-radioligand-therapy","kind":"technology","name":"Lutetium-177 radioligand therapy","route":"/technologies/lu177-radioligand-therapy/"},{"id":"radioimmunotherapy","kind":"technology","name":"Radio-antibody & radio-ADC","route":"/technologies/radioimmunotherapy/"},{"id":"radioligand-therapy","kind":"technology","name":"Radioligand therapy (beta emitters)","route":"/technologies/radioligand-therapy/"},{"id":"radiopharmaceutical-gmp-release","kind":"technology","name":"Radiopharmaceutical GMP and releasing a drug that decays","route":"/technologies/radiopharmaceutical-gmp-release/"},{"id":"radiopharmacy-network","kind":"technology","name":"Radiopharmacy and cyclotron networks","route":"/technologies/radiopharmacy-network/"},{"id":"research-reactor-isotope-production","kind":"technology","name":"Research reactors for medical isotopes (Mo-99, Lu-177, I-131)","route":"/technologies/research-reactor-isotope-production/"},{"id":"targeted-alpha-therapy","kind":"technology","name":"Targeted alpha therapy","route":"/technologies/targeted-alpha-therapy/"}],"company":[{"id":"ansto","kind":"company","name":"ANSTO (Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation)","route":"/companies/ansto/"},{"id":"bruce-power","kind":"company","name":"Bruce Power","route":"/companies/bruce-power/"},{"id":"curium","kind":"company","name":"Curium","route":"/companies/curium/"},{"id":"eckert-ziegler","kind":"company","name":"Eckert & Ziegler","route":"/companies/eckert-ziegler/"},{"id":"ire","kind":"company","name":"IRE (Institut national des Radioéléments)","route":"/companies/ire/"},{"id":"isotopia","kind":"company","name":"Isotopia Molecular Imaging","route":"/companies/isotopia/"},{"id":"itm","kind":"company","name":"ITM Isotope Technologies Munich","route":"/companies/itm/"},{"id":"northstar-medical-radioisotopes","kind":"company","name":"NorthStar Medical Radioisotopes","route":"/companies/northstar-medical-radioisotopes/"},{"id":"ntp-radioisotopes","kind":"company","name":"NTP Radioisotopes","route":"/companies/ntp-radioisotopes/"},{"id":"nusano","kind":"company","name":"Nusano","route":"/companies/nusano/"},{"id":"orano-med","kind":"company","name":"Orano Med","route":"/companies/orano-med/"},{"id":"shine-technologies","kind":"company","name":"SHINE Technologies","route":"/companies/shine-technologies/"},{"id":"terrapower-isotopes","kind":"company","name":"TerraPower Isotopes","route":"/companies/terrapower-isotopes/"}]}}