16.06.2022
Communications Department of Rosenergoatom
Rosenergoatom to provide raw medical isotopes to Russian manufacturers of radiopharmaceuticals
Rosatom State Corporation approved the launch of a new project of Rosenergoatom to increase production volumes and expand the range of medical isotopes at power channel reactors as part of the industry Program "Development of the Product Direction of Nuclear Medicine and Technologies". The amount of investments will be more than 300 million rubles.
By 2025, Rosenergoatom (part of the Electric Power Division of the State Corporation Rosatom), using its competencies and the fleet of RBMK-1000 channel reactors, plans to more than double the production of the most popular medical isotopes simultaneously at three nuclear power plants: Leningrad, Smolensk and Kursk to provide the main raw medical isotopes for Russian manufacturers of radiopharmaceuticals.
Starting from 2023, the range of produced isotopes will expand at the Leningrad NPP - a new promising product, lutetium-177, will appear in the line. From 2024, it will be possible to produce isotopes of iodine-131, molybdenum-99 and lutetium-177 at the Smolensk and Kursk nuclear power plants.
“We plan to multiply the capacities for the production of medical isotopes at the Leningrad NPP, which already produces isotopes, and additionally use 4 power units of the Smolensk and Kursk NPPs. The implementation of the project will provide quality raw materials for Russian manufacturers of radiopharmaceuticals used for the treatment and diagnosis of cancer in the Russian Federation. Besides, we are considering the possibility of entering new foreign markets,” said Nikita Konstantinov, deputy general director - business development director of Rosenergoatom.
The number of medical procedures related to the use of radioisotopes is increasing as the number of radiopharmaceuticals available to the medical community for more effective and safe use in the treatment and diagnosis of cancer compared to other methods.
Today, it is especially important to have internal capacities to create the basis for improving the quality of life and health of the population of the Russian Federation, and Rosenergoatom plans to make a significant contribution to the development of Russian nuclear medicine.
For reference:
Since 1997, the Leningrad NPP, together with V.G. Khlopin Radium Institute provides clinics in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region with molybdenum-99/technetium-99m for the diagnosis of a various range of diseases. Besides, at the site of Karpov Institute of Physical Chemistry (Obninsk, Kaluga region) they produce vital medicine from iodine-131, developed at the Leningrad NPP for the treatment of thyroid diseases.
Rosenergoatom produces more than 20% of the world's consumption of cobalt-60, which is used to sterilize medical devices and materials, extend the storage life and decontaminate food products, modify the polymer properties of materials, and deal with environmental issues. The project office for the development of the isotope business of the Business Development Block, relying on the competence of the Electric Power Division, actively develops and implements promising projects: increasing the production of cobalt-60 at RBMK reactors, organizing the production of cobalt-60 at BN reactors, and organizing the production of medical isotopes at the RBMK. In the short term it is planned to launch several more products: for closing the fuel cycle in the nuclear power industry, electric vehicles, power electronics, providing services in the sphere of cold sterilization of medical devices, food products, modifying the polymer properties of materials.
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