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Global Supply Chain of Radio Isotopes
The supply chain consists of :
Uranium target manufacturers Nuclear reactors for target irradiation
Processing facilities that dissolve the irradiated targets to extract Mo-99
Mo-99/Tc-99m generators manufacturers
Radio-pharmacies to elute Tc-99m from the generators and prepare radiopharmaceutical doses
Transport companies to ship to various participants involved in the supply chain
Source: https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/sites/67dec9af-en/index.html?itemId=/content/component/67dec9af-en#wrapper
The most important factor of the supply chain is that Mo99 has a half-life of 66 hours, and Tc99 has a half-life of 6
hours which is time available for effective radioisotope utilisation.
Some of the Key Nuclear Reactors producing Mo99 Fission Products
Overview of Nuclear Research Reactor irradiators
Reactor Name Country Average no Maximum Share of annual Type of Importance of
of Mo-99 capacity per total world Organisation 1 Mo-99 irradiation
production week capacity to organisation 2
weeks/year (6-day Ci 99Mo)
ANSTO (OPAL) Australia 43 3 500 16% Governmental High
CNEA (RA-3) Argentina 46 400 2% Governmental High
NCBJ (MARIA) Poland 36 2 200 9% Semi- Moderate
governmental
NECSA South Africa 44 3 000 14% Semi- Very High
(SAFARI-1) governmental
NRG (HFR) Netherlands 39 6 200 26% Semi- High
governmental/
commercial
RC Rez Czech 30 3 000 10% Semi- High
(LVR-15) Republic governmental/
commercial
Rosatom Russian 50 890 5% Semi- Low
(RIAR and Federation governmental
KARPOV)
SCK-CEN Belgium 21 6 500 15% Semi- Moderate
(BR-2) governmental
University United States 52 750 4% Independent Moderate
of Missouri non-profit
(MURR)
Source: https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/sites/67dec9af-en/index.html?itemId=/content/component/67dec9af-en#wrapper
1 https://www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/non-power-nuclear-applications/radioisotopes-research/radioisotopes-in-medicine.aspx
2 Nuclear medicine in India: A historical journey- Anshu Rajnish Sharma
72 TCExpresssion
