Construction of Australian Nuclear Medicine Production Plant Begins

The new facility is being built as part of the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO; NSW, Australia) Nuclear Medicine (ANM) project, and includes an investment of USD 168.8 by the Australian government. The ANM project also includes the construction of a Synroc plant for treatment of radioactive waste from the manufacture of nuclear medicines.

When complete, the facility will produce nuclear medicine supplies for the domestic Australian market, and 25%–30% of the annual global demand of 40 million patient doses of the radioisotope Molybdenum-99 (Mo-99). Hospitals and medical centers use Mo-99 to make Technetium-99 (Tc-99m). The main use of Tc-99m is for selective imaging and diagnosis of the tissues and organs such as the brain, lungs, liver, kidneys, and bone.

ANM Board Chairman, Doug Cubbin said, “We expect that once operational it will deliver a medical dividend to the world, and a financial dividend to Australia. Importantly, through this project, Australia will continue to produce nuclear medicine using Low-Enriched Uranium, which is proliferation-proof – contributing significantly to regional nuclear security goals.”

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