(MADISON, WI. – March 1, 2011) – NorthStar Medical Radioisotopes, LLC (NorthStar) announced it has signed an agreement with the University of Missouri Research Reactor (MURR) to supply NorthStar with low specific activity molybdenum-99. This agreement allows NorthStar to ramp up over time to 3,000 6-day curies per week. Production operations are expected to begin 3QTR of this year with shipments to pharmacies shortly thereafter.
NorthStar’s approach helps to resolve the molybdenum-99 supply challenges by producing low specific activity (LSA) molybdenum-99 without using uranium as the source material. NorthStar’s process utilizes a stable non-radioactive isotope of molybdenum (molybdenum-98) that produces significantly less waste by-products that are easily handled and disposed of.
LSA molybdenum-99 produced will be transferred to NorthStar’s patented TechneGen™ Generator System, a key technology in making this process viable. The high specific activity (HSA) technetium-99m produced will meet the United States Pharmacopeia requirements. NorthStar’s goal is to begin domestic production of molybdenum-99 alleviating dependency on foreign sources. “The TechneGen process provides a unique tool in a compact format that make routine processing at a nuclear pharmacy safe, effective, and reproducible” stated NorthStar’s Chief Science Officer Dr. James T. Harvey.
“We at NorthStar believe that our technology will establish a more secure, cost effective and redundant domestic source of molybdenum-99,” said George P. Messina, NorthStar’s President. “Combining our TechneGen technology with the reliable services of MURR provides an unparalleled approach to establishing a domestic source of this vital medical radioisotope within the next few months.”
“MURR is pleased to support NorthStar. Providing irradiation services aligns with our mission, expertise and experience.” said Ralph A. Butler, MURR’s Director.
About NorthStar Medical Radioisotopes
NorthStar Medical Radioisotopes was founded in 2004 to pursue development of technologies and provide tools that would be instrumental in bringing rare radioisotopes to the nuclear medicine market. The TechneGen Generator System is one such tool. NorthStar’s programs include enabling the research community to continue their clinical trial efforts in the development of therapies to fight diseases such as cancer and HIV. In addition to molybdenum-99, NorthStar is currently developing technologies to produce, among others, actinium-225 (whose daughter bismuth-213 is considered a promising cancer therapeutic and is also a possible therapy for HIV), actinium-227 (for the treatment of metastatic bone cancer from Hormone Refractory Prostate Cancer), and tungsten-188 (for the treatment of melanoma). (http://www.northstarnm.com)
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Contact:
James T. Harvey, PhD
NorthStar Medical Radioisotopes, LLC
608-316-6980 » jharvey@northstarnm.com