On 22-23 May 2008 in Almaty in Institute of Nuclear Physics, National Nuclear Centre of the Republic of Kazakhstan there was held a workshop
on commercial production of isotopes for industrial and medical applications. The programme produced excellent results.
On the first day the representatives from Nuclear Institutes of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, Armenia, Belarus and Georgia described both
the urgent problems and the potential opportunities of their Institutes. The participants assessed the facilities available in their Institutes
and shared their plans for future. A great interest in sales of the isotopes was expressed by all speakers. The first day laid the foundation
for a lively discussion on the second day. Speeches were made by David Drummond - "isoSolutions" Marketing & Management Inc., Canada, Frank
Garner - Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, USA, Kevin Alldred - IAEA and Steve Sugden-Harwell Consulting Limited, UK. These summarized
the situation on the international market and described trends and emerging isotope markets.
The US market alone accounts for about 20 million nuclear medicine procedures per year. There is a clear upward trend in the use of PET to
80% per year in the US which accounts for half of the world isotopes market. However, with economic growth in the developing countries, more
and more players are appearing in the global market. The current situation concerning the supply of isotopes is very complicated. A decision
by Canadian Government to shut down a number of research reactors and to stop the construction of "Maple" reactors will cause serious
deficiencies in the availability of isotopes for medicine, industry and research. The domestic supply of isotopes in the USA is decreasing.
Stable isotope inventories are also not being replenished. Clinical trials for new drugs utilizing radioisotopes are being delayed.
The speakers presented a long list of isotopes which are in great demand on the market. They include: F-18 and other isotopes with short
half-lives for PET; In-111 for monitoring of Y-90 therapy; I-123 which is used in the treatment of neurological diseases; Cs-131 for seed
brachytherapy and many others. Proposals were made on joint initiatives in the field of supply and distribution of isotopes. This could help
to ensure a stable supply which is crucial in this sector.
The speakers emphasized the importance of international collaboration in the supply of isotopes and expressed interest in collaborating
with Institutes in the former Soviet Union Republics. As a result, a number of promising business discussions took place.
Fifty-four participants attended the seminar including representatives from all of the former Soviet Union Republics institutes involved in the CNCP programme and
6 experts from UK, US and Canada. The key points from the seminar were:
A very strong capability exists within the institutes for producing range of radioisotopes required for industrial and medical applications.
Production of radioisotopes in Western facilities is declining (as reactors are shut down) which provides a good opportunity for the former Soviet Union Republics
institutes.
There are significant challenges in bringing these to market but these can be overcome with a step by step approach. Not the least
important aspect of this is raising the awareness of the Institutes among Western customers.
Partnerships need to be developed between western distributors for the supply of radioisotopes, and perhaps between former Soviet Union Republics institutes, to
ensure a reliable supply and to build a more robust supplier base as recognised by international customers.
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