BWXT Medical has a deep and rich history of radiopharmaceutical innovation, development and manufacturing. Selected products currently in development include:
Tc-99m Generators
BWXT’s scientists and engineers have developed a unique solution to meet the growing demand for medical isotopes needed for diagnostic imaging. Featuring a patent-pending neutron capture process, this innovative technology is designed to produce molybdenum-99 (Mo-99), the parent isotope of technetium-99m (Tc-99m), which is used in over 40 million medical procedures across the globe each year.
What makes our technology different?
Historically, Mo-99 has been produced within research reactors using uranium as a starting material. But BWXT’s new proprietary technology features:
- A neutron capture process that will use molybdenum, rather than uranium, targets (mitigating radioactive waste streams and eliminating nuclear proliferation concerns)
- Irradiation of molybdenum targets at commercial power reactors.
- A process to convert low-specific-activity Mo-99 into technetium generators that perform exactly the same as other generators on the market (i.e., offering the same activity, quality, and method of elution)
After receiving approval, Mo-99 produced at Ontario Power Generation’s Darlington Nuclear Generating Station and in the University of Missouri Research Reactor (MURR) will later be processed at BWXT Medical’s Ottawa facility and incorporated into Tc-99m generators for delivery to radiopharmacies and hospitals across North America.
In March 2021, BWXT Medical announced that it had entered into a joint venture with Global Medical Solutions, Ltd. (GMS) to manufacture and distribute radioisotopes and radiopharmaceuticals in the Asia-Pacific. This JV is intended to replicate BWXT Medical’s operations to irradiate molybdenum and manufacture Tc-99m generators in an effort to meet increasing demand in the Asian-Pacific market.
Targeted Therapies
We announced a partnership with Bayer AG (Bayer) to develop high-purity Actinium-225 (Ac-225), one of the rarest medical isotopes on earth. Bayer will combine this isotope with targeting vectors that selectively guide Ac-225 to cancer cells within the body. When the Ac-225 undergoes radioactive decay, it releases a highly cytotoxic dose of alpha particles that can effectively kill tumor cells without causing harm to the healthy tissue that surrounds them.
In the past we have produced a number of isotopes for diagnosis and treatment of disease including:
- Palladium-103: used to treat early prostate cancer
- Thallium-201: used in myocardial perfusion imaging
- Gallium-67: used to detect infection and bronchogenic carcinomas
- Co-57: radiotracer for vitamin B12 deficiency test
- Molybdenum-99: used for Tc-99m generators for SPECT scans
- Iodine-131: used for thyroid imaging, therapy; radiotherapeutic isotope
- Xenon-133: used as a lung ventilation imaging agent
- Xenon-127: used for pulmonary ventilation studies
- Iodine-125: used for brachytherapy
- Cadmium-109: used for source calibration
- Copper-64: used in positron emission tomography
