Can nuclear medicine avoid another Mo-99 shortage?

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Major changes are taking place in the intricate network that supplies healthcare providers around the world with molybdenum-99 (Mo-99), a key radioisotope for nuclear medicine studies. The question is, can the nuclear medicine community avoid another devastating shutdown like the one that occurred in 2009?

Back then, providers were left scrambling after a perfect storm left sites without supplies of Mo-99, which cannot be stockpiled due to its extremely short half-life. In the years since the 2009 crisis, nuclear reactor operators, nuclear medicine pharmacies and practitioners, radioisotope generator manufacturers, medical societies, and other stakeholders have banded together to ensure that adequate supplies of Mo-99 and its technetium-99m (Tc-99m) byproduct are consistently available.

To read more please visit: https://physicsworld.com/a/can-nuclear-medicine-avoid-another-mo-99-shortage/

Source: physicsworld