AMIC responds to U.S. isotope demands. Source: Royal Adelaide Hospital

Advanced Medical Isotope Corporation (AMIC) has entered into a five-year agreement with Central Radiopharmaceutical Services (CRS) for the joint production and marketing of Indium-111, an isotope used in specialized diagnostic imaging applications.

The agreement with CRS allows for the initial product to be Indium-111, a radioisotope produced from the stable isotope cadmium-112. CRS will provide irradiation facilities as well as production expertise and chemical syntheses. Initial commercial quantities of Indium-111 are expected in second quarter 2008.

The comprehensive agreement with CRS, an advanced biomedical research and development facility, is designed to enable AMIC to complement production capacity of a variety of high-value medical isotopes with its Kennewick, Wash., headquarters. CRS said North America's initial Proton Linear Accelerator (PULSAR), specifically designed for the purpose of PET isotope production, will commence production there in March 2008.

"We look forward to the success of the commercial collaboration between CRS and Advanced Medical Isotope Corporation and expect to further develop a reliable, alternate source of radioisotopes for medical use to help satisfy the demands in the United States.,” said Hani A. Nabi, MD, PhD, FACNP, president of CRS. Several other radiochemicals are under consideration for production in the near future at the Buffalo, N.Y. facility.

Robert Schenter, MD, AMIC's chief science officer, said the agreement is “an outstanding development for AMIC as well as for CRS. AMIC now has isotope production commencing on both the east and west coasts. With the nuclear medicine market growing substantially, with an estimated $7 to $10 billion dollars spent annually in the United States alone, approximately 13 percent of which represents radioisotopes, AMIC is positioning to become a major factor in the domestic production of radioisotopes."

By labeling In-111 to antibodies and peptides that transport it to specific parts of the body, physicians can image colorectal cancer, prostrate cancer, and neuroendocrine tumors. In-111 can also be used to radiolabel white blood cells, platelets and red blood cells for diagnostic purposes.