Lantheus Medical Imaging has added a low-enriched uranium (LEU) TechneLite technetium (Tc-99m) generator to its nuclear imaging product portfolio.

The LEU TechneLite generator contains molybdenum-99 (Mo-99) produced from at least 95 percent LEU. The launch supports Lantheus’ goal of eliminating highly enriched uranium (HEU)-sourced Mo-99 from its supply chain.

The U.S. government's global nuclear security strategy encourages reliable supplies of medical radioisotopes produced from non-HEU sources. On Jan. 2, President Barack Obama signed into law the American Medical Isotopes Production Act of 2011 (AMIPA) as part of the 2013 National Defense Authorization Act. The AMIPA encourages the domestic production of LEU Mo-99 and provides for the eventual prohibition of the export of HEU from the U.S.

In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) stipulated in the 2013 final Medicare payment rules, for Medicare Hospital Outpatients, that CMS will provide incremental reimbursement for every Tc-99m diagnostic dose produced from non-HEU sourced Mo-99. The TechneLite generator satisfies the new reimbursement requirements under the CMS 2013 rules, according to Lantheus.

North Billerica, Mass.-based Lantheus said its first LEU TechneLite generator was shipped on Jan. 7.