Mo-99 supply put at risk by coronavirus pandemic

摘要

The U.S. healthcare industry is warning that the COVID-19 pandemic may threaten supplies of the medical radioisotope molybdenum-99, whose decay product, technetium-99m, is considered the workhorse isotope in nuclear medicine for diagnostic imaging. The online magazine Radiology Business recently reported that the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology (ASNC) alerted its members on April 1 that it is monitoring supply shortages of Mo-99 "more closely than ever" during the pandemic. The ASNC alert followed a March 30 communication by a Nuclear Medicine Europe (NMEu) emergency response team informing its members that the cancellation of international flights had interrupted bulk shipments of Mo-99 from South Africa during the prior week. NMEu, a European industry association, said that a number of options are being investigated in order to resume shipments from South Africa.