Isotope Production System Begins Commercial Production

ONTARIO, CANADA, and MUNICH, GERMANY, October 24, 2022 – An worldwide collaboration between Bruce Power, Isogen (a Kinectrics and Framatome firm) and ITM Isotope Technologies Munich SE (ITM), introduced at present the graduation of economic manufacturing of lutetium-177.   

The announcement was celebrated at ITM’s headquarters in Munich, Germany, together with representatives of the partnership organizations throughout a commerce mission with Vic Fedeli, Ontario’s Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade.

This milestone was achieved following completion of ultimate commissioning and regulatory approval from the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission and is the fruits of a multi-year mission to put in a novel Isotope Production System (IPS) in Bruce Power’s Unit 7. It marks the first-of-its-kind achievement of a industrial energy reactor with further functionality to commercially produce short-lived medical isotopes.

The IPS will present dependable, industrial-scale manufacturing of lutetium-177, a medical isotope used for focused most cancers therapeutics. Lutetium-177 is used to deploy precision nuclear medication that exactly targets malignant cells whereas sparing surrounding wholesome tissues.

“Ontario’s nuclear industry supports thousands of high-skilled jobs and is at the forefront when it comes to innovation,” stated Premier Doug Ford.  “Today’s announcement is a huge step forward in advancing Ontario as a world leader of isotope production in the fight against cancer. This unique international project using Made-in-Ontario infrastructure will help doctors and patients at home and around the world have greater access to the life-saving isotopes they need.”

“It is with great pride that we at Bruce Power, along with our partners at Isogen, ITM and Saugeen Ojibway Nation, celebrate the successful commencement of commercial operation of the world’s first large-scale Isotope Production System for the production of lutetium-177,” stated Mike Rencheck, Bruce Power’s President and CEO. “This announcement is the result of years of dedication and comes thanks to the hard work and innovative spirit of thousands of employees across this unique international partnership.”

The Made-in-Ontario IPS, designed and put in by Isogen at Bruce Power, irradiates ytterbium-176 to provide lutetium-177, which is then transported to ITM’s manufacturing facility in Germany for processing of pharmaceutical-grade, non-carrier-added lutetium-177 (n.c.a. lutetium-177).  ITM is a provider of n.c.a. lutetium-177 to well being care services around the globe, and the isotope has been efficiently utilized in numerous scientific and industrial radiopharmaceutical most cancers therapies.

“Today we celebrate the efforts of Bruce Power, ITM, our Kinectrics staff, and our partner in Isogen, Framatome, whose collective efforts enabled the start of commercial supply of lutetium-177,” stated David Harris, CEO of Kinectrics. “This day marks a paradigm shift in medical isotope supply wherein the international medical community can now depend on scalable, reliable, Canadian, power-reactor produced isotopes for their cancer treatments.”

The IPS will leverage Bruce Power’s continuous operations 24 hours a day, seven days per week to supply a constant and scalable provide of life-saving isotopes that will probably be utilized by medical doctors to deal with most cancers sufferers around the globe.

“We commemorate this historical accomplishment that promises potentially life-saving medical treatments for cancer patients,” stated Bernard Fontana, CEO of Framatome. “Our shared vision with our Isogen partner Kinectrics, and Bruce Power, working with ITM, has led to this significant milestone. We are proud of our teams who have persevered to design, develop, install and implement this ambitious and complex project. As part of our Framatome Healthcare brand, we are honored to play a critical role in ensuring a reliable supply of isotopes, including lutetium-177, to the medical communities around the world.”

Commercial operation of the IPS will present large-scale manufacturing of lutetium-177 at a time when world demand for these short-lived isotopes is on the rise. ITM holds a U.S. Drug Master File (DMF) with the FDA for n.c.a. lutetium-177 and has advertising and marketing authorization within the EU (model title EndolucinBeta^®).  ITM has unique entry to the irradiation service offered by the IPS for the manufacturing of lutetium-177 and can use the elevated provide of high-quality isotopes from the IPS to fulfill the rising demand by physicians and sufferers.

“As the largest global provider of high-quality n.c.a lutetium-177 for therapeutic cancer treatments we are always looking to expand our production network to secure supply to provide access to hospitals and patients worldwide, and this collaboration is a testament to this commitment,” added Steffen Schuster, CEO of ITM. “We are grateful to our partners for this smooth scale up to commercial production which will ensure production security for our own Phase 3 assets as well as our commitment to currently approved targeted radionuclide therapies leveraging lutetium-177.”

Vic Fedeli, Ontario’s Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, expressed help of the worldwide collaboration and its development of Ontario as a world hub for isotope manufacturing and innovation.

“International partnerships such as this one between Bruce Power, Isogen and ITM are paving the way for future innovation in key sectors in Ontario,” stated Minister Fedeli. “Congratulations to everybody concerned on this milestone achievement within the manufacturing of life-saving medical isotopes! Together, we’re constructing Ontario and persevering with to make sure the province is a frontrunner within the life sciences sector and the worldwide isotope provide chain.”

Bruce Power will collaborate with Saugeen Ojibway Nation to market the brand new isotope provide in an fairness partnership named Gamzook’aamin Aakoziwin.

“The Gamzook’aamin Aakoziwin project has been years in the making, and today marks another exciting milestone on the road to help in the global fight against cancer,” stated Chief Conrad Ritchie, Chippewas of Saugeen First Nation. “These medical isotopes will be used to help patients receive treatments in the battle against cancer not just at home in our communities, but across the world.”

“We are proud to be a part of this innovative project, which will have a positive impact worldwide on the health care community,” stated Chief Veronica Smith, Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation. “Working together through this partnership, we are playing a leadership role in the fight against cancer and continuing to increase access to isotopes that are critical to innovative treatment and diagnosis of cancer.”

Learn extra about how isotopes assist to maintain hospitals protected, in addition to diagnose and deal with most cancers at www.brucepower.com/isotopes.

About Bruce Power
Bruce Power is an electrical energy firm based mostly in Bruce County, Ontario. We are powered by our individuals. Our 4,200 staff are the inspiration of our accomplishments and are happy with the function they play in safely delivering clear, dependable, low-cost nuclear energy to households and companies throughout the province and life-saving medical isotopes around the globe. Bruce Power has labored laborious to construct robust roots in Ontario and is dedicated to defending the atmosphere and supporting the communities by which we dwell. Formed in 2001, Bruce Power is a Canadian-owned partnership of TC Energy, OMERS, the Power Workers’ Union and The Society of United Professionals. Learn extra at www.brucepower.com and observe us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube.

About Isogen
Isogen is a three way partnership between Framatome and Kinectrics, whose mission is to allow using CANDU reactors to provide the medical isotopes wanted to deal with and diagnose sufferers with severe illnesses world-wide. Isogen’s enabling partnerships with Bruce Power and ITM permits us to provide the world’s largest and most dependable provide of life-saving, short-lived, therapeutic medical isotopes. Learn extra at www.isogen.ca and observe us on LinkedIn.

About ITM Isotope Technologies Munich SE
ITM, a number one radiopharmaceutical biotech firm, is devoted to offering a brand new era of radiomolecular precision therapeutics and diagnostics for hard-to-treat tumors. We goal to fulfill the wants of most cancers sufferers, clinicians and our companions by way of excellence in growth, manufacturing and world provide. With improved affected person profit because the driving precept for all we do, ITM advances a broad precision oncology pipeline, together with two section III research, combining the corporate’s high-quality radioisotopes with a spread of concentrating on molecules. By leveraging our almost twenty years of pioneering radiopharma experience, central business place and established world community, ITM strives to supply sufferers with more practical focused remedy to enhance scientific consequence and high quality of life. www.itm-radiopharma.com

ITM Medical Isotopes GmbH, a 100% subsidiary of ITM Isotope Technologies Munich SE, had signed a provide association for lutetium-177 with Isogen in 2020.

For extra data, contact:

Bruce Power: John Peevers, 519-386-3799, [email protected]
Isogen: Brandon Emrich, 647-501-2118, [email protected] (Kinectrics), [email protected] (Framatome)
ITM: Julia Hofmann, +49 89 329 8986 1500, [email protected]

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