Coalition urges Congress to act on Mo-99

Nine professional healthcare and related organizations are urging Congress to take steps to maintain adequate supplies of molybdenum-99 (Mo-99).

The coalition jointly issued a paper asking lawmakers to ensure that patient care is not jeopardized by a worldwide shortage of Mo-99, which is the basis for technetium-99m, the medical isotope used in more than 80% of all nuclear medicine procedures. The communiqué also supports less use of high-enriched uranium in radionuclide production as a strategy to reduce the proliferation of nuclear weapons.

To that end, the group has endorsed legislation (HR 3276) introduced last week by U.S. Rep. Edward Markey (D-MA) that would authorize the U.S. Department of Energy to spend $163 million over the next five years toward the eventual production of Mo-99 in the U.S.

The coalition includes SNM, the American Association of Physicists in Medicine, the American College of Radiology, the American Nuclear Society, the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology, the American Society for Radiation Oncology, the Council on Radionuclides and Radiopharmaceuticals, the Health Physics Society, and the Nuclear Energy Institute.

The coalition's white paper recommends that the U.S. government explore a public-private partnership to speed the availability of Mo-99 and ensure continued diagnostic imaging for patients. It is imperative that U.S. sources of Mo-99 be developed to guarantee a reliable supply, the white paper states.

The organizations also advocate that any requirement to transition from high-enriched to low-enriched uranium in producing medical isotopes must ensure that supplies of Mo-99 are sufficient and that patient needs are not compromised. Adequate time must be available for research and development to guarantee that the technology and equipment are robust and reliable, they said.

Related Reading

Markey bill would fund U.S. isotope production, July 28, 2009

SNM extends trials network to Europe, July 23, 2009

Society of Nuclear Medicine issues Medical Isotope Communiqué, June 16, 2009

Moly crisis overshadows SNM Image of the Year award, June 15, 2009

SNM poll: Isotope shortage affecting users, procedures, June 15, 2009

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