Resolve the mechanism to ensure the supply of radioactive drugs

The information was said by Mr. Pham Quang Minh, Deputy Director of the Vietnam Atomic Energy Institute (Vinatom) at the regular press conference of the Ministry of Science and Technology, on the afternoon of October 17. According to Mr. Minh, the unit is coordinating with Rang Dong Medical Joint Stock Company – an enterprise that produces 18F-FDG radiopharmaceutical used in PET-CT scans to develop a new cooperation project, in accordance with legal regulations. to submit to the Ministry of Science and Technology for policy approval.

Previously, Rang Dong company, headquartered on the campus of the Center for Research and Implementation of Radiation Technology (Vinagama), belonging to Vinatom, was forced to stop production due to problems with legal procedures. This affects the supply of radiopharmaceuticals at many hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City, causing PET/CT machines to operate intermittently, while the demand for medical examination and treatment of cancer patients is very high. Health authorities believe that the characteristics of 18F-FDG are its low lifespan and short half-life of about 110 minutes, so use must be carried out immediately after production. Transporting drugs from other localities for use is not feasible.

According to Mr. Minh, the project to cooperate in the production of radiopharmaceuticals takes time because this is a highly technical field and needs to be evaluated for safety factors when operating radiopharmaceutical production equipment. Vinatom commits to soon submit the cooperation project to the Ministry of Science and Technology for approval.

Mr. Nguyen Nam Hai, Director of the Department of Planning and Finance, Ministry of Science and Technology, said that when state agencies cooperate with businesses, they must base on the Law on management and use of public assets. Mr. Hai pledged to urgently coordinate with relevant units to complete the project according to regulations and remove obstacles to meet the medical examination and treatment needs of the people.

There are two types of radioactive drugs: short and long half-lives. In Vietnam, there is the Hanoi Irradiation Center (HIC) and a number of hospitals that use accelerators to actively produce radiopharmaceuticals with short half-lives to serve cancer diagnosis. The Nuclear Research Institute specifically produces radiopharmaceuticals with long half-lives.

Previously talking to VnExpress, Dr. Pham Thanh Minh, Director of the Center for Research and Preparation of Radioactive Isotopes, Nuclear Research Institute, said that currently the Da Lat Nuclear Reactor producing radioactive drugs is meeting the requirements. about 60% of demand. However, the Da Lat Nuclear Reactor has a low capacity (500 kW) so it does not meet domestic demand. In addition, importing raw materials to produce drugs also faces difficulties due to regulations of the Ministry of Health.

Dr. Nguyen Xuan Canh, Head of Nuclear Medicine Department, Cho Ray Hospital, said that in recent years, the demand for patients to use radioactive drugs in treatment and diagnosis has been increasing. The hospital is equipped with a Cyclotron to produce F-18 FDG radioactive drug used in PET/CT imaging to diagnose and monitor oncological and neurological diseases. The radioactive drug F-18 FDG has a half-life of 2 hours, a shelf life of 8 hours, and can be supplied to a number of hospitals in the city. According to Dr. Canh, the equipment is 15 years old and its capacity has decreased, making it difficult to meet the PET/CT imaging needs of hospitals.