The Nuclear Medicine Europe’s security of supply working group emergency response team held a teleconference on April 6 to discuss the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on global supplies of Mo-99 and other radioisotope production. At this time manufacturing operations continue to proceed uninterrupted.

No specific shortages are currently foreseen, but NMEu advises that continued logistical difficulties create risk to security of supply of both bulk Mo-99 and Tc-99m generators. Medical institutions should contact their Tc-99m generator suppliers or radiopharmacies to be informed of the expected supply situation.

Read more from the NMEu.

Featured image: Colorized scanning electron micrograph of an apoptotic cell (purple) heavily infected with SARS-COV-2 virus particles (yellow), isolated from a patient sample. Image captured at the NIAID Integrated Research Facility in Fort Detrick, Maryland. Photo courtesy NIAID.