In response to the current and profound dilemma facing the nuclear medicine community, Best® Medical International, Inc. has agreed to purchase a 14 MeV cyclotron, two 35 MeV cyclotrons, and one 70 MeV cyclotron from Best® Cyclotron Systems, Inc. (BCSI), a Springfield, Virginia corporation, so that alternatives to Technetium 99m can be readily available for medical diagnosis and treatment.
The cyclotrons will be manufactured by Best® Theratronics Ltd., 413 March Road, Ottawa, Canada and used in the U.S. for PET-CT applications and production of Pd-103, Cs-131, Sr-82 and other medical isotopes. Installation is scheduled to start in 2010 and be completed by 2013.
“The present crisis in the supply of Technetium 99m for nuclear medicine procedures highlights the need for a radioisotope supply strategy that does not have a single producer and a single product,” says Dr. Richard Johnson, Professor Emeritus, University of British Columbia. “The Technetium 99m shortage for diagnostic imaging has alarmed the medical community, and the interruption of the nuclear reactor operation at Chalk River in Ontario, Canada has also affected the supply of radioisotopes for the treatment of diseases.”
BCSI was established with the goal of designing and manufacturing cyclotrons for use in research, diagnosis, and treatment applications at universities and hospitals around the world. The company intends to offer these units to customers using flexible payment terms.
For more information please contact:
Krishnan Suthanthiran, President
Best® Medical International
800 336 4970
krish@teambest.com
Richard Johnson, Ph.D.
604 657 6694
richard@teambest.com
