Framatome and Global Morpho Pharma have announced a service agreement for the development of a high-capacity technology for the purification of medical radioisotope non-carrier-added (n.c.a.) Lutetium-177 (Lu-177). This will contribute to aligning production capacity with the increasing demand for this radioisotope and will serve innovations and developments in cancer treatments.
Global Morpho Pharma has developed a patented technology to separate Lu-177 from Ytterbium-176 (Yb-176) targets, with capacities of up to 50 times greater than existing technologies allow. Through this agreement, Framatome will provide its laboratory expertise and services to validate the pilot equipment at industrial scale at Framatome’s Technical Center in Erlangen, Germany.
“We are proud that Global Morpho Pharma selected Framatome to perform a key industrialization step in their innovative technology development” said François Gauché, Director of Framatome Healthcare. “This bears witness to the competencies and flexibility of our radiochemical teams and our facilities to provide valuable services to customers beyond power-generating nuclear stations, and to support developments in nuclear medicine technology”
The global demand for n.c.a. Lu-177 is expected to increase 15-fold by 2030 to reach 300,000 treated patients, and initiatives across the manufacturing chain are needed to align the production with the growing demand. Global Morpho Pharma’s breakthrough technology will enable a significant increase in target processing capacity and then contribute to securing the supply of n.c.a Lu-177.
“We are looking forward to validate our high mass processing technology at industrial scale with the support of Framatome’s team,” said François Zimmermann, CEO of Global Morpho Pharma. “This technology will enable efficient use of high mass irradiation systems with a low infrastructure requirement. It will complement our KaLupso solution designed for local Lu-177 processing in a market where diversification and efficiency of the value chain will be key.”
Through this partnership, Global Morpho Pharma is strengthening its leadership position as a technology provider for medical radioisotope production, and Framatome Healthcare reaffirms its commitment to innovation in cancer treatments involving nuclear technologies.
Lu-177 is a beta-emitting radioisotope used in targeted radionuclide therapy for the treatment of prostate cancer and in multiple promising radiopharmaceutical developments for other cancer indications. Framatome’s proprietary isotope production technology enabled the first large-scale commercial production of n.c.a. Lu-177 in a power reactor in June 2022.
Framatome Healthcare is committed to developing products and services for the healthcare industry. Its team supports the value chain for the radioisotopes used in radiopharmaceuticals for diagnostic imaging and therapeutic purposes, supplies special alloys for the development of surgical implants and prostheses and provides advanced solutions for complex sterilization facilities essential for the use of medical materials. Framatome Healthcare’s experts advance the fight against cancer and develop and support medical applications of nuclear technology.