I-123 based development program at MDS Nordion

Ultra-pure iodine-123 (>99.8% radionuclide purity) has been produced by the irradiation of enriched xenon-124 (99.8%) on external beam lines of CP-42 and TR-30 cyclotrons. Typically, an incident proton energy of 24-30 MeV has resulted in a yield of 6.6 mCi/μAh at the end of processing (end of bombardment + 9h). The largest quantity of iodine-123 produced on a single run has been 12 Ci. The availability of large quantities of ultra-pure I-123 and reliable production four to five times per week has led to a vibrant radiopharmaceutical programme based on I-123. Currently, a number of pharmaceuticals have been licensed in Canada or are undergoing clinical trials in the United States. MDS Nordion has state of the art facilities such as Class 100 Isolators in Class 10,000 Clean Rooms for aseptic filling operations and has developed expertise in Ci scale labelling operations. (author)