Cancer-treating radiopharmaceuticals gain ground in Asia thanks to IAEA

Radiopharmaceuticals — medical drugs containing radioactive materials — used for treating cancer have taken root in healthcare systems in many  Abstract parts of the world, but they are only now beginning to gain ground in developing countries. Thanks in part to an IAEA technical cooperation project, these drugs, which can increase patients' life expectancy, are reaching more countries in Asia. This includes lutetium-177 (Lu-177)-DOTATATE — a radiopharmaceutical for treating neuroendocrine tumours, which are deadly gastrointestinal cancers. The drug has been successfully produced and is now in clinical use, through the project, in Iran, Jordan, Pakistan and Thailand. As part of the three-year project on radiopharmaceutical production, which ended in December 2018, the IAEA provided support to radiochemists, radiopharmacists and technologists from 20 countries. They received training in the development, quality control and use of therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals. Of the participating countries, 4 are already using these radiopharmaceuticals in clinical practice, and over 100 patients have received treatment.