Health security

Nuclear Medicine: Russia Builds Up Production of Radioisotopes to Combat Cancer

The past few years have seen Russia's ever-increasing clout in the international market for the production of medical isotopes to fight cancer, Rostislav Kuznetsov, head of the Radionuclide Sources and Medications Department of the Research Institute of Atomic Reactors in the Russian town of Dimitrovgrad, told Sputnik France.

Only a few years ago almost all the radioactive isotopes in the world were produced in five reactors based in five countries: Australia, South Africa, Canada, France and the Netherlands. However, the situation has changed after Russia entered the market and gave a new impetus to nuclear medicine. Right now, Russia produces at least four radioisotopes destroying cancer cells, such as Molybdenum-99, Strontium-89, Gadolinium-153 and Lutetium-177.