Russia’s JSC Isotop (part of Rosatom) has begun supplying a new domestic import-substituted radiopharmaceutical Rakurs (223Ra) based on the radioisotope radium-223. All technologies for manufacturing this isotope are patented. The drug will be used to treat certain types of cancer, primarily bone metastases. Patients receiving this treatment can expect sustained remission, reduced pain, and improved quality of life.
The first batch of the medication has already been delivered to medical institutions across the country. The first delivery was made in December 2025 to one of the clinics of JSC Medscan in Voronezh.
The Radium-223 radionuclide is produced at the Scientific Research Institute of Atomic Reactors (NIIAR – Nauchno Issledovatelskii Institut Atomnikh Reaktorov) in Dimitrovgrad. The production of Rakurs is carried out at the Federal Scientific & Clinical Centre for Medical Radiology & Oncology of the Federal Medical & Biological Agency of Russia also in Dimitrovgrad.
“Radium-223 works in two ways: it selectively accumulates in bone metastases and destroys them, and also reduces the severity of pain, allowing the patient to give up analgesics,” noted the Director of the Medical Isotopes Department at JSC Isotop, Elena Eremina.
“Launching deliveries 223Ra is an important stage in our work. We are consistently developing a supply system for domestic radiopharmaceuticals throughout Russia, ensuring patients’ access to high-tech and modern medical care», said JSC Isotop Director General Maxim Kushnarev.
