China has begun commercial production of lutetium-177 (Lu-177) as part of its isotope production technology brand Hefu No 1, China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) reported. This came after three batches of irradiation purification and trial verification. CNNC’s Qinshan Nuclear Power Base uses Qinshan NPP’s heavy water reactors for isotope production.
Qinshan, China’s biggest NPP, comprises seven reactors. In Phase I a 300 MWe indigenously-designed pressurised water reactor (PWR) was built in 1985. Phase II comprised four CNP-600 PWRs, built with a high degree of localisation. Units 1 and 2 began operating in 2002 and 2004 and units 3 and 4 in October 2010 and April 2021. In Phase III, two 750 MWe pressurised heavy water reactors supplied by Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd were commissioned in 2002 and 2003.
The annual irradiation production capacity for Lu-177 exceeds 10,000 curies, which can fully meet the national market demand, CNNC said. This marks another key breakthrough in China’s domestic production of medical isotopes, following the large-scale supply of carbon-14 and the large-scale irradiation production capacity of yttrium-90.
In June 2021, eight ministries and commissions including the National Atomic Energy Agency jointly issued the “Medical Isotopes Medium and Long-term Development Plan (2021-2035)”, which required China to establish a stable and independent medical isotope supply system and accelerate the development of medical isotopes and industries. CNNC spent three years developing Hefu No 1 isotope production technology, laying a technical foundation for the large-scale, stable and sustainable production of medical isotopes including lutetium-177, yttrium-90, and strontium-89.
CNNC said that, for a long time, China’s supply Lu-177 depended on imports which severely restricted the development nuclear medical, causing many cancer patients to face treatment delays “or miss out on the best options”.
“At present, Qinshan Nuclear Power produces cobalt-60 that not only meets most domestic market demand, but also achieves partial export; carbon-14 has achieved large-scale supply; and yttrium-90 has achieved batch irradiation production capacity.”
