January 30, 2012 — Positron Corp., a molecular imaging healthcare company specializing in the field of nuclear cardiology, announced Jan. 23 that its wholly owned subsidiary, Manhattan Isotope Technology (MIT), received approval for its radioactive materials license amendment. The Texas Department of State Health Services -- Radiation Control Program granted the amendment approval.
This amendment will now permit the receipt and processing of solutions that contain strontium (Sr) -82 and other radioisotopes. Over the next six months, MIT will obtain Sr-82 target solutions from foreign irradiators for final purification into active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) grade Sr-82 at the MIT facility in Lubbock, Texas.
During proton irradiation to produce Sr-82, many other radioisotopes are co-produced. These additional isotopes are removed from Sr-82 during radiochemical processing. The previous MIT radioactive materials license was limited to two radioisotopes: Sr-82 and Sr-85. The new amended license broadens the scope of isotopes permitted on site and allows MIT greater flexibility in this validation phase.
Commenting on the significance of the license approval, MIT President and Positron Pharmaceutical Chief Technical Officer Jason Kitten said, "Positron and MIT are rapidly implementing a new foundation for cardiac PET by increasing the supply and reliability of Sr-82. Positron has designed a superior integrated business model for the reliability and expansion of cardiac PET in the U.S.. With this latest license approval, MIT has significantly accelerated Positron's Sr-82 mission and will begin supporting Sr-82 supply in 2012, further strengthening Positron’s goal of solidifying cardiac PET's progression in the U.S."
For more information: www.positron.com