Predictions regarding the supply of 99Mo and 99mTc when NRU ceases production in 2018

The NRU reactor in Chalk River had been scheduled to stop producing medical isotopes by the end of 2016 but the Government of Canada recently announced that it will remain available to support isotope production until its operating license expires on 31 March, 2018. NRU has the capability of producing up to 80 % of the world's requirements for 99Mo but is presently producing less than 20 %. There are a number of initiatives underway, both within Canada and around the world, to find alternative ways of producing 99Mo or its daughter, 99mTc. We examine the status of the main proposals and conclude that it will be challenging for any of them to meet the required demand by the end of 2016. An additional year should be enough time for some of the proposals to complete the development of manufacturing facilities and achieve regulatory approval. It is likely that these operators will have enough production capability to make up for the shortfall when the NRU operating license expires.Peer reviewed: YesNRC publication: Ye