Production, Quality Control and Pharmacokinetic Studies of 166Ho-EDTMP for Therapeutic Applications

166Ho-EDTMP is a major therapeutic agent which is widely used in bone palliation therapy. In this study, a 166Ho-EDTMP complex was prepared successfully using an in-house synthesized EDTMP ligand and 166HoCl3. Ho-166 chloride was obtained by thermal neutron irradiation (1 × 1013 ncm−2s−1) of natural Ho(NO3)3 samples (specific activity = 3–5 GBq/mg), dissolved in acidic media. The radiochemical purity of 166Ho-EDTMP was checked by ITLC (>99%) and stability studies in presence of human serum and final preparation were performed. The biodistribution of 166Ho-EDTMP and 166HoCl3 in wild-type rats was checked by scarification. SPECT imaging of 166Ho-EDTMP was also performed in wild-type rats. A comparative accumulation study for 166Ho-EDTMP and 166HoCl3 was performed for vital organs up to 48h. Significant bone accumulation (>70%) of the tracer in 48h was observed