A global nuclear powerhouse

The group meets up to a third of the world’s demand for key medical radioisotope Mo-99 and is the third-largest supplier of bulk iodine-131

NTP Radioisotopes is one of the three largest global producers of key medical radioisotope Mo-99.

The company has recently increased its global market share after the exit of a large Canadian producer in late 2016. The global nuclear medicine and radiopharmaceutical market was valued at around Us$11bn in 2016 and is projected to grow to more than $20bn by 2021.

Within sub-saharan Africa, SA has the largest number of nuclear medicine practitioners and nuclear medicine centres, including nuclear medicine departments at 12 state hospitals.

“Imaging obtained from nuclear medicine often allows a disease to be identified at a much earlier stage, before anatomical changes become visible,” says Dr Nozipho Nyakale.

Nyakale is head of nuclear medicine at Durban’s Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital and also serves on the NTP group board.

“Because of the specialised imaging that nuclear medicine makes possible, it can pick up certain diseases much earlier, which could mean patients would be able to start treatment earlier, which could save a lot of money — not to mention improving the patient’s quality of life and their prognosis.”

Globally, demand for nuclear medicine products and medical radioisotopes has shown healthy growth over the past decade, which has been driven by increases in the incidence of cancers and cardiovascular disease, as well as new applications for medical radioisotopes including the study of neurological and psychiatric diseases.

NTP’S market research officer Thuli Lethule says locally there is still a lack of awareness of the benefits of nuclear medicine.

“We try to have a presence at relevant medical conferences, but ultimately we need to ensure that there is greater education aimed at GPS, oncologists and patients around the benefits of nuclear medicine,” says Lethule.

Another impediment to the more widespread use of nuclear medicine, says Lethule, is the high cost and accessibility to nuclear medicine facilities.

NTP is the sole manufacturer and supplier of Mo-99 and Tc-99m in SA, meaning the company is fundamental to nuclear medicine in private and public practice.

NTP plays a similarly key role in the global market.

NTP maintains good relationships with partners at the Australian Nuclear Science & Technology Organisation (Ansto) and IRE (Belgium), to ensure security of supply of medical radioisotopes.

In 2016 NTP group MD Tina Eboka was elected vice-president of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation & Development High-level Group on the Security of Supply of Medical Radioisotopes — a group set up following a global shortage of Mo-99 in 2009 and 2010.

NTP was the first major isotope producer appointed to the group’s executive, and Eboka was re-elected to the position in July 2017.

NTP, together with its partners, now supplies up to a third of the world’s key medical radioisotope Mo-99. It is also the third-largest supplier of bulk iodine-131.