LYNCHBURG, Va. (WSET) — BWX Technologies, Inc. announced Tuesday, Feb. 25 that it has successfully labeled technetium-99m (Tc-99m) derived from its proprietary molybdenum-99 (Mo-99) production process and its proprietary Tc-99m generators with nine of the most widely used cold kits in the North American market.
As the company announced in 2018, BWXT’s proprietary technology features a neutron capture process to produce Mo-99 using natural molybdenum rather than enriched uranium targets.
“BWXT will produce Mo-99 and Tc-99m generators entirely in North America without reliance on overseas suppliers,” said Rex Geveden, BWXT’s president and chief executive officer. “Our superior technology will improve continuity of supply for this vital diagnostic tool at a lower cost. Previous internal testing had proven that our technology meets the generic product specifications, and these latest results showed that our technology will be a drop-in replacement for existing generators.”
In January, BWXT demonstrated its ability to successfully label Tc-99m cold kits.
They say labeling is a process in which Tc-99m eluted from a generator is combined with a chemical reagent (known as a “cold kit”) to produce a radiopharmaceutical for use with a patient.
The successfully labeled kits included bicisate, exametazime, macroaggregated albumin, mebrofenin, medronate, mertiatide, sestamibi, sulfur colloid and tetrofosmin.
According to the company, they have completed a number of development activities as they progress toward scaling up its manufacturing capacity.
Once the production facility and target delivery system are substantially complete, BWXT plans to submit a new drug application filing with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.