Nusano, a privately held physics company that specializes in making medical radioisotopes, cut the ribbon at a much-needed manufacturing plant in Utah.
The 190,000-square-foot production facility, located in Salt Lake City, has the capability to churn out more than 40 different radioisotopes that are used for cancer diagnostics and therapeutics, Nusano said in an Aug. 21 press release.
Existing radioisotope supply chains are "strained," according to the company, creating risks for patient care, clinical research and drug development.
With the opening of its plant, the company has started taking reservations from customers. It expects to begin production at the facility later this year.
A price tag for the plant was not disclosed in the release.
“Our Utah facility can produce up to 12 different radioisotopes simultaneously,” Howard Lewin, M.D., co-founder and head of Nusano’s product development, said in the release. “This means we can meet the existing needs of drugmakers and at the same time enable tomorrow’s clinical breakthroughs with isotopes that would be unavailable or hard to access without Nusano’s production.”
Radioisotopes are key elements for making active pharmaceutical ingredients for cutting-edge cancer treatments known as radiopharmaceuticals. Their production has become a hot commodity in the drug manufacturing industry in recent years.
Last week, Nucleus RadioPharma named former FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn, M.D., as its new CEO to lead the radiopharmaceutical-focused CDMO.
In May, radiopharmaceutical drug developer Ratio Therapeutics unveiled plans to build a new research and manufacturing plant in Salt Lake City. Last November, the company inked a $745 million deal with Novartis to collaborate on the research and selection of a cancer candidate against SSTR2-expressing tumors.
In April, PharmaLogic shelled out an undisclosed sum to take a majority stake in Norway’s Agilera Pharma as part of the company’s strategy to become a global CDMO leader focused specifically on radiopharmaceuticals.