**Executive Summary**
This document outlines the significant role of radiation technologies and radiopharmaceuticals in healthcare, particularly in cancer diagnosis and treatment. It details the contributions of the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) and the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) in developing and producing these products. New radiopharmaceutical products launched in the last three years are listed, along with the nuclear medicine centres registered with the Board of Radiation and Isotope Technology (BRIT).
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Role of Radiation Technologies:** Radiation technologies are crucial in contemporary healthcare for therapeutic and diagnostic applications, especially in cancer care, offering cost-effective, non-invasive methods.
* **Radiopharmaceuticals:** These are radioisotope-tagged drugs, safe for human use, employed in both diagnosis and therapy.
* **Brachytherapy:** An internal radiation therapy method involving placing radioactive sources near tumors to deliver a concentrated dose while minimizing damage to healthy tissues. It is used for prostate, breast, cervix, eye, and skin cancers.
* **DAE Contributions:** DAE has made significant contributions, including Iodine-125-ocuprosta seeds for eye and prostate cancer, and Ruthenium-106 eye plaques for eye cancers.
* **Cesium-137 Gamma Radiation:** Widely used for blood irradiation to prevent transfusion-associated diseases.
* **Gamma Rays/Electron Beams:** Used for sterilization of heat-sensitive medical products like syringes, catheters, and surgical gloves.
* **New Radiopharmaceutical Products (Last 3 Years):**
* Medical grade high specific activity Molybdenum-99 for 99Mo/99mTc generators.
* No carrier added (nca) 177Lu-DOTATATE for neuroendocrine cancer treatment.
* No carrier added (nca) 177Lu-PSMA-617 for prostate cancer treatment.
* Bhabhasphere with delivery system for liver cancer treatment.
* **Registered Nuclear Medicine Centres in Himachal Pradesh:** Shri Balaji Super speciality Health care Pvt Ltd, Indira Gandhi Medical College, and Atulaya Healthcare Pvt Ltd.
* **BARC's Efforts:** BARC is actively working on indigenous development of radiopharmaceuticals as cost-effective alternatives to imported products.
* **BRIT's Role:** BRIT, Mumbai, manufactures and supplies radiopharmaceutical products utilized by nuclear medicine centers nationwide.
* **Important Radioisotopes/Radiopharmaceutical Products Developed by BRIT (Last 3 Years):**
* 177Lu-DOTMP/177Lu-EDTMP for bone pain palliation.
* 177Lu-Hydroxy Apatite and 90Y-Hydroxy Apatite for radiation synovectomy.
* 99mTc-HYNIC-[cyclo(RGDfk)]2 for malignant tumor imaging.
* 68Ga-PSMA-11 for prostate cancer imaging.
* 90Y-Glass microspheres (Bhabha Spheres) for liver cancer therapy.
* 177Lu-DOTATATE for neuroendocrine tumor therapy.
* 177Lu-DOTA-Trastuzumab for therapy of breast cancer expressing HER-2 receptors.
* Molybdenum-99 (Fission moly) for the preparation of molybdenum-99 / technetium-99m generators.
* **Availability:** All radiopharmaceuticals manufactured and supplied by BRIT are indigenously produced and commercially available within the country.
* **Distribution:** BRIT distributes products to over 400 nuclear medicine centers nationwide.
* **PET-based Fluorine-18:** Supplied only to restricted regions around Mumbai and Kolkata due to its short half-life and expiry period, requiring rapid transportation and immediate clinical use.
* **BARC Research and Collaboration:** BARC focuses on R&D for indigenous synthesis of ligands for radiopharmaceuticals, collaborations with national institutes to promote nuclear medicine research, and translation of new radiopharmaceuticals from lab to clinic, followed by scaling up production.
* **Information Source:** This information was provided by Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, Dr. Jitendra Singh.
**Impact Analysis**
**Nuclear Medicine Centres Nationwide**
* **Impact:** These centres utilize radiopharmaceutical products supplied by BRIT for patient diagnosis and therapy. The development of indigenous products provides cost-effective alternatives.
* **Action Required:** Access comprehensive details of available radiopharmaceutical products through BRIT's official e-portal: https://eportal.britatom.gov.in. Ensure appropriate utilization of these products.
**Patients Seeking Cancer Diagnosis and Therapy**
* **Impact:** Patients benefit from a range of radiopharmaceutical products used in diagnosis and treatment of various cancers, including prostate, breast, neuroendocrine, and liver cancers, as well as for bone pain palliation. Indigenous availability increases accessibility and potentially reduces costs.
* **Action Required:** Consult with healthcare professionals for diagnosis and treatment plans utilizing these radiopharmaceutical products.
**Healthcare Sector**
* **Impact:** The availability of indigenous radiopharmaceuticals and advancements in radiation technology enhance diagnostic and therapeutic capabilities within the country. The use of gamma rays and electron beams for sterilization also impacts medical device safety.
* **Action Required:** Stay informed about new radiopharmaceutical products and their applications. Ensure compliance with regulations regarding the use of PET-based Fluorine-18 radiopharmaceuticals.
**PET-based Fluorine-18 Radiopharmaceutical Users (Mumbai and Kolkata)**
* **Impact:** Users in these specific regions receive PET-based Fluorine-18 radiopharmaceuticals. However, they are impacted by the limitation of supply to these restricted areas due to the product's short half-life.
* **Action Required:** Adhere to rapid transportation and immediate clinical use requirements for Fluorine-18 radiopharmaceuticals after production.
Key Entities Referenced
Department of Atomic Energy: The government department responsible for the development and utilization of atomic energy, including its applications in healthcare and the production of radiopharmaceuticals.
Board of Radiation and Isotope Technology (BRIT): An organization that manufactures and supplies radiopharmaceutical products, crucial for diagnosis and therapy.
Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC): An institution focused on indigenous development of radiopharmaceuticals and allied products.
99Mo/99mTc generator: A key product for generating the widely used diagnostic radioisotope Technetium-99m, highlighting the importance of molybdenum-99.
Dr. Jitendra Singh: Union Minister of State who provided the information in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.
Department of Atomic Energy
PARLIAMENT QUESTION:
RADIOPHARMACEUTICAL PRODUCTS
Posted On: 12 MAR 2026 4:06PM by PIB Delhi
Radiation technologies play a significant role in contemporary human healthcare and extensively used
for therapeutic and diagnostic applications in healthcare, especially in cancer care in the country.
These technologies are widely employed in evaluating organ function and diagnosis of diseases like
cancer in a cost-effective non-invasive manner. Radiation technologies are also used for treating
various types of cancers prevalent in our country. One of the key components of these technologies is
radiopharmaceuticals- radioisotope-tagged drugs that are safe for human use and utilized in both
diagnosis and therapy.
Another important radiation-based method is Brachytherapy, a form of internal radiation therapy. In
this approach, radioactive sources are placed inside or near the tumor, allowing a concentrated
radiation dose while minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissues. Brachytherapy is commonly
used to treat cancers of the prostate, breast, cervix, eye and skin. Department of Atomic Energy
(DAE) has made significant contributions in this field. Iodine-125-ocuprosta seeds for the treatment
of eye and prostate cancer, and Ruthenium-106 (Ru-106) eye plaques for localized treatment of eye
cancers are some of the major contributions.
Gamma radiation from Cesium-137 is widely used for blood irradiation to prevent transfusion-
associated diseases. Gamma rays or electron beams are also used for radiation sterilization of heat-
sensitive medical products such as syringes, catheters, surgical gloves, implants in packed condition
by destroying microorganisms on medical devices.
New products launched over the last 3 years are given in the following Table:
S. No. Name of product Application
1 Medical grade high specific activity Parent of 99mTc, the widely
Molybdenum-99 for 99Mo/99mTc generator used diagnostic
radioisotope
2 No carrier added (nca) 177Lu- Treatment of
DOTATATE neuroendocrine cancer
3 No carrier added (nca) 177Lu-PSMA- Treatment of prostate
617 cancer4 Bhabhasphere with delivery system Treatment of liver cancer
The following listed nuclear medicine centres in Himachal Pradesh are registered with BRIT for the
supply of radiopharmaceutical products:
i. Shri Balaji Super speciality Health care Pvt Ltd, Kangra, Himachal Pradesh
ii. Indira Gandhi Medical College, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh
iii. Atulaya Healthcare Pvt Ltd., Shimla, Himachal Pradesh
Further, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) is placing significant efforts towards indigenous
development of radiopharmaceuticals and allied products as cost-effective alternatives to imported
radiopharmaceutical products. These radiopharmaceutical products are manufactured and supplied by
Board of Radiation and Isotope Technology (BRIT), Mumbai. Nuclear medicine centers across the
country utilize the radiopharmaceutical products supplied by BRIT. Some of the important radioisotopes /
radiopharmaceutical products developed and made available during the last three years are mentioned in
table below;
S. Name of the Product Application
No
1 177Lu-DOTMP / 177Lu-EDTMP Bone pain palliation
2 177Lu-Hydroxy Apatite Radiation synovectomy
3 90Y-Hydroxy Apatite Radiation synovectomy
4 99mTc-HYNIC-[cyclo(RGDfk)]2 Malignant tumor imaging
5 68Ga-PSMA-11 Prostate cancer imaging
6 90Y-Glass microspheres (Bhabha Liver cancer therapy
Spheres)
7 177Lu-DOTATATE Neuroendocrine tumor therapy
8 177Lu-DOTA-Trastuzumab Therapy of breast cancer expressing HER-2 receptors
9 Molybdenum-99 (Fission moly) For the preparation of molybdenum-99 / technetium-
99m generator
All radiopharmaceuticals manufactured and supplied by BRIT are indigenously produced and
commercially available within the country.The radiopharmaceuticals produced and supplied by BRIT are distributed to more than 400 nuclear
medicine centres across the country, including centres in Himachal Pradesh. Comprehensive details of all
radiopharmaceutical products available for users nationwide can be accessed through BRIT’s official e-
portal: https://eportal.britatom.gov.in
It may be noted that PET-based Fluorine-18 radiopharmaceuticals are supplied only to restricted
regions in and around Mumbai and Kolkata. This limitation is due to the short half-life and expiry
period of Fluorine-18 which necessitates rapid transportation and immediate clinical use after
production.
BARC is constantly making R&D efforts for indigenous synthesis of peptide/small molecule ligands used
for the preparation of clinically important radiopharmaceuticals for the diagnosis and therapy of various
types of cancer. Additionally, collaborations are established with national institutes to popularise research
in nuclear medicine as well as to tap their expertise in the field of nuclear medicine. Collaborations are
also established with nuclear medicine centers for the translation of new radiopharmaceuticals from
laboratory to the clinic. Subsequently efforts are made to scale up the radiopharmaceuticals to meet the
demand of the country.
This information was given by Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology
and Earth Sciences, and Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, Personnel, Public Grievances
and Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh, in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha on
Thursday.
*****
NKR/AK
(Release ID: 2238914) Visitor Counter : 180
Read this release in: Urdu , ही