WHO: Leaders of SNM
- Michael M. Graham, Ph.D., M.D., president, SNM
- Robert W. Atcher, Ph.D., M.B.A., past president, SNM; chair, SNM Medical Isotope Task Force
- Jeffrey P. Norenberg, Pharm.D., M.S., SNM director-at-large; chair, SNM Commission on Radiopharmaceuticals; member, SNM Medical Isotope Task Force
WHEN: Immediately
WHAT: Discuss the severe Tc-99m shortage that will occur over a two-week period when cancer, heart and brain disease patients will experience delayed imaging tests because of a worldwide halt on Molybdenum-99 production
BACKGROUND: Molybdenum-99, or Mo-99, is a radioactive substance produced in only five nuclear reactors in the world—two of which are out of service due to extended repairs. From March 21 until April 11, the medical community will experience one of the most significant disruptions ever in the supply of Mo-99. The remaining three reactors will not be able to produce enough Mo-99 to justify production of radioisotope generators during this period. This is disturbing news for patients requiring critical nuclear medicine or molecular imaging tests to diagnose, stage, monitor or treat their cancer, heart or brain disease, as 80 percent of these tests use a medical isotope derived from Mo-99 called Technetium-99m (Tc-99m). As a result, tens of thousands of patients per day in the U.S. will not receive the standard of care they deserve because of this Mo-99 shortfall.
The media is invited to interview Dr. Michael M. Graham, a nuclear medicine physician; Dr. Robert W. Atcher, a nuclear medicine researcher; and/or Dr. Jeffrey P. Norenberg, a nuclear pharmacist, to understand the full scope of this significant medical development and its impact on the patient community.
For more background information about the Mo-99 crisis, please visit http://interactive.snm.org/index.cfm?PageID=7739.
About SNM—Advancing Molecular Imaging and Therapy
SNM is an international scientific and medical organization dedicated to raising public awareness about what molecular imaging is and how it can help provide patients with the best health care possible. SNM members specialize in molecular imaging, a vital element of today's medical practice that adds an additional dimension to diagnosis, changing the way common and devastating diseases are understood and treated.
SNM's more than 17,000 members set the standard for molecular imaging and nuclear medicine practice by creating guidelines, sharing information through journals and meetings and leading advocacy on key issues that affect molecular imaging and therapy research and practice. For more information, visit http://www.snm.org.