Minister of State for Health (): I am today updating the House
on the severe shortage of radioisotopes that the UK is facing.
The affected radioisotopes are mainly used for diagnosing
cancers, including prostate and breast cancer. It is also used
for imaging of organ function in scans, including for the heart.
Despite efforts by my Department and NHS England to limit the
negative impacts of this shortage, there will be delays to
patient access to services relying on the impacted radioisotopes,
including cancellations.
This shortage is due to a temporary reduction in the production
of molybdenum-99 which is used to generate technetium-99m. The
radioisotope technetium-99m is used safely for diagnostics in the
NHS. This issue is impacting not only the UK, but countries
across Europe, and worldwide.
The shortage of molybdenum-99 is caused by a sudden global
disruption of manufacturing capacity, with a number of the
nuclear reactors used to produce these elements being out of
service. There are six trusted research reactors globally for the
supply of molybdenum-99, none of which are in the UK. Some of
these reactors are currently out of service to allow for critical
repair work; this is essential work necessary for the safe
running of the research reactors. Two of the impacted reactors
are expected to restart production during the second week of
November, with deliveries from these reactors expected to resume
in mid-November. My Department, together with relevant experts,
is working closely with suppliers to support the process to
restart the affected reactors as soon as possible.
There will remain a significantly constrained supply of these
radioisotopes to the UK from the remaining reactors.
Radioisotopes give off radiation and undergo a process of decay,
which means they cannot be stored or kept in reserve. Our
priority is to minimise the impact on patients as much as
possible. Therefore, my Department is working closely with
suppliers, clinical experts, NHS England and Devolved Governments
to support the allocation of deliveries and ensure there is
equitable and fair access across the UK to the constrained supply
of stock that is available. NHS England is supporting Trusts and
hospitals to share available supply and ensure that critical
patients are given priority. Guidance is being issued to ensure
that patients with the most critical need are prioritised. If any
patient is concerned about their treatment, they should discuss
this with their clinician at the earliest opportunity.
I know how difficult this will be for affected patients while we
face this supply issue. This issue is different in nature to
normal supply chain problems due to the unique challenges
radioisotope shortages present. My Department is working closely
with suppliers and relevant experts to resolve the supply issue
as soon as possible. I will continue to keep Parliament updated
on our progress to resolve this severe shortage.
