2009/51 (a)

Backgrounder

Expert Review Panel On Medical Isotope Production

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The Government of Canada has announced further measures to provide the best possible options for a secure supply of medical isotopes.  An expert panel of eminent individuals with health sciences, technology and public policy experience is being established to examine ideas about production of a key medical isotope.

As part of the Government of Canada’s five-point plan, announced last year, it is reviewing a number of proposals and concepts put forward by the private and public sectors. While there are no easy solutions, and no proposal put forward thus far will produce isotopes in the immediate future, the expert panel will help guide the government and private sector participants towards long-term solutions.

Context

The current outage of the National Research Universal (NRU) reactor and other recent outages of major medical isotope producing reactors underscore significant vulnerabilities in the security of supply of molybdenum-99/technetium-99m in the short term as well as the long term. These disruptions have affected medical procedures that rely on these medical isotopes, in particular nuclear medicine procedures for diagnostic imaging. 
In response, the Government of Canada has taken steps to mitigate the immediate impact on the health care system and is ramping up contingency plans with key stakeholders on both the supply and demand sides. It is also engaging with major medical isotope producing and consuming countries to develop a coordinated approach to this global issue.
Since December 2007, the Government of Canada has taken a number of steps to ensure effective management of the isotope supply chain, they include:

• Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), AECL, and Health Canada created the Protocol for Notification and Information Sharing Concerning Shortages of Medical isotopes.
• The Talisman Report commissioned by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) and AECL reviewed the events of the December 2007 outage.  All recommendations of the Talisman Report were accepted and implemented.
• The Government of Canada invested in isotope production-related studies at McMaster University in Hamilton, and helped fund a UBC/TRIUMF workshop on accelerator-based photo fission.
• At the request of Canada, the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) hosted an International Workshop on the Security of Supply of Medical Radioisotopes in Paris.
• In response to a proposal from Canada, the Nuclear Energy Commission Steering Committee, of the NEA, agreed to establish a high-level international task force to carry the agenda forward. 

The Government of Canada has received a number of ideas from the private sector, universities and research organizations concerning alternative production of key isotopes for the Canadian market over the longer term.  Some of the ideas put forward, if fully developed, could provide a basis for longer term supply.

The Government of Canada has committed to reviewing these proposals, and is establishing an expert review panel to do so. 

ASSESSMENT OF PROPOSALS

The expert review panel will be comprised of eminent individuals with health sciences, nuclear technology and public policy experience. 
It will assess the proposals against the following criteria:

• Technical Feasibility:  The Panel will assess the scientific and technical merits of proposals taking into account risks associated with the introduction of new technologies and the likelihood that technologies could be realized on a commercial scale.
• Business Implementation:  The Panel will assess the business merits of the proposals, taking into account the partnerships established by the proponents; funding requirements and secured resources; access to existing or new physical infrastructure required; the ability of the proponents to integrate their solution with the existing supply chain; and cost structure and revenue expectations.  The Panel will take into account business risks associated with these elements
• Timeliness of Solution:  The Panel will assess the schedule for implementing proposed solutions, including the risks of delays.
• Regulatory Issues:  The Panel will assess proposals with regard to nuclear and medical safety standards and provide an assessment of potential issues, including nuclear and medical regulatory issues that could affect implementation.  The proposal should provide information about how facilities will handle any controlled nuclear materials, ensure facility safety and security, and deal with any waste management or transportation issues.
• Benefits to Canadians:  The Panel will provide an assessment of the benefits of implementation to Canadians.  While this assessment will focus on the overall ability of the proposal to assure supplies of key isotopes to Canadians, it could also include other benefits, including scientific advances and intellectual property.

To ensure that the broadest range of ideas and concepts are advanced and thoroughly assessed, the process will be open to all interested organizations.  The proposals should be submitted to the Government of Canada by July 31, 2009 and should clearly respond to the criteria outlined above.   Detailed information on the application process will be made available shortly.

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Media may contact:

Jasmine MacDonnell
Director of Communications
Office of the Honourable Lisa Raitt
Natural Resources Canada
Ottawa
613-996-2007

Or

Media Relations
Natural Resources Canada
Ottawa
613-992-4447

NRCan's news releases and backgrounders are available at www.nrcan.gc.ca/media.