SpectronRx moves forward with European facility plans
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Indianapolis-based SpectronRx announced Thursday that the radiopharmaceutical company has executed a binding agreement with a Belgian company to manufacture a promising cancer therapy for patients in Europe.
The agreement with the Belgian Nuclear Research Center (SCK CEN) initially will focus on the labeling of Actinium-225-based radiopharmaceuticals. Numerous clinical trials indicate that Actinium-225 can be an “exceptional cancer fighter” in treating prostate, lung, colon, breast, pancreas, blood and kidney cancers, as well as glioblastoma, an invasive brain cancer, the company said.
“By strengthening our partnership with SCK CEN, we have taken the next big step in our commitment to building a next-generation radiopharmaceutical contract development and manufacturing facility in Belgium,” SpectronRx CEO John Zehner said in a news release. “The facility will enable us to support our European customers in providing healthcare professionals and patients better access to their life-saving radiopharmaceuticals, including Actinium-225-labeled drug products.”
The agreement advances a deal struck last year to establish SpectronRx’s first European radiolabeling facility. SpectronRx will provide equipment and procedures, while the Belgian Nuclear Research Center will provide researchers and lab technicians to meet manufacturing needs. The Belgian Nuclear Research Center is one of the largest research institutions in the European country, with more than 850 employees.
The new facility is expected to be completed by November and operational in the first quarter of next year, pending manufacturing certifications.
Koen Hasaers, director of nuclear medical applications at the Belgian Nuclear Research Center, said the facility comes amid increased demand for Actinium-225-labeled therapies. “Our latest agreement with SpectronRx is a critical next step in our efforts to improve access to life-saving radiopharmaceutical drugs,” Hasaers said in the release.
The agreement marks the next step for SpectronRx in expanding both the production of Actinium-225-based drugs and its European market. In March of 2023 the company completed the construction of a facility near Grissom Air Reserve Base in Bunker Hill to test its isotope producing technology, Inside INdiana Business reported. In 2022 the company received regulatory approval to manufacture radiopharmaceuticals for Europe at its South Bend operation.
SpectronRx, with headquarters at 9550 Zionsville Road, supplies therapeutic and diagnostic radiopharmaceuticals to six continents.