The DOST-PNRI Technetium 99m (Tc-99m) Generator Facility will pave the way for cheaper and more available supplies of radiopharmaceuticals in the country. Once it becomes operational, the Tc-99m facility will be able to supply more than 40 hospitals in the Philippines which are equipped with nuclear medicine facilities. The local production of these radiopharmaceuticals will also save the medical industry up to around 20 percent of the average cost for imported Tc-99m.
Technetium 99m is a medical radioisotope generated from Molybdenum 99. With a short half-life of 6 hours, the radioisotope emits gamma radiation which makes it very useful as a tracer in helping to diagnose various physical ailments and abnormalities at the early stages. Combined with gamma cameras, the Technetium 99m allows doctors to scan and provide an image of various organs in the body. Over 80 percent of the world’s nuclear diagnostic imaging procedures rely on this radiopharmaceutical, with its applications ranging from lung, bone and renal scintigraphy, liver scanning, DMSA and DTPA renal scanning, gastroesophageal reflux, continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis, among others.
For more information, please contact:
Isotope Techniques Section Nuclear Services Division Telephone: Trunkline (+632) 929-6010 to 19 local 248
