Garching / Munich, October 13, 2022 – ITM Isotope Technologies Munich SE (ITM), a leading radiopharmaceutical biotech company, today announced the successful completion of a new production line for the medical radioisotope non-carrier-added lutetium-177 (n.c.a. 177Lu) at its production facility IAZ in Garching near Munich. The new production line was inspected and approved by the competent authorities, the government of Upper Bavaria. With this extension, ITM has multiplied its production capacity for its n.c.a. lutetium-177 to meet the growing patient and physician demand and to further strengthen its global market leadership position. N.c.a. lutetium-177 is a therapeutic radioisotope that, when combined with a tumor-specific targeting molecule, can be applied to treat various types of cancers in a highly targeted way.
The expansion of the n.c.a. lutetium-177 supply supports ITM’s commitment to providing the radioisotope to its worldwide network of pharmaceutical partners and clinics as well as for the company’s proprietary pipeline of Targeted Radionuclide Therapies. ITM plans to further expand its current production area of over 900 m² by another 4600 m² at the new production site currently being built in Neufahrn, close to ITM’s headquarters. ITM’s production facilities are located in Munich, one of Europe’s leading biotech regions, next to the research neutron source FRM-II, surrounded by renowned universities and scientific research institutions and close to critical transportation options.
“By launching this new production line, we have underlined our global market leadership and strengthened our reliable, efficient and large-scale manufacturing for our high-quality n.c.a. lutetium-177,” commented Steffen Schuster, CEO of ITM. "This will enable us to meet the fast-growing needs of healthcare professionals and cancer patients. This development reflects the rapidly evolving radiopharmaceutical market and the high demand from our customers, including the increase caused by recent market approvals."
ITM’s n.c.a. lutetium-177 is designed to have a high level of purity, which cuts storage and logistical costs otherwise associated with handling contaminated waste. It also enables its global use in areas adhering to strict radiation protection rules and regulations.
About Targeted Radionuclide Therapy
Targeted Radionuclide Therapy is an emerging class of cancer therapeutics, which seeks to deliver radiation directly to the tumor while minimizing radiation exposure to normal tissue. Targeted radiopharmaceuticals are created by linking a therapeutic radioisotope to a targeting molecule (e.g. peptide, antibody, small molecule) that can precisely recognize tumor cells and bind to tumor-specific characteristics, like receptors on the tumor cell surface. As a result, the radioisotope accumulates at the tumor site and decays, releasing a small amount of ionizing radiation, thereby destroying tumor tissue. The highly precise localization enables targeted treatment with minimal impact to healthy surrounding tissue.
ITM Isotope Technologies Munich SE
ITM, a leading radiopharmaceutical biotech company, is dedicated to providing a new generation of radiomolecular precision therapeutics and diagnostics for hard-to-treat tumors. We aim to meet the needs of cancer patients, clinicians and our partners through excellence in development, production and global supply. With improved patient benefit as the driving principle for all we do, ITM advances a broad precision oncology pipeline, including two phase III studies, combining the company’s high-quality radioisotopes with a range of targeting molecules. By leveraging our nearly two decades of pioneering radiopharma expertise, central industry position and established global network, ITM strives to provide patients with more effective targeted treatment to improve clinical outcome and quality of life. www.itm-radiopharma.com
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