Launch of Medical Isotope Facility will ease Future Demand

A new 7000 square meter medical isotope facility – the world’s largest production site of lutetium-177, has been opened in Neufahrn, Germany, by ITM Isotope Technologies. The ceremony was conducted by Minister of State, Dr Florian Herrmann in the presence of other high-ranking guests.

Used in targeted cancer therapies, this medical isotope has gained importance in precision oncology treatments in recent years; once the new NOVA production facility is fully operational, ITM will increase its capacity to supply clinics, pharmaceutical partners and its own drug pipeline tenfold, to meet rapidly growing demand.  

Describing the facility as an important milestone for the company, for Bavaria and for patients, Dr. Florian Herrmann, Head of the State Chancellery and Minister of State for Federal Affairs and Media, commented: “As a local member of parliament, I am particularly pleased that the production facility is being built here in Neufahrn near Freising. This is a strong signal for the community and the entire region. As the Free State of Bavaria, we have been supporting the development of ITM practically from the very beginning. The Bavarian Research Foundation has already provided financial support for many of the company’s important research projects. We will continue to support the research and development of innovative cancer drugs in the future. We want Bavaria and Germany to remain international leaders in nuclear medicine in the future."

"Radiopharmaceuticals are an essential new class of anti-cancer drugs that have the potential to improve therapy outcomes and quality of life for many patients. ITM's additional production site is an important contribution to medical research and drug supply for patients in Germany and worldwide," said Udo J. Vetter, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of ITM and Chairman of the Advisory Board of Vetter Pharma.

"With the significant expansion of our production capacities we are solidifying our leading market position while, as the world’s largest manufacturer of nca (no carrier added) lutetium-177, supporting the growth of the radiopharmaceutical industry globally, for which we are a driver and a partner. Together, it is our goal to develop and provide innovative diagnostics and therapeutics for the treatment of cancer patients," added Steffen Schuster, CEO of ITM." The excellent regional conditions surrounding our facilities coupled with our strong team and established logistics network will enable the fastest possible delivery of high quality radioisotopes to anywhere in the world."

ITM’s business was enabled, in part, by years of collaboration with the Garching Research Reactor (FRM II) and the Technical University of Munich (TUM). ITM will operate the new production site at NOVA Neufahrn industrial park in addition to its existing manufacturing facility IAZ at the main site in Garching near Munich.

Operating at industry 4.0 technical level, the facility features a high degree of automation in production and logistics. It offers clean rooms, laboratories and offices for use by up to 200 employees for research, radiopharmaceutical manufacturing and aseptic production.

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