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ATA notice: Global radioisotope shortage now impacting I-131 supply
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The American Thyroid Association is warning health care professionals that no further shipments of radioiodine (I-131) are expected at local hospitals until mid-December 2009 in different regions of the United States.
The shortage is driven by production problems experienced by nuclear reactors that supply raw materials for the preparation of radiopharmaceutical I-131 solution.
In May, the ATA released a news update warning of a potential shortage of radioisotopes linked to a nuclear reactor shutdown in Chalk River, Ontario, Canada, which has been North America’s main supplier of radioisotopes for medical imaging.
The current shortage has led to prioritizing the use of existing I-131 products for patients with thyroid cancer and need urgent treatment as well as the possibility of rescheduling patients who are in the process of preparing for radioactive iodine scans or treatment.
Visit the ATA website for updates related to the I-131 shortage.
Meantime, the association advises health care professionals to determine the status of the local I-131 supply with the hospital nuclear medicine department or with vendors who provide the product for office-based procedures.