Government Relations
GR News
December 28, 2007
Molybdenum-99 Supply Resource Center
The following SNM article contains information regarding the North American Mo-99 shortage of December 2007. Please note that in time the links to external websites could expire or become outdated . . .
North American Molybdenum-99 Shortage Over
On December 12, the Parliament of Canada passed emergency legislation to bypass the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) and allow the Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) to restart the National Research Universal (NRU) reactor.
AECL initiated procedures to restart the NRU reactor on December 13 and it was safely returned to service on December 16. Full production of Mo-99 resumed the week of December 24.
Background of NRU Reactor Shutdown
AECL—the operator of the NRU reactor and MDS Nordion's primary supplier of Mo-99—had originally scheduled a maintenance shutdown for the week of November 19 to make the modifications necessary to comply with their CNSC license requirements. AECL was unsuccessful in the time allotted and thus, under pressure from the CNSC, decided to keep the NRU reactor in an extended shutdown until the work could be completed.
On November 30, MDS Nordion publicly announced an interruption in North America's Mo-99 supply due to the NRU reactor's extended shutdown. A second announcement on December 5 warned that the AECL's shutdown of the NRU reactor could extend into January 2008.
In response to the patient care crisis caused by the shortage of Mo-99, the Parliament of Canada used a rare emergency legislative process (Committee of the Whole) to quickly pass Bill C-38, which bypassed the CNSC's regulatory authority over the NRU reactor license for a period of 120 days. During the 120 days, the AECL is permitted to safely operate the NRU reactor while continuing to move toward full compliance with their CNSC license requirements.
Related News and Resources
Parliament of Canada News
- Legislative Solution to Mo-99 Shortage Received Royal Assent - NRU Reactor to Restart (12-13-2007)
- House of Commons Fast-Tracked Legislation Addressing NRU Reactor (12-12-2007)
AECL Announcements
- NRU Reactor Returned to Service (12-16-2007)
- AECL NRU Reactor Status (12-14-2007)
- AECL Third Announcement - Reactor Restart (12-13-2007)
- AECL Second Announcement (12-11-2007)
- AECL First Announcement (12-04-2007)
MDS Nordion Announcements
- MDS Nordion Letter to Customers - Full Production of Mo-99 in Seven Days (12-13-2007)
- MDS Nordion Second Announcement (12-05-2007)
- MDS Nordion First Announcement (11-30-2007)
CNSC Announcements
- CNSC Second Press Release With Letter from Ministers of Health and Natural Resources, and Response From CNSC President/CEO (12/10/2007)
- CNSC Press Release (12-06-2007)
- CNSC Staff Report to the Commission Tribunal (12-06-2007)
Related Web Pages
Other Industry Announcements
- Canadian Society of Nuclear Medicine Press Release (12-13-2007)
- Covidien Letter to Nuclear Medicine Colleagues (12-13-2007)
- Bracco Diagnostics Educational Information Regarding Mo-99 Shortage and PET Alternatives (12-11-2007)
- Advanced Medical Isotope Corporation Press Release Regarding Mo-99 Shortage (12-11-2007)
- Canadian Society of Nuclear Medicine Press Release (12-06-2007)
- Covidien Letter to Colleagues (12-03-2007)
Potential Alternatives—Thallium-201 can be used as an alternative tracer for cardiac imaging procedures. F-18 (Fluoride) Positron Emission Tomography (PET) bone imaging is useful for diagnosing suspected infection or metastatic disease.