The supply of radiopharmaceuticals has been very tenuous at times with lengthy shortages of radiopharmaceuticals causing delays in nuclear medicine studies and and patient care. This has been especially prevalent during the COVID pandemic. There are only a few manufacturers of radiopharmaceuticals approved by the FDA for use in the US, therefore they can be easily impacted by equipment issues and raw material shortfalls. Given the short half life of radioisotopes used in imaging and therapy, the manufacturing and production process must work continuously. This presentation will explain where many radiopharmaceuticals and cold kits for nuclear medicine are manufactured, how they are shipped, and how they are prepared in a nuclear pharmacy for patient administration. The second part of the presentation will discuss compliance with USP <825> in both the nuclear pharmacy and nuclear medicine department and answer questions on individual compliance requirements.
Learning Objectives:
Discuss the nuclear medicine supply chain and examine issues that cause delays in radiopharmaceutical delivery.
Discuss compliance with USP both in the nuclear pharmacy and nuclear medicine department
Review pertinent questions for your nuclear pharmacy to ensure you can maintain supply of radiopharmaceuticals and maintain compliance.