International Isotopes Expands Production Capabilities
The demise of the Superconducting Supercollider (SSC) has presented Denton, Texas-based International Isotopes Inc. with opportunities to acquire world-class radiopharmaceutical manufacturing capacity at a bargain-basement price. In 1996 International acquired a proton linear accelerator from SSC for $400,000, and on March 26 the company purchased additional assets for $2.5 million.
The 1996 deal, with the State of Texas, covered the 70 MeV LINAC injector tunnel site, buildings, and equipment located in Waxahachie, Tex. Last month's acquisition included a 600 MeV LINAC, 115 acres in Waxahachie, 800 feet of the SSC's 15-mile tunnel, a 24,000 square foot equipment building, and all utilities.
"We believe the company will need this additional site to meet the demand of potential customers based on interest from the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries," said company executive vice president T.L. Thompson. "We plan to dedicate the new facilities to the manufacture and packaging of radioisotopes, finished radiochemicals, and radiopharmaceutical products. The additional site will support the joint venture manufacture and testing of LINACs for turnkey facilities. International hopes to sell, lease, or license these reactors to drug companies interested in producing labeled drugs in-house.
By June, 1998, International hopes to begin manufacturing thallium-201, indium-111, iodine-123, iodine-125, germanium-68, lead-201, fluorine-18, palladium-103, and yttrium-90. Some of these isotopes, like thallium, are used "straight up" as radiopharmaceutical diagnostic agents. Others, like iodine isotopes, are conjugated to proteins or other affinity materials to treat (or image) cancer. International hopes to begin manufacturing copper-64, copper-67, tin-117m, cadmium-109, strontium-89, samarium-153, iodine-131, and strontium-82 by early 1999.
According to International Chairman Ira Morgan, the company is seeking supplier and contractor arrangements with large pharmaceutical companies to produce both radiolabeled drugs and raw isotopes, which companies would then incorporate into therapeutic or imaging products. International has active collaborations with Imagyn Medical Technologies (for diagnostic products), the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center (therapeutics), plus several corporate partners.
For more information contact: Ira Lon Morgan, chairman, International Isotopes, Inc., 3100 Jim Chrystal Rd., Stenton, TX 76207. Tel: 940-577-8110.
Edited by Angelo DePalma