Iran to Produce New Heavy Water-Based Radiopharmaceuticals: Nuclear Chief
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran unveiled plans to develop new homegrown radiopharmaceuticals on the basis of heavy water.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a cabinet session on Wednesday, Mohammad Eslami said one of the plans on the agenda is to produce new medicinal radiocompounds on the basis of heavy water for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases.
He noted that one million patients receive treatment every year with the use of radiopharmaceuticals.
Eslami said the fact that the sole Iranian company producing radiopharmaceuticals has become subject to foreign sanctions indicates that those imposing sanctions do not place any value on the lives of people.
A few days ago, Eslami said Iran aims to become a global hub for manufacturing deuterium drugs.
“In a not too distant future we will turn into a hub for manufacturing drugs based on deuterium which are good alternatives to chemical drugs and have lower side effects in comparison (to those drugs),” he stated.
The AEOI launched a second phase of its deuterium production unit in Arak Heavy Water Reactor Facility in central Iran in April 2021.
