Survey on Radiopharmaceuticals in Brazil: Trends and Analysis

Ralph      Santos-Oliveira; Leila      Jorge Antunes; Marta      de Souza Albernaz; Jose      Augusto Bordim; Sheila      Weiss Smith

Abstract

Nuclear Medicine and with it, the production of radiopharmaceuticals, represent an increasingly important part of the global medical market. This market is estimated at over $3 billion per year and growing. In this study, we compare the current Brazilian radiopharmaceuticals production and consumption with that of the USA and Europe. Brazils market corresponds to 6.7% of the USA and Europe markets in terms of billing. While local demand for nuclear medicine procedures is increasing in Brazil, the number of facilities producing radiopharmaceuticals is quite small compared to other countries (2 : > 30 : > 100 facilities in Brazil, USA, and Europe, respectively). Current production capacity is inadequate to meet the growing demand. Rectifying Brazils national policies to permit international competition in the production of radiopharmaceuticals would allow an increase in the capacity and the sustainability of the Nuclear Medicine and the radiopharmaceutical industry in Brazil.

Keywords: Public health, Nuclear Medicine, radiopharmacy, market, radiology, Radiopharmaceuticals, Instituto de Energia Atomica, Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares, Iodine-131, Galium-67, Thalium-201, Technecium-99, Instituto de Engenharia Nuclear, FDG-18, PET scan, Tc-99m, DMSA, SPECT, Sestamibi, Technetium (Tc), Cardiolite, methoxyisobutylisonitrile, cardiac imaging, technetium, Diagnostic Radiopharmaceuticals