US Pharm. 2011;36(3)(Oncology suppl):9.
As reported in Drug Week, the FDA approved a new drug application (NDA) from the National Cancer Institute for a stronger version of Sodium Fluoride F18 for use in bone scans. Unlike Technetium-99m (Tc-99m), the only previously approved radioactive tracer for bone scans, Sodium Fluoride F18 is not affected by the supply shortages that have plagued Tc-99m.Bone scans and other imaging tests that utilize single-photon emission computed tomography require Tc-99m, which is derived from the isotope molybdenum-99 (Mo-99). Bone scans are important tools for diagnosing bone metastases in patients with cancer, especially breast and prostate cancers, which tend to metastasize to bone. Sodium Fluoride F18 was approved in 1972 but withdrawn in 1975, when the less-expensive tracer Tc-99m became available. Seven nuclear reactors around the world produce Mo-99 for medical use; however, most of the supply used in United States is from a nuclear reactor in Canada that has experienced frequent outages. The NCI hopes that multiple companies and institutions will submit abbreviated NDAs for generic versions to lower the cost.
