Nordion to Supply Bracco Diagnostics With Strontium-82

Ontario-based Nordion has signed a two-year contract to supply Bracco Imaging’s U.S. subsidiary, Bracco Diagnostics, with strontium-82. Nordion produces strontium-82 via a cyclotron at its Vancouver and Ottawa facilities.

The partnership with Bracco is imperative in bringing advanced imaging products to patients, and will augment the imaging solution provider’s growth in nuclear imaging medicine, the two companies said.

Strontium-82 is a medical isotope used in CardioGen-82 generators and in manufacturing rubidium-82 intravenous injections. It has a half-life of 25.55 days. Delivered in dilute hydrochloric acid, the isotope is the most common agent used in PET scans of heart function in adult patients with suspected or confirmed coronary artery disease, Nordion says.

According to the American Heart Association, a third of all deaths in the U.S. are caused by heart attack, stroke or cardiovascular disease. — Lena Freund

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