AstraZeneca’s recent $2 billion acquisition of a radiopharmaceutical partner was the latest sign that the market for these new therapies is growing rapidly – and that competition among pharmaceutical giants for dominance in the field is intensifying. The global radiopharmaceutical market was valued at $5.7 billion last year and is expected to reach $13.7 billion by 2032.
This represents a hopeful and potentially life-saving development, particularly for patients suffering from certain types of cancer. “Radiopharmaceutical therapies (RPTs) are systemic treatments that target cancer cells with a radioactive drug,” explains Johns Hopkins Medicine. They “can be used to treat cancers that have spread (metastasized) or that have come back after other treatments.”
Discussions about advances in radiopharmaceuticals have largely focused on effectiveness. But there are other pressing challenges that pharmaceutical companies must consider as they invest in and administer radiopharmaceutical drugs – particularly challenges in delivering radioligand therapy (RLT), a type of targeted cancer therapy that delivers radiation specifically to cancer cells.
Considerations when deploying AHU at scale
What makes RLT so promising – the radioactive elements – also presents major challenges in providing these elements. These challenges often require new infrastructure. Considerations include:
- Diagnosis: RLT targets specific receptors or antigens on cancer cells. Accurate diagnostic tests must be highly specific and sensitive to identify patients likely to benefit from RLT.
- Half-life: These drugs have short half-lives. From the moment they are created, they begin to decay. As the International Atomic Energy Agency reports, the half-life of radiopharmaceuticals can range from several days to just a few seconds. Therefore, some drugs must be made with exponentially more isotopes than will ultimately be administered to a patient.
- Logistics: Treatment must be packaged, tracked, delivered and administered to the patient at exactly the right time. There is virtually no scope, no possibility for delays or cancellations or for earlier administration. This means pharmaceutical companies must develop precise systems to ensure timely delivery to healthcare facilities before radioactivity wears off and becomes unusable.
- Special requirements: Radioligand therapy requires special transport, storage and dosage regulations. To provide these treatments, healthcare providers need assistance in ensuring that their staff are appropriately trained and that their facilities are equipped to store and dispose of radioactive materials in accordance with numerous regulations. Both the FDA and the NRC (Nuclear Regulatory Commission) play a role in regulating these drugs.
Competing within the radiopharmaceutical landscape
With several companies on the verge of offering similarly effective therapies, the focus for pharmaceutical companies will now be on delivery and differentiation.
To remain competitive, companies operating in the radiopharmaceutical space must consider how they will manage and support the expansion of more comprehensive healthcare systems to enable the delivery of RLT. Healthcare providers need training and support in implementing this process, from patient identification to ordering, storing and administering treatments.
It’s about a lot. Not only are lives at stake, the costs can also be enormous. A single dose of a radioactive drug can cost tens of thousands of dollars. To deliver these new, promising treatments at scale, pharmaceutical companies must evaluate their processes and priorities and adapt their operations accordingly.
These changes require targeted efforts and significant investments. Whichever company demonstrates the greatest leadership in this space will be at the forefront of the new era of radiopharmaceuticals.
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