Investigation of pharmaceuticals and medical devices containing Y extracted from high radioactive liquid waste in spent-fuel reprocessing

Hosoma, Takashi   

Pharmaceuticals and medical devices containing radioactive Y are realized, approved and placed on the international market where three products are available in Europe and the United States, and one product in Japan. These products are used not for diagnosis but for treatment by internal irradiation. It was estimated from the deliberative report of the approval in Japan that Y was extracted in Europe from high radioactive liquid waste (HALW) yielded in spent fuel reprocessing. In this report, products placed on the market and physical properties were reviewed, reasons of the realization and conditions to realize succeeding products were estimated, extraction method was compared with other methods, technical subjects, and relevant regulations were investigated. Although a medical device containing radioactive Y has been studied in Japan and one pharmaceutical product was approved, a breakthrough would be necessary to put Y utilization beyond alternative treatments. The breakthrough would become be promising; for example, if conventional treatments could be supported by technical development to deliver Y more sharply to the target with shorter serum half-life. Extraction of Y nuclide from HALW has advantages over thermal neutron irradiation of natural nuclide, a system is envisioned where Sr as a parent nuclide is separated in the reprocessing then transported to and stored in a factory of radiopharmaceuticals followed by Y extraction on demand.