Curium emerges as leading manufacturer of Lu-177 isotope with acquisition of Monrol
Nuclear medicine company Curium Pharma has announced the completion of its acquisition of Istanbul, Turkey-headquartered Eczacıbaşı-Monrol Nuclear Products Co. (Monrol), as part of its plan to significantly expand capacity for the medical isotope Lutetium-177 (Lu-177) used in targeted radionuclide therapy.
According to the announcement, Monrol’s manufacturing and logistics infrastructure in Istanbul “immediately adds scale to Curium’s vertically integrated production and distribution capabilities,” positioning Curium as the “leading” manufacturer of Lu-177 — which releases high-energy radiation as it degrades — to meet the growing demand for the isotope globally.
The acquisition also secures the supply of the isotope for the future launch of Curium’s Lu-177 drug candidates for prostate cancer — which is currently in development — and pending approval for the treatment of neuroendocrine tumors. In addition, Monrol enhances Curium’s research and development capabilities, as the France-headquartered company continues to expand its portfolio and pipeline of theranostic products.
Monrol’s Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) geographic footprint expands Curium’s PET presence in 34 sites in Western Europe and Asia to 46 locations, with the addition of 12 Monrol owned and partnered sites in Eastern Europe and the Middle East and North Africa. Curium said it plans to deploy the Monrol Ga-68 generator worldwide, pending regulatory approvals, which provides a reliable and convenient source of the Ga-68 radiotracer for PET imaging.
“The coming together of Curium and Monrol will transform our scale, capabilities and reach across several critical areas, in particular Lu-177, and create multiple new opportunities to enhance our offering of life-changing diagnostic and therapeutic solutions to patients around the world,” Chaitanya Tatineni, Curium’s CEO International Markets, said in a statement.
Radiopharma space remains hot
Last week, William Blair analysts hosted a virtual two-day radiopharmaceutical conference that included fireside chats and presentations from radiopharma companies in the therapeutic, diagnostic, and contract development and manufacturing spaces.
In a Friday post-event report, the analysts said the radiopharmaceutical field remains hot, pointing to the approximately $900 million raised by private radiopharma companies — both drug developers and isotope producers — over the past nine months.
“We believe that over the next two years, the field will reach an inflection point as the therapeutics class emerges from a niche modality to become one of the centerpieces of the cancer treatment paradigm,” the analysts wrote.
Last month, Eckert & Ziegler entered into a strategic partnership with Bicycle Therapeutics to supply radioisotopes and provide contract development and manufacturing services for Bicycle’s radiopharmaceutical molecules, known as Bicycle Radio Conjugates.
The collaboration aims to support the clinical development of Bicycle’s proprietary bicyclic peptide-based therapeutics, which are designed to precisely deliver therapeutic payloads to hard-to-reach targets. The agreement includes isotope supply and manufacturing at Eckert & Ziegler’s GMP facility in Berlin, Germany.
In late January 2025, Lantheus Holdings announced plans to acquire radiopharma contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) and diagnostics company Evergreen Theragnostics in an all-cash deal valued at $250 million, with up to $752.5 million in potential milestone payments.
CDMOs with capabilities in handling radiopharmaceuticals are seeing strong demand, reflecting strength in these therapeutic modalities, according to CPHI’s 2024 annual report. “Barriers to entry here are extremely high and could lead to a supply/demand imbalance in the near term as more radiopharmaceuticals make their way into the clinical pipelines,” according to CPHI.