NorthStar Medical Radioisotopes LLC, a global innovator in the development, production and commercialization of radiopharmaceuticals, and BWXT Medical Ltd., a subsidiary of BWX Technologies, Inc., have signed a Master Services Agreement (MSA), which will facilitate the production of actinium-225 (Ac-225), a critical medical isotope used to kill cancer cells while minimizing the impact to healthy tissues.

Medical isotopes are essential for a wide range of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, including cancer treatments and advanced imaging techniques. Pursuant to the multi-year MSA, the companies will work together to process and purify radium-226 that will be irradiated to produce Ac-225. The scope of the agreement also includes potential target design projects and exploration of opportunities to provide backup supply to each other’s customers.

BWXT Medical will collaborate closely with NorthStar to streamline production processes, enhance safety protocols and innovate new methods of isotope generation. This collaboration will leverage the strengths of both organizations, combining cutting-edge technology with extensive industry knowledge.

“At NorthStar, we believe we’re on the cusp of a global paradigm shift in the development and commercialization of effective new radiodiagnostics and radiotherapies that can potentially be applied to devastating cancers and rare, complex conditions,” said Dr. Frank Scholz, NorthStar’s president and CEO. “This agreement could be instrumental to the radiopharmaceutical industry and patient health. We are excited to collaborate with BWXT on actinium production and believe our complementary technical capabilities will play a critical role in bringing novel therapies to patients who so urgently need them.”

Jonathan Cirtain, president and CEO of BWXT Medical, stated, “We are pleased to enter into this agreement with NorthStar. This collaboration is a significant step forward in our mission to support healthcare providers and patients by providing high-quality medical isotopes. Together, we are accelerating our radium-226 target design and fabrication efforts and establishing another irradiation relationship that will enable us to expand our production of Ac-225.”

BWXT Medical recently announced that it has submitted a Drug Master File (DMF) for Actinium-225 API to U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

An active DMF enables clinical investigators or pharmaceutical companies to reference the filing in their regulatory submissions. BWXT Medical’s Ac-225 has been used in an early clinical study, and the DMF is now ready for reference to support later stage clinical studies and, ultimately, new drug applications.