FUSN - Fusion Pharmaceuticals Strengthens Actinium Supply with Onsite Isotope Production through Expanded BWXT Medical Collaboration | Benzinga
- Collaboration enables Fusion to produce high purity actinium-225 at Company's GMP manufacturing facility
- Agreement furthers BWXT Medical's position as a global leader in medical isotope supply
HAMILTON, ON and BOSTON, Nov. 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Fusion Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:FUSN), and BWXT Medical Ltd., a subsidiary of BWX Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:BWXT), today announced that the companies have entered into a new agreement for the supply of generators to produce actinium-225, a medical isotope used to treat cancer in clinical trials.
Under the agreement, BWXT Medical will provide Fusion with a preferential supply of radium-225 and access to generator technology, enabling Fusion to produce actinium-225 (actinium-227 free) on site at the Company's good manufacturing practice (GMP) manufacturing facility. In addition, the Companies have expanded their existing actinium-225 supply agreement, supporting Fusion's advancing pipeline of targeted alpha therapies.
Actinium-225 is an alpha-emitting isotope used in Fusion's targeted alpha therapies (TATs) that combine the isotope with specific tumor targeting vectors to kill cancer cells while minimizing the impact to healthy tissues. Radium-225 is the parent isotope that undergoes decay to form actinium-225. BWXT's proprietary generator technology allows for the on-demand isolation of high purity actinium-225 from the radium supplied from BWXT. Generators, which will be shipped to Fusion's GMP production facility, have been used successfully to produce other types of medical isotopes because they are simple to use and do not require investment in high-cost cyclotrons and associated infrastructure and staffing needs.
Fusion Chief Executive Officer John Valliant, Ph.D., said, "Since our inception, Fusion has made proactive investments to secure actinium-225 supply, creating a robust and diversified supply chain. Our collaboration with BWXT Medical, an established leader in medical isotope manufacturing and supply with proven ability to produce and deliver high purity actinium, is a critical component of our strategy, and we are excited to expand ...