Breakthrough —— China First Lu-177 Launching medical market from Chinese Reactor

 

BY Tao, Published Jun.26, 2025

 

 

Breakthrough

China’s CNNC reports a major milestone in domestic medical isotope production, announcing that lutetium-177 (Lu-177) is now in commercial production under the isotope technology brand Hefu No 1 and was officially launching medical market on 25 June.The initiative follows three irradiation purification batches and verification trials, with Qinshan Nuclear Power Base leveraging Qinshan NPP’s heavy water reactors for isotope manufacturing.

On-the-ground briefing from Qinshan:

• Location and facility: Qinshan Nuclear Power Base, using Qinshan NPP’s heavy water reactors to produce Lu-177.
• Capacity and reach: CNNC says annual irradiation production for Lu-177 now exceeds 10,000 curies, enough to fully meet China’s national demand.
• Industry context: This marks a pivotal step in China’s drive toward self-sufficiency in medical isotopes, coming after large-scale carbon-14 supply and substantial irradiation capacity for yttrium-90.
• Strategic backdrop: The 2021 Medical Isotopes Medium and Long-term Development Plan (2021-2035), endorsed by eight ministries including the National Atomic Energy Agency, calls for a stable and independent medical isotope supply and accelerated development of related industries. CNNC frames Hefu No 1 as laying the technical groundwork for large-scale, stable production of Lu-177, yttrium-90, and strontium-89.

CNNC emphasized that, for years, China relied on imports for Lu-177, a constraint that hindered nuclear medicine progress and risked delaying cancer treatments. The company noted that Qinshan already produces cobalt-60 to meet domestic demand (with some exports), carbon-14 at a large scale, and yttrium-90 with batch irradiation capacity, positioning Lu-177 as the latest milestone in domestic capability.

Quote from CNNC-style update: This breakthrough represents a long-sought step toward a self-reliant medical isotope supply chain, reinforcing China’s capacity to deliver timely and improved cancer therapies locally.

Background ：

Lu-177 plays a prominent role as a distinctive medical isotope in the precise diagnosis and treatment of cancer. It can be combined with targeted drugs to accurately kill cancer cells and is widely used in targeted therapies for various cancers, including prostate cancer and neuroendocrine tumours.

Lu-177 is a fully synthetic isotope.  By irradiating enriched Yb-176 (Ytterbium -176) target with thermal neutrons in a nuclear reactor. Following irradiation, the target material undergoes a separation that purifies the 177-Lu by removing the 176-Yb. After separation the bulk solution is dispensed and steam sterilized.  The final product does not contain 177m-Lu and is referred to as Non-Carrier Added (NCA).

China Isotope Development Co.,Ltd focus on Yb-176 supplying stablly over the past years, to contribute Lu-177 bulk production in China market.

 

Would you like a deeper dive into any specific technical parameters or applications?
(Follow up our update articles on www.asiaisotopeintl.com or send your comments to tao.hu@asiaisotope.com for further communications)