News

Nuclear Medicine Europe's major updates

Jan Schöpflin (Eckert & Ziegler) Elected as New Co-Chair of the Nuclear Medicine Europe Communications Working Group

Nuclear Medicine Europe is pleased to announce the election of Jan Schöpflin as the new Co-Chair of the Communications Working Group. The members of the working group recently cast their votes, resulting in Jan’s appointment.

Jan, who has been an active member of the Communications Working Group for several years, will now join Pascal Daniel, the current Co-Chair, in leading the group’s ongoing initiatives. Their collaborative efforts will continue to drive the success of several key projects currently underway.

Jan brings a wealth of experience to his new role. He currently holds the position of Head of Marketing at the Medical Division of Eckert & Ziegler, a company he has joined in 2010.

Read the full press release

Nuclear Medicine Advocacy in European Legislation

A European Association of Nuclear Medicine (EANM) and Nuclear Medicine Europe (NMEU) joint statement

The European Association of Nuclear Medicine (EANM) and Nuclear Medicine Europe (NMEU) express disappointment over the recent European Parliament vote on the Pharmaceutical Regulation and Directive, which did not incorporate their proposed amendments aimed at updating the regulatory framework for radiopharmaceuticals.

Despite the pivotal role Nuclear Medicine plays in modern healthcare, especially in cancer care as recognized by EU initiatives like the SAMIRA Action Plan, the current legislative approach fails to acknowledge the significant advancements in radiopharmaceuticals since 2004. This oversight poses challenges to the industry and clinical sectors, leading to uncertainties and reduced availability of radiopharmaceuticals across Europe.

EANM and NMEU advocate for a regulatory framework that aligns with the evolving landscape of Nuclear Medicine, emphasizing the need for updated definitions and provisions to support the growth and accessibility of radiopharmaceuticals. They call upon policymakers to reconsider these developments and ensure that the revised legislation reflects the advancements in Nuclear Medicine, ultimately benefiting patients across the EU.

Read full statement

Position paper on the Ban on Lead for the Transport of Radiopharmaceuticals

The European Chemicals Agency’s (ECHA) 11th recommendation to include lead metal in the REACH Authorization List raises significant concerns within the Nuclear Medicine community.

While the intention behind such regulations is undoubtedly to enhance safety and environmental protection, it is crucial to consider the potential challenges and consequences that may arise from the implementation of this ban.

Click here or the image to download the position paper.

Restart Delay of the HFR Reactor

A Nuclear Medicine Europe Emergency Response Team meeting was informed today by NRG, the operator of the HFR reactor in Petten, Netherlands, that the HFR is preparing for startup on Thursday May 11th, but because of pending discussions for approval this start-up date cannot yet be guaranteed. NRG will provide confirmation regarding restart to NMEU on Wednesday 10 May and NMEU will communicate with stakeholders at that time.

Delay in Return to Service of Maria Research Reactor (Poland)

Brussels, January 31, 2023

NMEU has been informed by the National Center for Nuclear Research (NCBJ) in Poland that due to delays in the completion of certain maintenance works, the Maria research reactor will not be able to return to service during the first week of March 2023 as had been foreseen when the activities were initiated last September. NCBJ now anticipates modernization activities to be completed in June and plan to resume operation of the reactor at the beginning of July 2023.

Nuclear Medicine Europe Position Paper

Brussels, August 17, 2022

Nuclear medicine is a vital technology, but is still facing 4 main challenges, for which NMEU has established a list of proposed actions.

Today, Nuclear Medicine Europe is publishing "What is nuclear medicine, & how can it help Europe beat cancer?", the latest position paper which contains the combined views of the 45 members of the association on how we see the need for support from both EU and local politicians to ensure a stable and secure treatment of patients in the member states.

Visit the dedicated page to learn more and download the position paper.

Nuclear Medicine Europe 2019-2022 Newsletter

The Improbable Triennium

Brussels, July 1st, 2022

"When the newly-elected executive committee took the reins of NMEU in May 2019, they knew that there would be some challenges. This is, after all, a fast-changing world. They did not, however, expect a global event that would disrupt all the laws of communication, economy, trade and society. Indeed, no one did."

"When the Covid-19 pandemic plunged the whole world into the unknown in early 2020, we all had to be creative. We had to develop new tools and new ideas, to defend the nuclear medicine industry. We had to respond to the urgent issues facing our members and try to solve them. It was not easy, but necessity is the mother of invention."

Read the newsletter

Nuclear Medicine Europe Executive Committee

Brussels, June 29, 2022

The 2022-2025 Executive Committee of Nuclear Medicine Europe has been elected this Tuesday at the end of the Annual General Assembly in Brussels. Congratulations to (from left to right) the new NMEU President Mart Jan Blauwhoff (Curium Pharma), Vice-President Dr. Lutz Helmke (Eckert & Ziegler AG), Vice-President & Treasurer Dr. Konrade von Bremen (SWAN Isotopen AG), Vice-President and Secretary General Erich Kollegger (IRE - Institute for radioelements).

More details coming very soon!

Parliament’s backing for nuclear medicine is huge boost for sector

PRESS RELEASE

Brussels, February 23, 2022

The European Parliament’s vote to recognize nuclear medicine is a significant boost for one of Europe’s most innovative sectors, and offers new hope for cancer patients, Nuclear Medicine Europe (NMEU) says.

The recognition came at the Parliament’s plenary meeting in Strasbourg, when MEPs backed an own-initiative opinion on “Strengthening Europe in the fight against cancer – towards a comprehensive and coordinated strategy” (2020/2267).

Read the full statement

How the nuclear medicine sector coordinates isotope supply

The nuclear medicine sector has an intricate system for ensuring essential medical isotopes are produced when they are needed. It involves carefully managed production schedules that take account of supply, demand and many logistical considerations around just six nuclear reactors. So, how does the system work?

Europe is the leading world supplier of medical radioisotopes and a leader in developing nuclear medicine diagnostics and treatments. The process for using this technology starts with the production of medical radioisotopes. These are isotopes produced artificially, mainly in research reactors and accelerators.

Read more

Why MEPs need to back Fiocchi’s amendments to the cancer report

Brussels, February 11, 2022

On February 15, the European Parliament plenary is scheduled to vote on an own-initiative opinion on “Strengthening Europe in the fight against cancer – towards a comprehensive and coordinated strategy”

However, the resolution does not mention nuclear medicine. This is despite Europe leading global research and development in nuclear medicine, and nuclear medicine’s record in saving hundreds of thousands of lives over the years. By contrast, the European Commission’s Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan recognizes nuclear medicine as the safest and most effective way to beat the disease.

Read more

Whatisnuclearmedicine.com update

In 2009, our Nuclear Medicine Awareness Working Group launched a website to raise awareness about nuclear medicine. It was set up as an educational platform for the general public and included animations. These animations quickly became popular within the medical community: they were translated and watched millions of times.

The internet has changed a lot over the past 13 years. We felt it was time to refresh the website to make these resources available to even more people. We now have a new design, optimised navigation, responsiveness, SEO optimisation and more. After a great deal of work, we are delighted to launch the new version of the website today: https://whatisnuclearmedicine.com/

NMEU and the Communications Working Group would like to thank all past members of the Awareness Working Group, Innovation Working Group, Chairwomen and Chairmen of these groups, as well as NMEU Members and friends who have contributed to this project since 2009.

Summary of the 2021 NMEU Symposium

Brussels, 17 November 2021

Nuclear medicine is already transforming the fight against cancer and other critical conditions, Portuguese MEP Maria Da Graça Carvalho told the annual Nuclear Medicine Europe (NMEU) Symposium.

The MEP told the ‘Personalised Medicine Fighting Cancer: The Promise of Nuclear Medicine’ symposium on November 17 that radiological breakthroughs offered new hope against cancers and disorders. “Nuclear medicine promises the shortest path to precision medicine and can intervene in the fight against cancer, but also in cardiac and neuropsychological disorders. It is already transforming the way diseases like cancer and mental health conditions are treated,” she said.

Read more

2021 Nuclear Medicine Europe Symposium

Lifesaving nuclear medicine applications deserve better recognition and support at EU level

Brussels, 14 June 2021
Thanks to medical applications of nuclear technology, Europe’s citizens have access to diagnostic and lifesaving treatment. That is why the European Union – in line with its Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan – should promote new research reactor capacity along with innovation in the sector and the design modification of the current fleet. According to a joint position paper issued today by FORATOM and Nuclear Medicine Europe, these and other recommendations should be implemented to maintain the current level of medical radioisotopes supply.

Read on FORATOM's website the full statement

Read the FORATOM-NMEU joint Position Paper
Download the annex

COVID and the transport of radiopharmaceuticals

Staying safe, saving life

How nuclear medicine patient care continues in the COVID era

These are extraordinary times. Life as we knew it has been disrupted and we all have had to adapt to a new reality. Regardless, patients undergoing or awaiting life-changing medical treatments need to receive their critical care. The nuclear medicine sector is doing everything it can to make sure that people who most need interventions – diagnostic and therapeutic - can get them, despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

From status quo to status go

“Nuclear Medicine is based on the use of radioactivity for healthcare applications in diagnosis and therapy. Through the use of biomolecules that are labelled with radioisotopes, numerous metabolic, molecular and signalling pathways can be visualized and quantified. This information is used for diagnosis and personalized treatment planning.”

The Innovation Working Group is updating and making publicly available their Pictorial Views about Nuclear Medicine.

Following the publication of the updated "Cyclotrons for Medical Radionuclide Production", the latest update "From Status Quo to Status Go" is now available for download.