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The Supply of Medical Isotopes

An Economic Diagnosis and Possible Solutions

image of The Supply of Medical Isotopes

This report explores the main reasons behind the unreliable supply of Technetium-99m (Tc-99m) in health-care systems and policy options to address the issue. Tc-99m is used in 85% of nuclear medicine diagnostic scans performed worldwide – around 30 million patient examinations every year. These scans allow diagnoses of diseases in many parts of the human body, including the skeleton, heart and circulatory system, and the brain. Medical isotopes are subject to radioactive decay and have to be delivered just-in-time through a complex supply chain. However, ageing production facilities and a lack of investment have made the supply of Tc-99m unreliable. This report analyses the use and substitutability of Tc-99m in health care, health-care provider payment mechanisms for scans, and the structure of the supply chain. It concludes that the main reasons for unreliable supply are that production is not economically viable and that the structure of the supply chain prevents producers from charging prices that reflect the full costs of production and supply.

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OECD Health Division Survey on Health Care Provider Payment for Nuclear Medicine Diagnostic Services

The initial geographic scope of this study was defined as the 23 countries that are members of the European Union and the OECD as well as Australia, Canada, Japan and the United States. An invitation to nominate respondents to the OECD Health Division Survey on Health Care Provider Payment for Nuclear Medicine Diagnostic Services was sent in January 2018 all country delegates in the OECD Health Committee. Respondents were nominated in 26 countries, including 22 countries in the initial scope and Iceland, Israel, Norway and Switzerland. All nominated respondents were contacted between April and June 2018. By September 2018, responses were submitted by respondents from 16 countries, including 15 countries that were in the initial geographic scope of the study and Switzerland. Details are presented in the table below.

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