The Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) has said that India’s 1st radioisotope manufacturing (reactor) and processing facility complex will be built on the Public Private Partnership (PPP) model. This will be the 1st time in the world PPP.
*It is expected to be one of the largest single facilities for the production / processing of isotopes in the world.
*The reactor will be designed by Baba Atomic Research Center (BARC) and built by DAE’s subsidiary Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL). It is said that the capital cost for this construction will be borne by DAE.
*The main purpose behind the construction of the radioisotope reactor is to facilitate the treatment of cancer and other diseases, to provide assistance in the field (for food security) and to make India self-sufficient in the production of important radioisotopes.
*The project was proposed by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in May 2020 as part of the DAE’s Atma Nirbar Bharat initiative.
Technology of manufacturing:
*DAE will share the technology of manufacturing nuclear drugs with private companies, which will invest in the construction of the reactor and processing units.
*These companies have exclusive rights to process and market radioisotopes produced in a nuclear reactor.
*17 companies from India have expressed interest in partnering with DAE for this project.
*The global nuclear pharmaceutical market value is expected to reach US $ 6 billion and US $ 30 billion by 2030. The project is expected to change India’s position in the global nuclear medicine industry.
Radioisotopes:
*Radioisotopes are an unstable form of an element that converts radiation into a highly stable form.
*They are used in nuclear medicine to treat cancer and for many purposes in industry.
*The demand for isotopes for nuclear medicine in India is increasing and from 2018 to 2020 the number of nuclear medicine departments in hospitals in India has increased from 293 to 349.
*All major radioisotopes in India are manufactured by BARC.
*Some radioisotopes are imported from Europe, Australia and other Asian countries.
*Radioisotopes can only be purchased and handled in India by users authorized by the Radiation Protection Division (RSD) and the Nuclear Regulatory Board (AERP).