NorthStar Medical Launches State-of-the-Art Facility To Manufacture Radiopharmaceuticals

NorthStar Medical Radioisotopes, LLC, a leading innovator in radiopharmaceuticals for both therapeutic and diagnostic applications, celebrated the grand opening of its cutting-edge Dose Manufacturing Center in Beloit, Wisconsin, on October 3, 2024. The event featured a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by industry experts, healthcare leaders, NorthStar customers, suppliers, and partners, who gathered to discuss the promising future of nuclear medicine and the critical importance of a dependable domestic radioisotope supply for improving patient outcomes.

Among the distinguished speakers were:

• Philip Kantoff, MD, CEO and Founder of Convergent Therapeutics

• Shaemus Gleason, Executive Vice President of Clarity Pharmaceuticals

• Diane M. Hendricks, Chairperson of Hendricks Holding Co., Inc.

  
  

The new facility is poised to significantly enhance the development of diagnostic and therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals, offering expanded capacity that will provide biopharmaceutical and pharmaceutical companies with tailored solutions for the challenges of radioisotope research, development, and manufacturing. Its specialised design will not only address the growing needs of the industry but also enable NorthStar to expand its service offerings, ensuring compliance with the evolving regulatory landscape for customers worldwide.

Frank Scholz, President and Chief Executive Officer of NorthStar Medical Radioisotopes, said in a statement, “NorthStar has evolved from a one product isotope manufacturer to a company prepared to develop, produce, process and ship a board range of varied pharmaceuticals from one single vertically integrated campus. Important clinical studies are underway using Actinium-225 (Ac-225) and Copper-67 (Cu-67) in patients with various types of cancers, including prostate, lung, breast, colon, lymphoma and neuroendocrine tumours. NorthStar is proud to be at the forefront of making these promising radiopharmaceutical therapies a reality.”

He also said, “Our mission is to provide patients with global access to game-changing radiopharmaceuticals. And in doing so, helping to reimagine cancer therapy by producing radioisotopes for the treatment of cancer and other serious diseases. We are applying our experience and expertise to help develop novel radiopharmaceuticals. The unique characteristics and requirements, along with the specialised facilities, processes, equipment, technology and talent know-how that it takes to develop and manufacture radiopharmaceuticals means in most cases, the biopharmaceutical companies designing these agents don’t have the specialised skills or processes necessary to deliver these medicines, particularly when they are still in clinical trials. These companies understand that it is not realistic or financially viable to do it themselves. That is where NorthStar rises above the rest.”

Dr. Scholz further continued, “With passion and strong dedication to the radiopharmaceutical industry, our entire campus has been purpose built. It was designed with a focus on redundancy, reliability, quality, scalability, and safety. We will be capable of expanding production as our customer needs increase. NorthStar is already routinely producing the therapeutic radioisotope Cu-67, and later this year, we will become one of the first producers of Ac-225. In addition, this state-of-the-art facility will support all phases of the pharmaceutical life cycle for critical medical radioisotopes, including Ac-225, Lu-177, Cu-64, Cu-67, In-111, amongst others, from research and development, clinical phase manufacturing, through to commercial manufacturing.”