The radiopharmaceutical production complex, a first for Latin America, built by the Russian State Nuclear Energy Corporation Rosatom on the order of the Bolivian Nuclear Energy Agency (ABEN), has begun the supply of radiopharmaceuticals to the Bolivian network of nuclear medicine centers.

The ceremony held for the start of the supply of radiopharmaceutical fluodeoxyglucose was held at the Nuclear Medicine and Radiotherapy Center designed for the treatment of cancer patients. Bolivian President Luis Alberto Arce Catacora also attended the ceremony.

The Cyclotron Complex is part of the landmark Nuclear Technology Research and Development Center (CIDTN) project implemented within the framework of bilateral cooperation between Russia and Bolivia. CIDTN is being built in the city of El Alto, at an altitude of 4000 meters above sea level. The facility benefits the national health system as it provides the domestic production of all necessary radiopharmaceuticals for the clinical examination of more than 5000 patients per year. This means that Bolivian citizens who need advanced and timely nuclear diagnosis will not have to travel abroad for diagnosis. In the future, the facility will allow substitution of all the radiopharmaceuticals that Bolivia has had to import.

Bolivian President Luis Alberto Arce Catacora said: “Our country has taken a big step forward. Now we not only have a nuclear medicine center with the most advanced infrastructure, but we can also produce the radiopharmaceuticals we have had to import for cancer diagnosis ourselves. Currently, Bolivia has such advanced technologies that we may even plan to export radiopharmaceuticals to neighboring countries. From now on, we will be able to fight cancer more effectively.”

Kirill Komarov, Rosatom First Deputy General Manager and Director of International Business Development, said: “The first facilities under construction of the Nuclear Technology Research and Development Center, built by Rosatom in El Alto, are already beginning to bring benefits to the people of Bolivia. We saw a good example of this when radiopharmaceuticals produced in the new Cyclotron Complex were delivered to the first patients. We’ve done a tremendous job with our Bolivian partners. The next stage is to expand the range of radiopharmaceuticals and export these medicinal products to neighboring countries. “With the help of Rosatom’s experts, Bolivia is becoming one of the region’s leaders in nuclear technology applications.”

Source: (BYZHA) – Beyaz News Agency