Orano subsidiary Orano Med has laid the foundations for its Advanced Thorium Extraction Facility plant in Bessines-sur-Gartempe in Haute-Vienne, western France. This facility is the world's first industrial plant dedicated to the production of thorium-228, a precursor of lead-212, for radioligand therapies.
Lead-212 targeted alpha therapy combines the ability of biological molecules to target cancer cells with the cell-killing potential of alpha emissions generated by lead-212. Orano Med says the development of these radiopharmaceuticals has long been hindered by the difficulty of producing them on an industrial scale.
Thanks to innovations that ensure a very high level of purity, the Advanced Thorium Extraction Facility's (ATEF) construction will industrialise the production process for thorium-228, under development for more than 10 years by the Laboratoire Maurice Tubiana (LMT). ATEF will supply all the ATLab (Alpha Therapy Laboratories) facilities set to manufacture lead-212-based drugs for patients worldwide.
The ATEF facility, scheduled for commissioning in 2027, will increase LMT's current production capacity tenfold. The project represents a total investment of about EUR250 million (USD264 million), creating nearly 70 direct and 100 indirect jobs. The ATEF project has been selected under the France 2030 plan following the call for "Industrialisation and health capacities 2030" projects and will receive public support of EUR22 million.
In the short-term, the combined production capacities of the ATEF and LMT will ensure supply for clinical trials and the commercial launches of Orano Med's first treatments. In ten years, this industrial platform will enable the production of 100,000 doses annually, the company said.
"Construction of the ATEF facility at our historic site in Bessines-sur-Gartempe is a significant step for growing our activities in the region," said Orano CEO Nicolas Maes. "The expansion of our production capacities in the radiopharmaceutical field also contributes to the industrial and economic revitalisation of our country. In addition, this project fulfills Orano's mission of maximising the value of nuclear materials, the core of our Group’s expertise."
Orano Med CEO Arnaud Lesegretain added: "We are convinced that radioligand therapies will soon become an essential tool in the fight against cancer. As the Phase II clinical trial of our most advanced drug, AlphaMedix, nears completion, we are building a globally unique integrated industrial platform to ensure the large-scale production and distribution of lead-212-based treatments."
Orano Med has lead-212 production facilities, laboratories and R&D centers in France and the USA.
In February this year, the company began construction of its Alpha Therapy Laboratory in Onnaing in northern France. This will be Europe's first industrial-scale pharmaceutical facility dedicated to the production of lead-212 based radioligand therapies. It will focus on the production of lead-212 therapies developed by Orano Med and their distribution in Europe. Orano Med is due to inaugurate a similar facility this year in Indianapolis to serve the US market.