Research on nuclear drugs must be sped up, expert says

China needs to speed up the research and development of radiopharmaceuticals and other nuclear therapy products to meet rising domestic demand, according to a chief scientist in the field.

Du Jin, director of the Radiopharmaceutical Research and Development Center of the China Atomic Energy Authority, said last month in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, that the needs of radiopharmaceuticals and other products used in nuclear medicine therapy in the Chinese market are far from being sufficiently met.

He said the proportion of Chinese people with access to the combined examination of positron emission tomography/computed tomography, an advanced nuclear medicine method used to detect malignant tumors, is much smaller than in the United States, Japan and the European Union.

Statistically speaking, Du said, the amount of equipment for PET-CT in China is only 4 percent of that in the US. Similarly, the number of radiotherapy apparatus in the US is almost eight times that in China.

"Up to 70 percent of cancer patients in developed countries are exposed to precision radiotherapy, while the ratio in China is only about 20 percent," the scientist said.

The demand for radiopharmaceuticals and nuclear therapies continues to rise globally, underscoring the value of the nuclear medicine industry, he noted.

The good news, the scientist said, is that the government has realized the importance of supporting the research and development of radiopharmaceuticals and nuclear therapies, and has published guidelines to boost the industry.

Du is also chief researcher at China Isotope and Radiation Corp, a subsidiary of China National Nuclear Corp, which is involved in nuclear medicine and radiation processing businesses.

He made the remarks at the Second International Nuclear Technology Application Industry Development Forum in Suzhou.

Hosted by the China Isotope and Radiation Association, the two-day forum focused on the use of nuclear technologies in the medical industry and had more than 400 attendees from nine countries and several international organizations.

Four seminars were held during the forum, with topics ranging from the application of nuclear technology in tumor treatment to radiation processing technology.

Yu Junchong, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, echoed Du's suggestion, saying at the forum that the value of isotope businesses in the US accounts for about 3 to 4 percent of that nation's GDP, while the ratio in China is only about 0.4 percent.

However, he said, though the industry needs more funding and attention, it is equally important to avoid overlapping research and investment, and the government should encourage the purchase and use of domestically made products.

According to recent statistics from the International Agency for Research on Cancer, part of the World Health Organization, China reported 4.57 million new cancer cases in 2020, accounting for 23.7 percent of the world's new cases.

About 3 million Chinese people died of cancer that year, around 30 percent of the world total.