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THE SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20201
The Honorable Spencer Abraham
Secretary of Energy
Washington, D.C. 20585
Dear Secretary Abraham:
I am writing to follow up on our recent exchange of correspondence concerning the Department
of Energy (DOE) isotope production program. Your letter informed the Department of Health
and Human Services that under your new policy, DOE will no longer subsidize production of
isotopes. In response, I asked the Director of the National Institutes of Health, Elias Zerhouni,
M.D., to undertake a full assessment of the impact of these changes on high-priority research
initiatives. Dr. Zerhouni's staff has been working with Mr. William D. Magwood, IV on your
staff to complete this assessment.
While our staffs are working toward ensuring that radioisotopes will be available for research
purposes, I remain concerned that there may be insufficient quantities of radioisotopes for
treatment and diagnostic purposes in the larger community. It was brought to my attention that
the demand for medical isotopes may exceed the supply in the near future. As I understand it, as
much as 90 percent of approved medical isotopes used in the United States arc produced abroad,
primarily in Canada, but also in Europe (including Russia), Israel, and South Africa. In addition,
many U.S. radiopharmaceutical firms arc owned by foreign parent companies. Thus, the United
States may be unduly dependent on radioisotopes produced overseas. The U.S. medical
radioisotope supply depends on production that we cannot control, and we cannot assure that
radioisotopes can be reliably and securely imported.
Nuclear medicine has become a prominent modality and is certain to increase in use in future
years as additional diagnostic and treatment uses are created. I understand that shortages of
radioisotopes have occurred in the recent past I am aware of and encouraged by DOE's recently
announced initiative to convert uranium stored at Oak Ridge National Laboratory to medical
isotopes for use in cancer research. I am also aware that DOE is currently considering a proposal
by the Community ReUse Agency (CRA) to redeploy the Fast Flux Test Facility at Hanford. The
CRA plan includes production of radioisotopes for research and medical diagnostic and
treatment purposes. The Department of Health and Human Services is not in a position to make a
judgement on the technical merits and economic feasibility of the CRA proposal; but given that
one of its intentions is to increase the supply of radioisotopes for medical treatment and reduce
the nation's dependence on foreign sources, I ask you to give the proposal every consideration.
Sincerely
Tommy G. Thompson