Eczacibas Monrol Nuclear Products Co., a producer of radiopharmaceutical producers, invested 35 million Euros to increase its production capacity for non-carrier-added Lutetium-177 (n.c.a. Lu-177) in response to growing global demand for this product.

Monrol, which manufactures radiopharmaceuticals meeting high quality standards at its production facilities, plans to increase its current n.c.a. Lu-177 production capacity through the expansion of existing production lines at the Monrol Gebze facility in Turkey as well as the establishment of a new production facility at the Gebze campus. The expansion project will come into operation gradually and reach full capacity by 2026.

N.c.a. Lu-177 is the radionuclide that forms the basis of targeted radioligand therapy, widely used in the treatment of prostate cancer and neuroendocrine tumors and expected to be used soon to treat other cancers as well.

“Prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer in men after lung cancer, with its incidence increasing rapidly around the world,” said Aydin Kucuk, general manager of Monrol. “By 2040, 2.3 million new cases of prostate cancer are predicted annually worldwide. The production capacity increase at our Gebze facility in Turkey, which will comply fully with EU and US quality standards, will meet the increasing global demand for n.c.a. Lu-177. In fact, we aim to make the Gebze production facility a center of excellence for the production of theranostic products.”