The Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) and the US Department of Energy (US DOE) will co-organise the Third Workshop on Medical Radioisotopes Supply. It will take place at the NEA in Boulogne-Billancourt on 9-10 April 2026. The event will gather governmental decision-makers, private sector representatives, health organisations and researchers to chart the development of secure supply chains for established and innovative nuclear radioisotopes in the medical field. The event builds on the success of the previous two editions of this workshop, which brought together a large number of experts for engaged discussions.

Since 2018, the field of medical radioisotopes has faced new challenges. The COVID-19 pandemic showed that molybdenum-99 (Mo-99) supply chains are vulnerable, reminding the international community that Tc-99m, the diagnostic backbone of nuclear medicine, is still fragile. In parallel, clinical demands have expanded rapidly for innovative therapeutic radioisotopes used in Radiolingand therapy (RLT), such as lutetium-177 (Lu-177), actinium-225 (Ac-225), astatine-211 (At-211) and lead-212 (Pb-212). RLT and theranostics are changing the field of nuclear medicine. Still, they also raise important questions about production capacity, long-term economic viability, regulatory frameworks, waste management, transportation logistics and the readiness of the healthcare systems.

In response to stakeholder consensus, this workshop will place particular emphasis on advancing the RLT market economics study and global impact assessment, as well as on refining supply and demand forecasting for Lu-177 and Ac-225. The workshop will also maintain attention on Mo-99 supply security, building on long-standing NEA work to monitor vulnerabilities and support coordinated solutions. Together, these efforts aim to deepen understanding of emerging market dynamics and to support evidence-based strategies for strengthening the resilience of medical radioisotope supply chains.

Over the past two decades, the global community has made significant efforts to secure a reliable supply of medical radioisotopes, particularly molybdenum-99 (Mo-99) and its decay product, technetium-99m (Tc-99m). The OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) established the High-Level Group on the Security of Supply of Medical Radioisotopes (HLG-MR) in response to the severe shortages that occurred in 2009. Comprising experts from 18 countries, including non-NEA members, as well as the Euratom Supply Agency (ESA) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the High-Level Group played a pivotal role in informing policy decisions to stabilise supplies. Its four mandates (2009–2019) laid the foundations for today’s policy frameworks on full-cost recovery, outage reserve capacity, and coordinated international response to supply disruptions.

Beyond the High-level Group on the Security of Supply of Medical Radioisotopes (HLG-MR), additional organisations such as the European Observatory on the Supply of Medical Radioisotopes and Nuclear Medicine Europe (NMEU) have also proved pivotal in monitoring developments, engaging stakeholders, and mitigating risks to the security of supply. These collective efforts created an unprecedented level of international co-operation between governments, producers, regulators, the medical community and international organisations.