Pamedic Spotlight｜What is Radiopharmaceuticals to Patients

Radiopharmaceuticals, as a key component in the field of molecular imaging and precision medicine, play an essential role in the diagnosis and treatment of malignant tumours, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and other fields, presenting a broad prospect of development, despite the relatively small market size at present.

The latest Chinese Pharmacopoeia records 30 types of radiopharmaceuticals, and radiopharmaceuticals with different functions are constantly being developed at home and abroad.

In September 2022, the State Drug Administration issued the Opinions on Reforming and Improving the Administration of the Review and Approval of Radiopharmaceuticals (Draft for Comment), such a national-level initiative greatly encouraging the research and development of radiopharmaceuticals.

I. Overview of Radiopharmaceuticals.

Definition: According to the Measures for the Control of Radioactive Drugs, radioactive pharmaceuticals refer to radionuclide preparations or their labelled pharmaceuticals used for clinical diagnosis or treatment, while new radioactive pharmaceuticals refer to radioactive pharmaceuticals produced for the first time in China.

Characteristics: Radioactive, non-constant, low introduction and low chemical toxicity, self-radiation decomposition effect, efficacy depends on nuclide and activity.

II. Radiotherapeutic drugs.

In current tumour-targeted therapy, radiotherapeutic drugs play a wide range of applications. Taking 177Lu-DOTATATE as an example, as a radiolabelled growth inhibitor analogue, it has been successfully used in the treatment of adult growth inhibitor receptor-positive gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumours and has achieved remarkable results in the course of treatment, such as a decrease in the SUVmax of liver metastases.

III. Radiodiagnostic medicines.

Radiological in vivo diagnostic drugs are used to obtain images or functional parameters of target organs or diseased tissues in vivo，play inga key role in the diagnosis of diseases. The novel drugs, such as 18F-Fluoroestradiol and 18F-Florbetapir, provide effective means of diagnosing HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer and Alzheimer's disease.

IV. Radiopharmaceutical clinical effects

1. The technology for imaging cancer detection is rapidly developing.

Growth in new drug market: Nearly 400 investigational new drugs are currently in various stages of development, and patients will be able to access a more advanced and broader range of imaging methods than traditional diagnostics in the future.

Early Cancer Detection: New radiopharmaceuticals can detect the spread of cancer earlier and more accurately, enabling intuitive and accurate tumour localisation by targeting cancer cells.

Appplication of short half-life isotopes such as Ga-68: Multiple scans are allowed to be taken over a period of hours or days, helping doctors to assess the effectiveness of treatments and understand disease progression.

2. Better Disease Monitoring

Precise lesion monitoring: Radiopharmaceuticals precisely target diseased or cancerous cells, allowing close monitoring of disease progression.

Disease treatment monitoring: The application of radiopharmaceuticals is not limited to detection, but can also for treatment, enabling the integration of diagnosis and treatment.

3. Improve and Optimise Treatment Programmes

Personalisation of treatment: Treatment of radiopharmaceuticals can be customised to safely and effectively destroy cancer cells and improve the patient's quality of life.

Precision medicine: Drugs are targeted to specific molecules, ensuring that the treatment only affects the target tissue, providing more accurate and effective treatment for patients.

4. Reduction of patient radiation exposure:

Reducing radiation exposure: Advances in radiopharmaceuticals has greatly reduced the amount of radiation required for precise imaging or treatment, minimising the patient's exposure to radiation.

Conclusion

As medical science and technology develops, radiopharmaceuticals provide patients with more effective therapies in terms of precise diagnosis and treatment. Its application in tumour treatment will be more precise and is expected to become an important way to improve the survival rate and quality of life of cancer patients. At the same time, the development and application of radiopharmaceuticals will also drive innovation in the medical field, making new breakthroughs and  possibilities to medical science. This trend heralds an era of more personalised and precise treatment in the medical field.