Compounded Radiopharmaceuticals and Adjunct Agents

The nuclear medicine community frequently experiences product shortages.  At the time of this writing, we are in the midst of a nationwide shortage of Kinevac brand of sincalide injection.  Bracco, the manufacturer of Kinevac, is estimating that the shortage may last several months, and there is no other commercially available source of sincalide (i.e., “generic” version of Kinevac) on the market.

Many of our customers report that they have been approached with offers of “compounded” sincalide injection from various sources.  We at NuTech want to bring several issues regarding the use of compounded sincalide to your attention to help you make an informed decision regarding these offers. 

We at NuTech want our patients to receive the very best quality products available, therefore we have made the decision to dispense only FDA approved radiopharmaceuticals and adjunct agents.  If you are considering the use of "compounded" radiopharmaceuticals or adjunct agents in your practice, we suggest that you read the following before making a decision.

 

SNM Guidance

The Society of Nuclear Medicine published "The Use of Compounded Radiopharmaceuticals and
Adjunct Drug Preparations."

Compounded Quiz

Before your facility make the decision to utilize "compounded" radiopharmaceuticals or adjunct agents, take this quiz to help you decide if this is the best decision for your facility and your patients.

FDA Approved Radiopharmaceuticals

A list of commercially radiopharmaceuticals, their approved manufacturers and their trade names is available.  Nuclear medicine practitioners who receive any of the listed radiopharmaceuticals that originate from sources other than the identified manufacturers may be using unapproved copies. The list also highlights FDA-approved radiopharmaceuticals that may potentially have unapproved copies available in the marketplace.