Medical Nuclear Radioisotopes

Baroness Merron Excerpts

Thursday 20th November 2025 Grand Committee

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health and Social Care (Baroness Merron) (Lab)]

My Lords, I congratulate the noble Baroness, Lady Bloomfield, on securing this valuable debate. I think we should judge its value not by the number of people here but rather by the quality of the contributions. This is an important issue and, as the noble Lord, Lord Patel, said, the noble Baroness introduced this in a very comprehensive way, which was extremely welcome.

The Government are committed to delivering critical services that depend on the reliable supply of medical radioisotopes, to which both noble Lords referred. I agree with the noble Baroness and her reflections on the positive health outcomes, also supported by the noble Lord, Lord Patel. These isotopes support positive health outcomes, both for diagnostics and for therapeutics. I was looking at the figures: in England alone, some 700,000 procedures are carried out using radioisotopes every single year. This figure is expected to increase, not least because of their value in the process.

There are three main uses for medical radioisotopes; each relies on different manufacture to get the desired result. PET-CT scans, primarily used for cancer and cardiovascular diagnostics, use isotopes from a comprehensive network of UK-based cyclotrons. SPECT scanners are mainly used to confirm the cancer stage, to identify blood clots and to assess organ functions. These scanners use isotopes manufactured abroad in reactors; the noble Lord, Lord Patel, drew our attention to this. This is also the case for radioisotopes that are used for therapeutics.

As the noble Lord pointed out when he expressed concerns about delays to treatment and the impact on patients—the point was well made—the UK does not currently manufacture medical radioisotopes in reactors. Instead, we have in place a supply chain with isotope sources from multiple countries to aid resilience. I will come on to the point that the noble Baroness made about when that supply chain is disrupted. This gives us access to a global network of expertise and high-quality medical radioisotopes.

The noble Baroness made a strong case in advocating for the Welsh project ARTHUR, a reactor specifically designed for the purpose of medical radioisotope manufacture. The Minister for Medical Technology and Innovation, Zubir Ahmed MP, recently met Liz Saville Roberts MP to discuss this matter, and I can assure the Committee that the Government are in active discussions about this project. I note the points made about the suitability of the area and the potential benefits of this project. The UK Government have not made a formal assessment of the project at this time but are supportive of any manufacturing capacity that can improve reliable access to medical radioisotopes, as has been called for. A domestic reactor would certainly be a welcome addition to the overall supply.

The noble Baroness understandably highlighted the severe shortage of a specific medical radioisotope in 2024. I agree that this was caused by a global disruption to its manufacture. The underlying issue was that several nuclear reactors used for its manufacture were undergoing critical repair work. As noble Lords can imagine, these repairs are normally planned ahead and co-ordinated to ensure that there is always enough capacity to deliver critical isotopes. However, the safe running of reactors will always determine whether they will be taken offline for repairs. In this instance, critical repair work was identified and meant that multiple reactors were closed down at the same time.

Due to a diligent response from the Department of Health and Social Care, NHS England, industry and the NHS services impacted, I am glad to say that the patient impact from this severe shortage was limited. I am grateful to all those who worked to ensure this. However, it underscores the need for multiple available sources of medical radioisotopes. A Welsh reactor—or perhaps a Scottish one, although I would rather not dwell on the argument around the devolved Governments and locations—could be an important addition to this supplier base.

Also raised were the issues with the supplies for PET-CT scanners earlier this year. I can give an assurance that, when there are specific supply issues, such as the one the noble Baroness referred to that impacted north England and the Midlands, the department works with suppliers to recover supplies and services. We are aware of the difficulties and issues that both noble Lords have raised. I hope that response is of some assistance.

We are working to support services and improve outcomes for patients. The noble Baroness said that the Government should explore long-term solutions, so let me outline some of these actions. First, we are committed to a thriving life sciences sector and the development of high-skilled jobs in that sector. The Government have made up to £520 million available through the life sciences innovative manufacturing fund; that is available for any private manufacturing proposal, including for medical radioisotopes in the UK.

Medical radioisotopes support life-saving services, including for diagnostic tests; this Government are committed to supporting the improvement of these services. Therefore, we have announced £6 billion of additional capital investment over five years across new diagnostic, elective and urgent care capacity. This includes funding to increase capacity for both testing and reporting across community diagnostic centres and hospitals.

In early 2026, which is nearly upon us, the Government will publish their national cancer plan. This will set out how we will improve diagnosis, treatment and waiting times in order to improve outcomes for cancer patients and increase survival rates. UKRI, the UK’s national funding agency for science and research, also supports the overall service delivery and has recently invested £32 million for novel total-body PET-CT scanners. All these interventions will, as I say, improve the situation for patients and improve services.

In conclusion, as the noble Lord and the noble Baroness have called for, this Government are committed to ensuring robust and reliable supplies of medical radioisotopes to deliver critical services. We are supporting the development of manufacturing and delivery capabilities in the UK, where this is appropriate, alongside working closely with international partners and suppliers. We are also committed to the economic and industrial development of the UK science sector. That is why we have made available investment funds that are open for applicants who are looking to expand or improve UK manufacture of medicine and medical technology products. This includes UK-based manufacture of medical radioisotopes or their adaption for diagnostic or therapeutic applications.

[Lord Patel (CB)]

I know that intervening on the Minister is unusual in a short debate, but we are not exactly short of time. I think the Minister said that if we had a reactor, it would be a useful addition. It would not be a useful addition; it is a necessity. She did not define any solid plans—unless I missed them—where the Government have a clear intention to establish a nuclear reactor for producing radioisotopes. There is a promise that we will have good contractual agreements with the supply chain lines that the Minister mentioned—I cannot make the Minister’s speech, but I am asking the question—but those cannot be guaranteed because there are only six reactors in the world and they are more than 50 years old. Maybe the Minister could comment on that.

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[Baroness Merron (Lab)]

I understand the noble Lord’s point. The point I am trying to make is that a supply chain is important. I was indeed careful in my choice of words, not least because, as I mentioned elsewhere in my speech, the Government have not made a formal assessment of, in this case, the ARTHUR project. So I am limited in how far I can go on the most obvious presentation before us today, but I understand the point made by the noble Lord.

I thank the noble Lord, Lord Patel, and the noble Baroness, Lady Bloomfield, for raising this important matter, which is important for the whole of the Government.