Orano Group subsidiary Orano Med has launched its first ATLab (Alpha Therapy Laboratory), in the US at Brownsburg near Indianapolis. ATLab Indianapolis is the world’s first industrial-scale pharmaceutical facility dedicated to the production of lead-212-based radioligand therapies.
Targeted Alpha Therapy with lead-212 combines the natural ability of biological molecules to target cancer cells with the short-range cell-killing capabilities of lead-212 generated alpha emissions. The development of such radiopharmaceuticals has long been hampered by the difficulty of manufacturing and distributing them on an industrial scale. The construction of ATLab Indianapolis is seen as a major step towards making these promising new treatments available to cancer patients with high unmet needs in North America.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by Yannick Tagand, Consul General of France in Chicago, Tony Denhart, Executive Vice President for Talent & Workforce of the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC); Travis Tschaenn, President of the Brownsburg Town Council; Guillaume Dureau, Senior Executive Vice-President Projects & Innovation R&D and Nuclear Medicine for the Orano Group; Jean-Luc Palayer, President & CEO of Orano USA; and Julien Dodet, President & CEO of Orano Med.
“The ATLab in Indianapolis is a very important step in the development of the Orano medical activities in the US, said Guillaume Dureau. “Coupled with the lead-212 production capacity of our research unit in Plano, Texas – the Domestic Distribution & Purification Unit – this new industrial site will enable us to serve North American patients requiring targeted lead-212 radiotherapy treatments.”
Orano Med CEO Julien Dodet noted: “We are convinced that lead-212 radioligand therapies will soon become an essential tool in the fight against cancer. Having obtained, together with our partner RadioMedix, Breakthrough Therapy Designation (BTD) from the FDA for our most advanced drug AlphaMedix, the inauguration of ATLab Indianapolis represents another major step forward in the development, production, and distribution of these new treatments on a large scale.”
ATLab Indianapolis, with over 2,800 square metres of floor space, represents an investment of $20m and will create 25 direct jobs. It will focus on the production of lead-212 therapies developed by Orano Med and their distribution in North America. In 2023, Orano Med started construction work on a similar facility at Valenciennes in France to serve the European market.
Combined, this will enable Orano Med to manufacture 10,000 doses a year worldwide as of 2025, with the aim of producing ten times that number by the end of the decade. The location near Indianapolis was chosen for its proximity to major national and international distribution networks, with the second largest FedEx hub ensuring reliable transport of radiopharmaceutical products, and its high concentration of pharmaceutical companies and skilled workforce. The construction of further ATLabs is envisaged to meet patients’ needs worldwide.
