Discover & Learn

Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, Paris, France, Indianapolis, United States, and Melbourne, Australia, October 19^th, 7.30 a.m. - Ekalia (company in formation), the joint venture combining IBA’s technological expertise (Ion Beam Applications, EURONEXT) with Framatome’s industrial know-how, has entered into a collaboration agreement with Telix Pharmaceuticals (ASX: TLX, NASDAQ: TLX, “Telix”), a global leader in radiopharmaceuticals, aimed at accelerating the production of Astatine-211 (At-211) in the United States.

Following Ekalia’s planned first site in France, this collaboration marks an important step in the development of a robust, reliable and international infrastructure to support the advancement of Astatine-211-based targeted alpha therapies for cancer treatment.

Astatine-211 is recognized as a promising alpha-emitting radioisotope for the development of innovative cancer treatments¹. However, its broader adoption remains constrained by the availability of sufficient production capacity². Through this agreement, Ekalia will be able to leverage Telix’s radiopharmaceutical network (RLS Radiopharmacies, “RLS”) and operational capabilities to accelerate the commissioning of its first production unit in the United States. The first installation is intended to be at RLS Trevose in Pennsylvania, with the potential for further rollout across the RLS network as demand develops.

“Making Astatine-211 more widely available requires not only technological expertise, but also the ability to build reliable production capacity where it is needed”, says Bruno Scutnaire, CEO of Ekalia. “By leveraging Telix’s existing capabilities in the United States, we can move faster towards establishing our first US production unit, while laying the foundations for Ekalia’s broader development in the country.”

An operational collaboration supporting the broader ecosystem
This collaboration represents an important step in Ekalia’s broader ambition to develop Astatine-211 production capacity in the United States. It also reflects the partners’ shared commitment to supporting the advancement of Astatine-211-based targeted therapies and fostering an open ecosystem that can help accelerate patient access to innovation in nuclear medicine. Under the agreement, Telix will benefit from secured access to a portion of the Astatine-211 production capacity.

“Owning the path from isotope to patient is central to our development and commercialization strategy”, explains Chad Watkins, General Manager, Isotope Strategy at Telix. “This collaboration gives Telix a dedicated, long-term source of astatine-211 to advance our alpha therapy pipeline, and demonstrates the strategic value of the RLS platform as a potential host for next-generation isotope production in the U.S. We are delighted to partner with IBA and Framatome, two global leaders in this field, to help advance reliable, scalable astatine-211 production.”

¹ Lindegren et al. EJNMMI Radioph. and Chem. (2026) 11, 15 doi:10.1186/s41181-026-00428-0
² Albertsson P et al; Frontiers in Med (2023),9, 1076210: doi:10.3389/fmed.2022.1076210

Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, October 19^th, 7 a.m. - IBA (Ion Beam Applications S.A., EURONEXT), the world leader in particle accelerator technology and the leading provider of radiopharmaceutical production solutions, today announces it has unveiled NEPTIS^® Perform Duo, a synthesizer that lets radiopharmaceutical producers develop new tracers and manufacture them on one module, on October 18 at the EANM'26 Congress in Vienna, Austria.

A radiopharmaceutical synthesizer is an automated system that combines a radioisotope with specific chemical compounds to produce a radiopharmaceutical for diagnostic imaging or therapeutic use. It plays a crucial role in radiopharmaceutical production by automating and precisely controlling the chemical processes required to transform a radioisotope into a safe, consistent and ready-to-use drug.

Developing a new PET imaging agent, known as a tracer, takes many trial runs. On most synthesizers, each run uses a new single-use kit. As a result, producers that both develop and manufacture tracers often rely on two separate systems.

NEPTIS^® Perform Duo brings both steps onto one module. For development, it uses reusable components, reused more than 30 times in internal testing, which lowers consumable costs. For production, it runs the same single-use cassettes and chemistries as NEPTIS^® Perform, including FDG, the most widely used PET tracer. Because the system stays the same, the process a team develops is the process it produces, with one qualification path.

It is the first new product from ORA, since IBA acquired ORA in December 2025. The launch reflects IBA's commitment to radiochemistry as it builds a fully integrated offering for radiopharmaceutical manufacturers. Designed for contract manufacturers, commercial radiopharmaceutical producers and radiopharmacy networks, the new module joins NEPTIS^® Perform and NEPTIS^® xSeed™ in the NEPTIS^® range.

“Our customers increasingly develop the tracers they later manufacture, and they want to do both on the same platform,” said Loïk-Maël Nys, President of IBA RadioPharma Solutions.“NEPTIS^® Perform Duo gives them a simpler and more economical way to take a new compound from first run to routine production. For the teams we work with, that helps bring new diagnostic options to patients sooner.”

ORA brings 20 years of radiochemistry expertise, with NEPTIS^® synthesizers installed at more than 600 sites in over 50 countries. Combined with IBA's four decades of experience in cyclotrons, the machines that produce medical isotopes, this gives radiopharmaceutical producers one partner from isotope production to dose-ready radiopharmaceutical.

Two modes in one module. Sequences developed on NEPTIS^® Perform Duo move straight into routine production on the same module, with one qualification and one set of paperwork.

NEPTIS^® Perform Duo is a cassette-based synthesizer built on NEPTIS^® Perform platform that also runs reusable manifolds.

Come and see it first.
 

Built by the team behind NEPTIS^® with 20 years of radiochemistry expertise, something new is about to be revealed this autumn. Discover the latest IBA radiochemistry technology!
 

October 18 – 2.45 pm

Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium and Paris, France, October 16^th, 7 a.m. - IBA (Ion Beam Applications S.A., EURONEXT), the world leader in particle accelerator technology and radiopharmaceutical production solutions, and Framatome, an international leader in nuclear energy committed, among other activities, to the industrial development of products and services for human health through its Framatome Healthcare brand, today announce the establishment of a joint venture (JV) named Ekalia, with its dedicated logo:

The Ekalia JV is dedicated to deploying an international network of industrial-scale Astatine-211 (²¹¹At) production sites close to customers, making this promising radioisotope available for future targeted cancer therapies. Jointly owned by the two partners, the new company combines IBA’s cutting-edge cyclotron and isotope production technologies with Framatome’s nuclear industrial expertise. Together, the two companies intend to establish a network of production sites across Europe and North America.

Addressing a major challenge in nuclear medicine
Astatine-211 is considered a promising alpha-emitting radioisotope for precision nuclear medicine1. With its favorable half-life, this alpha emitter can deliver highly concentrated radiation over a very short distance, potentially destroying cancer cells, while minimizing exposure to surrounding healthy tissue2. However, translating this clinical potential into patient care requires reliable, large-scale production infrastructure capable of serving as many patients as possible.

Ekalia aims to address this challenge by progressively deploying an international network of industrial Astatine-211 production sites. The first production site is planned in Nantes, France, and is expected to become operational in 2028. Ekalia’s strategy also includes plans for a second pilot site in the United States, followed by the deployment of additional production sites across Europe and the United States to support customers using Astatine-211.

Combining innovation with industrial excellence
Framatome and IBA have already achieved pioneering advances in the field of theranostics3. IBA recently launched the Cyclone® iKure cyclotron, dedicated to the production of Astatine-211. Through PanTera, IBA has also established itself as a leading player in advancing the production of Actinium-225, another key isotope for targeted alpha therapy.

For its part, Framatome’s technology, through its ISOGEN joint venture with Kinetrics, enabled the first large-scale commercial production of the radioisotope Lutetium-177 in a power reactor in Canada in June 2022, ensuring reliable, large-scale access to this essential medical radioisotope for targeted prostate cancer therapy.

Through this alliance, IBA and Framatome are setting new benchmarks in the field of theranostics, reinforcing their commitment to driving innovation and improving global access to life-saving treatments.

A partnership supporting new cancer therapies
Catherine Vandenborre, Chief Corporate and Ventures Officer at IBA, commented: “This joint venture reflects our determination to actively help remove the barriers limiting patient access to innovations in nuclear medicine. By combining our technological leadership with Framatome’s industrial expertise, we are creating the conditions required to make Astatine-211 available at scale and support the development of new cancer therapies.”

François Gauché, Vice President of Framatome Healthcare, added: “Future targeted therapies require reliable, scalable and resilient supply chains. By joining forces with IBA, we are beginning the development of an international industrial production network for Astatine-211 capable of sustainably supporting the growth of this market and the development of innovative treatments for the benefit of patients.”

¹Lindegren et al. EJNMMI Radioph. and Chem. (2026) 11, 15 doi:10.1186/s41181-026-00428-0
²Albertsson P et al; Frontiers in Med (2023),9, 1076210: doi:10.3389/fmed.2022.1076210
³The combination of a radioactive imaging isotope to locate a lesion and a therapeutic isotope to destroy the identified target