“We are currently in the first place in the region in the production of therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals,” Qanadi said on radio.

According to Qanadi, Iran managed to gain a foothold not only in the production of radiopharmaceuticals, but also in the export of therapeutic and diagnostic radiopharmaceuticals.

The expert explained that diagnostic radiopharmaceuticals are useful for detecting a wide variety of diseases, such as cerebral hemorrhage, various types of cancer, osteoporosis and heart conditions.

“At least one million Iranian patients use diagnostic radiopharmaceuticals such as technetium-99m (…) every year, which help diagnose 85 percent of diseases,” he said.

Iran also produces the iodine-131 radiopharmaceutical, used for the treatment of thyroid cancer, as well as other types of radioactive medicines such as the one that helps reduce bone pain in patients in the last stages of cancer.

Work is also being done on FDG (Fluorodeoxyglucose), another type of nationally produced radiopharmaceuticals, which facilitates the diagnosis of brain dysfunctions such as hemorrhages and brain tumors.

Iran’s nuclear industry has made significant strides in the past 16 months in various fields, including plasma technology, radiation technology, medicine and agriculture, according to official reports released earlier this week. Iran can now produce high-quality heavy water, achieving good status globally, and is also capable of exporting it to other states.

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