NorthStar Medical Radioisotopes is done building its molybdenum-99 processing facility in Beloit.
The 20,000-square-foot building is part of their plans to expand their production of the radioisotope used for diagnostic imaging of cancer and heart disease.
President and CEO Stephen Merrick said they still need to install and commission their technology in the facility and perform qualification testing before seeking FDA approval.
He estimated it could be a couple of years before the Beloit facility produces moly-99, but they’re already making it in a lab at the University of Missouri.
NorthStar also plans to break ground on what Merrick called “Building 3” to house electron accelerators. He says their land in Beloit gives them flexibility to further expand their production.
He doesn’t see NorthStar as a competitor to SHINE Medical Technologies, which broke ground on it’s land in Janesville in May.
Merrick said his company produces both the radioisotopes and the RadioGenix system that directly supplies the medical industry, while SHINE is more reliant on the international supply chain.
The Janesville company uses uranium to produce moly-99, while NorthStar does not need licensing from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
