Chapter-03

What is radiopharmaceutical?
 Radiopharmaceuticals, are a group of pharmaceutical drugs containing radioactive
isotopes.
 It is the branch of pharmacology that specializes in using radioactive agents.
 Radiopharmaceuticals can be used as diagnostic and therapeutic agents.
 Radiopharmaceuticals emit radiation themselves, which is different from contrast
media which absorb or alter external electromagnetism or ultrasound.
What are the major applications and type, of Radiopharmaceutical?
Major Product Types of Radiopharmaceutical covered are:
Actinium-225: It is used in leukaemia, prostate cancer and primary tumours.
Lutetium-177: It is used in Targeted Radionuclide Therapy
Radium-223: The principal use of radium-223, as a radiopharmaceutical to treat metastatic
cancers in bone, takes advantage of its chemical similarity to calcium.
Holmium-166: It is used in endovascular radionuclide therapy (EVRT) technique in liquid filled
low-pressure balloon angioplasty.
Major Applications of Radiopharmaceutical
Oncology: Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with the study, treatment, diagnosis
and prevention of cancer.
Cardiology: A number of new radiopharmaceuticals have been developed to increase the
diagnostic utility of nuclear medicine in cardiac diseases.
Radiotherapy
What is the Properties of an ideal radiopharmaceutical?
 short physical half life time
 pure gamma emitter by isomeric transition
 gamma rays emitted should be
monoenergetic (~150KeV)
 high specific activity
 localize largely and quickly at the target site
 decay into a more stable daughter nucleus
 easily and effectively attached to the
chemical compound at room temperature
 cheap per patient dose
 can be easily produced or kept at the hospital site.
What is Radiolabeling?
 Radiolabeling is a method used to follow the entry of a particle that fuses a
radioisotope through a response, metabolic pathway, cell, tissue framework.
 Radiolabeling is a method often used in pharmaceutical research and development
that is used to track certain chemicals and compounds.
Methods of Radiolabeling
There are several types method is used in radiolabeling. Some of method are shortly
mentioned below:
What is radiolabeling used for?
 Radiolabeling is used to track certain chemicals and compounds. It's somewhat similar
to a more well-known technique, carbon dating, that is used to track the age of organic
compounds based on the rate that carbon decays.
How Does Radiolabeling Work?

❑ Radiolabeling, a form of isotopic labeling, is performed so that scientists can follow the
journey of a molecule. Using this technique, the isotope in question can be tracked as it moves
through microscopic cells or throughout chemical reactions. All elements can exist as at least
two isotopes with different numbers of neutrons in the nucleus. While these isotopes are
easier for researchers to trace, they don’t change the behavior of the molecule they are
studying. Thus, this technique is instrumental in the development and testing of drugs, in both
discovery and clinical study phases.
Radiolabeling Techniques: