Oct 22 2007
MDS Nordion, a leading provider of medical isotopes and radiopharmaceuticals, signed a 17-year contract for the supply of cobalt-60 with Rosenergoatom, the operating utility of Russia's nuclear power plants.
This contract expands upon the 2005 agreement by providing for an increased supply of cobalt-60 to MDS Nordion until 2024. As a result, MDS Nordion's overall supply will increase by approximately 30% by 2016. Cobalt-60 is primarily used for the sterilization of hospital medical supplies and pharmaceuticals to help prevent patient infection and disease by reducing harmful bacteria.
"As demand for cobalt-60 increases each year, this contract is great news for the global medical community," said Steve West, President, MDS Nordion. "It demonstrates MDS Nordion's ongoing commitment to provide customers a long-term supply to meet their growing sterilization needs."
Cobalt-60 is used worldwide to sterilize 45% of all disposable medical devices such as surgeons' gloves, syringes, sutures, and catheters. This sterilization process has been used for more than 40 years, having been proven safe, reliable and highly effective.
"Rosenergoatom plays an important role in providing a consistent supply of cobalt-60," remarks Valery Lebedev, a Deputy Director General at Rosenergoatom. "Unlike most power reactors, Rosenergoatom can harvest cobalt-60 while the reactor is in operation. This allows MDS Nordion to more closely match cobalt-60 supply to customer demand by increasing the reliability and efficiency of the overall supply chain."