There has been a major breakthrough in cancer treatment, and pharmaceutical giants are betting on the technology of direct radiation therapy for tumors.

Like $Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMY.US)$Please use your Futubull account to access the feature.$AstraZeneca (AZN.US)$ and $Eli Lilly and Co (LLY.US)$ Large pharmaceutical companies have invested approximately 10 billion US dollars in acquiring or partnering with manufacturers of radioactive drugs.

The core of this treatment method is that drugs deliver radiation precisely to cancer cells. Radioactive substances combine with targeted molecules that can accurately locate cancer cells, directly treating tumors with radiation therapy. In theory, radioactive drugs can be used to treat various types of cancer as long as specific molecules or proteins (targeted molecules) unique to cancer cells are identified, avoiding damage to healthy cells in other parts of the body.

Radioactive drug technology is still in its early stages, but it has tremendous market potential. Guggenheim Securities analyst Michael Schmidt pointed out that any company with a business in oncology may need to enter this field to ensure they are not left behind in the future.

If this technology is limited to treating a few cancers, such as prostate cancer and neuroendocrine tumors, market revenue could reach 5 billion US dollars. If it proves effective for more cancers, revenue could reach hundreds of billions of dollars. However, these drugs may be used to treat multiple types of cancer, making it difficult to estimate the total size of this market.

Pharmaceutical giants are making large-scale investments in new cancer-fighting technologies.

Proving the scientific and commercial feasibility of this radioactive drug technology has taken a long time. The first batch of radioactive drugs was approved in the early 2000s, but major pharmaceutical companies have only recently started to show interest in this.

Swiss pharmaceutical giant $Novartis AG (NVS.US)$ Is a pioneer in this field, and has successively launched Lutathera for the treatment of pancreatic and gastrointestinal cancers, and Pluvicto for the treatment of prostate cancer, with more drugs in development. The market is expected to reach sales of about 4 billion US dollars for these two drugs by 2027.

Novartis' success in the field of radioactive drugs has sparked industry interest, prompting Eli Lilly and Bristol-Myers Squibb and other companies to join the competition. Eli Lilly's acquisition of Point Biopharma for 1.4 billion US dollars emphasizes manufacturing capability as a key factor in screening partners to ensure that drug production is not dependent on outsourcing.

Similarly, when Bristol-Myers Squibb acquired RayzeBio for 4.1 billion US dollars, its manufacturing capability was also a key consideration. These companies are all working to ensure supply chain and independent production capabilities in order to control their future destiny.

High manufacturing difficulty and complex logistics

However, radioactive drugs face two major challenges, namely high manufacturing difficulty and complex logistics. Due to the rapid decay of radioactive substances, precise logistics and strict time management are required for the manufacturing and distribution of drugs to ensure timely delivery to patients before the radiation intensity decreases. Patients need to receive treatment within a few days after the drugs are manufactured.

Novartis has invested over 0.3 billion US dollars to expand production facilities in the USA to ensure rapid delivery of drugs such as Pluvicto to patients. Each dose of the drug is equipped with a GPS tracker to ensure timely delivery. Novartis also transports the drugs by vehicle to destinations within nine hours of the factory to reduce the risks associated with weather emergencies.

Physicians and patients can also feel the complexity of this process when receiving these drugs. For example, medical institutions need to upgrade their licenses in order to use Lutathera and Pluvicto for patients, who need to make appointments in advance because these drugs start to decay as soon as they are prepared, with a very short shelf life.

A real-life example is prostate cancer patient Coy, a retired firefighter who has to drive over an hour each time to Bassett Hospital in northern New York to receive treatment with Pluvicto. So far, Coy has not encountered any problems, but he is worried that there may be a snowstorm between now and January next year that could affect his journey to the hospital. After treatment, Coy also has to take some precautions when he gets home, such as staying away from his wife to prevent her from being exposed to radiation. He also drinks more water to help his body eliminate excess radiation.

While these minor annoyances will continue for a few days, Coy doesn't mind, because he has undergone various treatments for prostate cancer for almost ten years, and the cancer has spread to his bones. Earlier this year, after receiving Pluvicto treatment, Coy's blood tests showed a significant decrease in his cancer levels.

Looking ahead, although the radioactive pharmaceutical technology is still in its early stages, major pharmaceutical companies are not willing to wait and are eager to participate in the competition of radioactive pharmaceuticals, because stories like Coy's make them believe that this work will eventually pay off.

Editor/Somer