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On 20 November 2025, the House of Lords will consider the following question for short debate:

Baroness Bloomfield of Hinton Waldrist (Conservative) to ask His Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to enable the domestic manufacture of medical nuclear radioisotopes

1. What are medical nuclear radioisotopes?

Radioisotopes are key tools in what is known as ‘nuclear medicine’.[1] Trace amounts of radioisotopes are used to diagnose and treat health conditions including many types of cancer, heart disease and thyroid disease, and for the early detection and assessment of brain disorders such as epilepsy, Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. The radioisotope is typically combined with a drug that guides it to a particular part of the body.

The United Kingdom National Nuclear Laboratory notes how important this material is to many forms of treatment, but that there remained significant challenges to global supplies:

One in two UK citizens will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime and may well see their quality of life and the efficacy of their treatments enhanced as a result of nuclear medicine.

Each year, global demand for these treatments increases at a rate of up to five per cent. Every hospital in the UK uses them to help patients on a daily basis. Yet the supply of the radioisotopes required faces a global shortage.[2]

2. Where are medical nuclear radioisotopes used in the UK made?

The UK has no homegrown supply for the significant majority of radioisotopes needed for medical purposes.[3] There is an existing network of cyclotrons (a type of particle accelerator) for the close to hospital manufacture of specific medical radioisotopes, directly contracted by the NHS on a trust level. However, most of the UK’s radioisotope supply comes from facilities in Europe, many of which were built in the 1950s and 1960s.[4] This means several are approaching the end of their lifespans, increasing the length of shutdowns for routine maintenance and the likelihood of unplanned outages.[5] Of the six trusted research reactors across the world which play a critical role in global radiopharmaceutical production, five are over 50 years old.[6]

Another vulnerability in the UK’s supply chain is the transport of radioactive materials.[7] Radioisotopes degrade over time. This means any delay in transporting them—for example, due to port closures or extreme weather—reduces the amount of useful radioactive product left when it arrives in the UK.

3. Project ARTHUR: Proposals to build a national nuclear medicine laboratory in Wales

In 2023, the Welsh government announced plans to create a public sector national laboratory for the supply of medical radioisotopes in North Wales, named the Advanced Radioisotope Technology for Health Utility Reactor (ARTHUR) project.[8] The proposal would see a small-scale nuclear reactor placed at Trawsfynydd in Gwynedd to produce radioactive materials.

Welsh ministers argued the facility would become “a global centre of excellence in nuclear medicine”, making Wales the leading location for medical radioisotope production in the UK. They also contended the development would lead to the creation of highly skilled jobs.[9] In a written statement in March 2025, Rebecca Evans MS, Welsh cabinet secretary for economy, energy and planning, said that a feasibility study report and outline business case had been developed for the programme.[10]

The Welsh government called upon the UK government to help fund the project to avoid a “future health and economic crisis” should the UK’s supply of radioisotopes run dry.[11] Speaking in response to a recent written question in November 2025, Parliamentary Under Secretary at the Department of Health and Social Care Baroness Merron said that the UK government “has not made a specific assessment” of the ARTHUR project.[12]

4. What has the UK government said on the supply of medical nuclear radioisotopes?

In answer to several recent parliamentary questions on the subject of radioisotope supply to the UK, the government has said it is regularly engaging with stakeholders and working to “better understand” the shape of future supply. For example, Health Minister Karin Smyth said on 15 July 2025:

The department regularly engages with suppliers, specialist clinicians, the British Nuclear Medicine Society, and the UK Radiopharmacy Group to support the continued supply of medical radioisotopes for National Health Services. There are six trusted research reactors which play a critical role in global radiopharmaceutical production, none of which are in the United Kingdom. The department continues to work with the NHS and other parts of the government, and the devolved administrations, to better understand future needs for medical radioisotopes.

From an NHS perspective, as part of making available new treatments and interventions, consideration is given to a range of factors, including demand and supply. The NHS has got processes in place to escalate and manage business continuity, including medicines supply.[13]

Image from Freepik.

References

  1. United Kingdom National Nuclear Laboratory, ‘Health and nuclear medicine’, accessed 10 November 2025. Return to text
  2. As above. Return to text
  3. As above. Return to text
  4. As above. Return to text
  5. Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology, ‘Supply of medical radioisotopes’, 11 July 2017. Return to text
  6. World Nuclear Association, ‘Radioisotopes in medicine’, 10 January 2025. Return to text
  7. Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology, ‘Supply of medical radioisotopes’, 11 July 2017. Return to text
  8. Welsh Government, ‘Welsh government unveils major plans for national nuclear medicine laboratory in north Wales’, 10 January 2023. Return to text
  9. As above. Return to text
  10. Welsh Government, ‘Written statement: Wales innovates: Creating a stronger, fairer, greener Wales delivery plan—one year on’, 19 March 2025. Return to text
  11. Welsh Government, ‘Welsh government unveils major plans for national nuclear medicine laboratory in north Wales’, 10 January 2023. Return to text
  12. House of Lords, ‘Written question: Radioisotopes: Production (HL11370)’, 7 November 2025. Return to text
  13. House of Commons, ‘Written question: Radioisotopes (66232)’, 15 July 2025. Return to text