Perma-Fix Receives Tc-99m Technology Patent

Perma-Fix Environmental Services announced yesterday that it officially received a U.S. patent for its resin production technology used in the separation of Technetium-99 from molybdenum-99. Perma-Fix had announced in August of last year that the U.S. Patent Office had granted the company a notice of allowance for all claims in the patent application. “We have crossed an important threshold with the issuance of this patent that not only protects our intellectual property, but enables us to move forward unencumbered with our mission of solving the global supply chain issues related to Tc-99m,” Perma-Fix CEO Lou Centofanti said in a statement. “Our process enables production of this essential medical isotope for diagnostic imaging procedures in a way that is cost-effective and does not require the use of uranium.”

 

According to a company release,  the patent includes the processes used to manufacture the resins, including: Selective separation of Tc-99m pertechnetate from Mo-99; enhanced sorption of Mo with a holding capacity in excess of 60 percent of the dry weight of the sorbent; sorbent and generator resistant to degradation by gamma and beta radiation and acid environments; sorption of selective isotopes from radioactive waste streams; and removal of heavy metals, such as mercury and arsenic, from waste water streams.