January 16, 2009 - According to a report released Jan. 14, 2009, by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), eliminating the highly enriched uranium process (HEU) — the primary source of medical isotopes in the U.S. — would be technically and economically feasible; however, the conversion to an alternative source will be years away, is likely to be more costly than the report estimates and will not alleviate the current ongoing shortages of medically necessary isotopes, according to the Society of Nuclear Medicine.
