Orano Med, a subsidiary of the Orano group and pioneer in the field of targeted alpha therapies for oncology, today announced the inauguration of its ATLab (Alpha Therapy Laboratory) Valenciennes, Europe’s first industrial-scale pharmaceutical facility dedicated to the production of lead-212-based radioligand therapies. The opening ceremony took place in Onnaing, France, in the presence of Claude Imauven, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Orano, Nicolas Maes, CEO of Orano, Frederic Desdouits, CEO of Orano Med, as well as the company’s partners, key stakeholders, and official representatives.
ATLab Valenciennes is dedicated to the production of a new generation of cancer treatments: lead-212-based targeted alpha therapies. Developed by Orano Med, they will be produced in the ATLab on a large scale to meet the needs of patients in Europe. In the medium term, ATLab Valenciennes will be able to produce up to 10,000 doses per year, with production potential that could be multiplied by five at full capacity.
Covering more than 3,000 m², this new site represents an investment of €29 million and will create about 25 direct jobs. This project was also selected under the France 2030 plan following the call for “Industrialization and health capacities 2030” and received public support of almost €3.8 million.
Nicolas Maes, Chief Executive Officer of Orano, commented: “The inauguration of ATLab Valenciennes marks a major industrial milestone for Orano Med and confirms the Orano group’s ability to innovate and deploy breakthrough technologies to advance healthcare. This site embodies our commitment to putting our industrial know-how and our expertise in handling nuclear materials at the service of cancer patients, in France and across Europe.”
Frederic Desdouits, Chief Executive Officer of Orano Med, added: “With the inauguration of ATLab Valenciennes, we have taken a decisive step in deploying our industrial platform in Europe. The site provides large-scale production capacity designed to meet the logistical constraints resulting from the half-life of lead-212. In the future, the ATLab will enable us to offer European patients new therapeutic options for cancer types with high unmet medical needs.”
Given the half-life of lead-212 of only 10.6 hours, the production and delivery of the targeted alpha therapies developed by Orano Med and its partners are subject to particularly demanding logistical requirements. These treatments must be produced, shipped and administered to patients within 24 hours. Located just two hours from Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Brussels-Zaventem airports, the Onnaing site benefits from a strategic location that makes it possible to deliver treatments to hospitals within the required time limit and cover nearly 70% of the European population. A similar production site is also currently being commissioned in Indianapolis, in the US, to serve the North American market.
The two ATLabs complete Orano Med’s fully integrated industrial platform. With this integrated platform, supported by a patented chemical process for lead-212 production and secured access to raw materials, Orano Med is also well positioned to address key challenges associated with the production of these targeted therapies, including isotope availability and scalable manufacturing.
The deployment of this production capacity is consistent with Orano Med’s continued progress in developing targeted alpha therapies. Four drug candidates, either proprietary or co-developed with its partners Sanofi, Roche and Molecular Partners, are currently in clinical development in humans. In parallel, Orano Med is advancing a broad preclinical pipeline to extend the approach to different cancer types.
About Orano
As a recognized international operator in the field of nuclear materials, Orano delivers solutions to address present and future global energy and health challenges. Its expertise and mastery of cutting-edge technologies enable Orano to offer its customers high value-added products and services throughout the entire fuel cycle. Every day, the Orano group’s 18,500 employees draw on their skills, unwavering dedication to safety and constant quest for innovation, with the commitment to develop know-how in the transformation and control of nuclear materials, for the climate and for a healthy and resource-efficient world, now and tomorrow.
Orano, giving nuclear energy its full value.
About Orano Med
Orano Med is a subsidiary of the Orano group. Orano Med is a clinical-stage biotechnology company that develops a new generation of targeted therapies against cancer using the unique properties of lead-212 (212Pb), an alpha-emitting radioisotope and one of the most potent therapeutic payloads against cancer cells known as Targeted Alpha Therapy (TAT). Leveraging its unique and secured access to 212Pb, the company is developing several 212Pb-based radioligand therapies combined with various targeting agents. Orano Med has 212Pb manufacturing facilities, laboratories, and R&D centers in France and in the US and is currently expanding its GMP-manufacturing capacities for 212Pb radiolabeled pharmaceuticals in North America and Europe.
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