Let me continue my spin then.
Despite the numerous delays, not just for Positron, but the entire Rb-82/Sr-82 generator market, things are turning around. Nordion/TRIUMF is back to full production of SR-82 (which began the day after the NRC issued their updated enforcement guidance).
BLIP at DOE's Brookhaven lab in June reported they met "the orders they received from the U.S. medical community", however they needed additional SR-82 from a foreign source in order to meet the demand.
AAA, (Advanced Accelerato Applications) has completed their phase 3 clinical trials for Bracco's Cardiogen-82 in Europe.
Draximage's infusion cart is currently going thru clinical trials in Canada. Although the generator was approved in 2011, the cart has to be approved separately in Canada. In the USA, it is my understanding that the cart and generator are approved simultaneously, and that just recently the Ruby-Fill generator manufacturing plant has been approved. FDA plant inspections are usually one of the final steps in an FDA drug approval. Draximage is also seeking approval for their generator in several European countries.
Both Bracco and Draximage have indicated on their web sites that their infusion carts are now capable of accurate dosing, one of the issues referred to in the NRC enforcement guidance and was of great concern to the FDA but was ouside of their jurisdiction.
With increasing demand coming from both Europe and Canada for Rb-82/Sr-82 generators in the near future, not to mention any increase in the USA, it appears that growth will be coming sooner than later.
While Bracco and AAA are privately owned companies, and the DOE is government owned, investment in the RB-82 generator market is not possible in these entities. Although Jubilant Draximage, GE Healthcare and Nordion are publicly held, the Rb-82 market is a tiny portion of their markets. Even the two companies that announced the building of cyclotrons, Zevacor and Global PET are privately owned.
Speaking of DOE, one also has to keep in mind that as commercial entities enter the market, DOE policy is to not compete against these companies. So as more players enter the market, the Bracco monopoly is coming to an end.
There are numerous entities that produce SR-82 around the world, but there are only 3 that can process. Those being DOE, Nordion and Positron. It's unknown if Nordion still processes, but if they do they just process what is produced at TRIUMF. DOE processes the SR-82 they produce and from foreign suppliers.
Positron has a 2 year contract with one of those foreign suppliers, Ithemba. They also have relationships with INR and Arronax. One of those relationships involves a worldwide and North American exclusive license on new state of the art technology to produce greater quantities of SR-82 in 70 mev cyclotrons and to increase processing quantities in both cyclotrons and older linear accelerators i.e. DOE's LANL Liniac and Brookhaven BLIP using liquid metal targets.
The RB-82/Sr-82 generator is the reason that I have SPECULATIVELY invested in Positron. I own many shares of GE, but that will never reflect movement in the their share price due to Cardiogen-82. However, POSC will move a lot, IF they are successful. the Attrius scanner will also benefit from an improved Rb-82/Sr-82 generator market.
It would appear that the positive news for this market is now vastly outweighing the negative. This surely is not the time to "RUN WHILE YOU CAN!!!".
Robert
