SNMMI, ACNM oppose changes to amount of training required to administer radiopharmaceuticals

The Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) and American College of Nuclear Medicine (ACNM) submitted a joint statement to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) opposing potential changes in the NRC’s training and experience requirements for authorized users to administer radiopharmaceuticals.  

The NRC is questioning whether to create a category for physicians with little or no background in nuclear medicine. The training and experience requirements to become a “limited user” would be less intense than current requirements for authorized users.  

Supporters of the "limited user" classification believe it would improve patient access and treatment while fulfilling future demand. However, the SNMMI and ACNM expressed their support for keeping current training and experience requirements as the current pathway, calling it “critical to be able to provide high-quality care to patients and to ensure their safety."

In terms of radionuclide therapy, the organizations wrote that it “can be administered safely only by personnel with an extensive understanding of radiation physics, radiopharmacy, pharmacokinetics, dosimetry, and radiation biology, as well as the principles and practices of radiation safety”.  

Additionally, the groups stated that there a “sufficient number” of authorized users who are able to meet current and future radioisotope therapy needs in the U.S.