To produce its cancer drugs on an industrial scale, Orano chose Onnaing, in the North. The investment is significant for the region: 29 million euros which is accompanied by the creation of 25 jobs, with a 3000 m² factory.
«We are developing around ten drug candidates which will target different types of cancers.introduces Sophie Le Tournel, director in charge of strategy, governance and communication. We have one, Alpha Medix, which is the most advanced, for which we will enter a phase 3 clinical trial soon.»
Logistics challenge
It is this drug in particular that will be produced in the North at a rate of a few thousand doses per year in 2025, increasing to tens of thousands from 2030. The factory will be dedicated to the production of lead-212-based therapies. developed by Orano Med. Extracted from thorium 228, this radioactive element is combined with a biological vector to be injected and guided directly to the targeted tumors to irradiate and destroy them. “The particularity of lead 212 is its fairly short half-life., about 11 hoursindicates Sophie Letournel. This therefore means the time to produce it and inject it into the patient is short.»
The choice of Onnaing then turns out to be highly strategic. “The drugs must be produced in the afternoon or early evening and then shipped overnight to be injected into patients the next morning. To do this, you must position yourself in a logistics hub that allows you to serve a large area quickly. Le Valenciennois was ideal for us in Europe since we are one hour from Brussels-Zaventem airport, the airport hub for sending nuclear medicine to Europe.», Contextualizes Sophie Letournel. It’s hard to get more central.
Source: www.usinenouvelle.com
