During the past twenty years, the number of new radiolabeled molecules that have been published weekly in specialized nuclear medicine journals is quite amazing. On the other hand, one can only be astonished when it is compared to the number of new radiopharmaceuticals that came on the market during the same period. A good science is not sufficient to transform a molecule in a marketed drug.
The budget required to demonstrate with a larger number of patients the value of the molecule linked to a limited market potential discourages investors to enter in this area. In fact, there are a series of other limitations and constraints that have to be taken into account before deciding to start clinical trials. This paper tries to identify all the difficulties that are encountered by radiopharmaceutical industries.
