If you or a loved one in Africa were diagnosed with thyroid or prostate cancer, would you have access to a treatment that could save your life? A new review of 47 studies across 54 African nations reveals a stark gap: only about half of countries offer I-131 therapy for thyroid cancer, and just 7 provide Lu-177-PSMA for advanced prostate cancer.
The review found that local production of these radiopharmaceuticals could cut therapy costs by 93% to 96%. For Lu-177-PSMA, the price difference is enormous: locally made versions cost $1,500 to $3,000 per treatment, compared to $42,500 for imported ones. That's a cost ratio of 1 to 28.3.
But the problem isn't just money. Africa has only 0.18 nuclear medicine physicians per million people, compared to 3.1 in other regions. This shortage means even where treatments are available, expertise is thin. The review calls for urgent investment in cyclotron infrastructure and workforce training to close the gap.
These findings come from a systematic review of published studies, so the data depend on what's been reported. Still, the picture is clear: without local production and more specialists, many African patients miss out on life-saving therapies.
