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                         Press release

Orano Med lays foundations for its new facility to produce precursors for its future lead-212 radioligand therapies

Bessines-sur-Gartempe, November 14, 2024

Orano Med, the Orano Group subsidiary at the forefront of targeted alpha therapy development in oncology, celebrated today in Bessines-sur-Gartempe in Haute-Vienne (France) the groundbreaking for its ATEF (Advanced Thorium Extraction Facility) plant.

This facility is the world's first industrial plant dedicated to the production of thorium228, a precursor of lead-212, for radioligand therapies. This project represents a significant milestone in Orano Med's mission to provide innovative treatments in oncology. 

The ceremony was attended by Claude Imauven, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Orano Group, Nicolas Maes, Chief Executive Officer of the Orano Group, Guillaume Dureau, Director of Innovation, R&D and New Activities of the Orano Group, Arnaud

Lesegretain, Chief Executive Officer of Orano Med, Julien Dodet, President of the Governing Board of Orano Med, as well as numerous partners, local officials, and regional economic stakeholders.

Lead-212 targeted alpha therapy combines the ability of biological molecules to target cancer cells with the cell-killing potential of alpha emissions generated by lead-212. The development of these radiopharmaceuticals has long been hindered by the difficulty of producing them on an industrial scale. Thanks to innovations that ensure a very high level of purity, ATEF’s construction will industrialize the production process for thorium228, under development for over 10 years by the Laboratoire Maurice Tubiana (LMT). ATEF will supply all the ATLab (Alpha Therapy Laboratories) facilities set to manufacture lead-212-based drugs for patients worldwide. 

With over 7,000 m² of floor space, the ATEF facility, scheduled for commissioning in 2027, will increase the LMT's current production capacity tenfold. The project represents a total investment of approximately €250 million, creating nearly 70 direct and 100 indirect jobs.

In the short-term, the combined production capacities of the ATEF and LMT will ensure supply for clinical trials and the commercial launches of Orano Med's first treatments. In ten years, this industrial platform will enable the production of 100,000 doses annually.

Nicolas Maes, Orano's Chief Executive Officer, commented: “Construction of the ATEF facility at our historic site in Bessines-sur-Gartempe is a significant step for growing our activities in the region. The expansion of our production capacities in the radiopharmaceutical field also contributes to the industrial and economic revitalization of our country. In addition, this project fulfills Orano’s mission of maximizing the value of nuclear materials, the core of our Group’s expertise.”

Arnaud Lesegretain, Chief Executive Officer of Orano Med, added: “We are convinced that radioligand therapies will soon become an essential tool in the fight against cancer. As the Phase II clinical trial of our most advanced drug, AlphaMedix, nears completion, we are building a globally unique integrated industrial platform to ensure the large-scale production and distribution of lead-212-based treatments.”

The ATEF project has been selected under France 2030 following the call for "Industrialization and health capacities 2030" projects and will receive State support of €22 million. By using a variety of biological vector technologies to target cancer cells, Orano Med's activities are perfectly aligned with the French national "biotherapies - bioproduction" acceleration strategy coordinated by the Health Innovation Agency (AIS), one of the agency's key goals being to bring new cancer biotherapies to market by the end of the decade.

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About Orano

As a recognized international leading operator in the field of nuclear materials, Orano delivers solutions to address present and future global energy and health challenges. Its expertise and mastery of cutting-edge technologies enable Orano to offer its customers high value-added products and services throughout the entire fuel cycle. Every day, the Orano group’s 17,500 employees draw on their skills, unwavering dedication to safety and constant quest for innovation, with the commitment to develop know-how in the transformation and control of nuclear materials, for the climate and for a healthy and resource-efficient world, now and tomorrow.

Orano, giving nuclear energy its full value.

About Orano Med

Orano Med, a subsidiary of the Orano Group, is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing a new generation of targeted therapies against cancer using the unique properties of lead-212 (212Pb), a rare alpha-emitting radioisotope and one of the most potent therapeutic payloads against cancer cells. This technology is known as targeted alpha therapy (TAT). The company is developing a portfolio of treatments combining 212Pb with a range of targeting vectors. Orano Med has 212Pb production facilities, laboratories and R&D centers in France and the United States. 

More information at www.oranomed.com

The France 2030 investment plan

France 2030 reflects a twofold ambition: to sustainably transform key sectors of our economy (healthcare, energy, automotive, aerospace) through technological innovation, and to position France not just as a player, but as a leader in the world of tomorrow. 

From fundamental research, through the emergence of a new idea, all the way to the production of a new product or service, France 2030 supports the entire innovation lifecycle, right through to industrialization. 

France 2030 is unprecedented in its scale: €54 billion is being invested so that our businesses, our schools, our universities and our research organizations fully succeed with their transitions in these strategic sectors. The challenge is to enable them to respond in a competitive way to the world’s future ecological and attractiveness challenges, and to showcase the future champions of our sectors of excellence. France 2030 is defined by two overarching objectives, which will see 50% of expenses given over to the decarbonization of the economy, and 50% to emerging key players, those at the forefront of innovation, without neglecting the environment (in the sense of the “Do No Significant Harm” principle).

France 2030 is being implemented collectively: designed and deployed in consultation with economic, academic, local and European key players to establish strategic guidelines and decisive action. Project holders are invited to submit their entries via the current application process, which is a demanding and selective one, to benefit from state support.

France 2030 is being led by the General Secretariat for Investment on behalf of the Prime Minister and implemented by the French Agency for Ecological Transition (ADEME), the French National Research Agency (ANR), Bpifrance and the Banque des Territoires.

More information at: 

https://www.gouvernement.fr/france-2030 | LinkedIn / @SGPI_avenir