Hridya Raj R, Radiological Safety Officer, Molecular Radionuclide Pharmacy Pvt.Ltd. Ernakulam, Kerala.
Email: hridyarajr@gmail.com
As nuclear medicine continues to evolve in both diagnostic and therapeutic applications, a quiet powerful evolution is unfolding within its infrastructure, the rise of radionuclide pharmacy as a multidisciplinary domain. With this evolution, a group of professionals whose roles are expanding beyond traditional boundaries: Medical physicists.
Traditionally known their contributions in radiation oncology and imaging physics, now making significant contributions in the field of radiopharmaceutical sciences, particularly in the safe handling, dispensing, transport and quality assurance of therapeutic and diagnostic radionuclides. In the context of a radionuclide pharmacy, medical physicists bring a unique skill that ensures regulatory compliance, dose optimization, radiation protection, and advanced instrumentation calibration etc. Their involvement in the standardization and validation of procedures, especially for radiotherapeutic agents like Iodine-131, Lutetium-177, Actinium-222, etc., has become essential. Additionally, physicists contribute significantly to the design and commissioning of hot cells and shielded enclosures, ensuring safety without compromising operational efficiency.
The Evolving Scope of Radionuclide Pharmacy:
Radionuclide pharmacy is the branch of pharmacy concerned with the preparation, quality control, dispensing, and distribution of radioactive materials for use in nuclear medicine procedures. With the growing demand for both theranostics agents and targeted radiotherapy, the scope of the field is expanding rapidly. It is no longer a supporting department for nuclear medicine, it is the “nucleus” of nuclear medicine facilities. It involved a team of professionals with different skills, which are overlapping. While radiopharmacists have traditionally managed the pharmaceutical aspects (chemical and biological), where medical physicists play a vital role, that of radiation safety, quantitative accuracy, instrumentation calibration, and regulatory compliance. Their understanding of radiological science is serving as a central role to ensure the integrity of radioactive product handling.
Medical Physicists: The backbone of Radiopharmaceutical Safety
Radiation Protection and Shielding: Medical physicists contributions required from the initial shielding calculations of hot cells and isolation enclosures to handle radionuclides and dose calibrators, storage vaults etc. Medical physicist ensures the compliance with national and international safety standards. And validation of instruments establishment of quality assurance protocols. And their knowledge minimizes occupational exposure without compromising workflow efficiency.
Regulatory Compliance and Licensing: In regulated environments such as radionuclide pharmacies medical physicists help to implement safety protocols according to safety codes issued by bodies like AERB (in India), IAEA, or local health departments. They also play a role in preparation of safety analysis reports, radiation protection manual, emergency preparedness for the facility and radiation safety training of staffs, maintaining documentation for audits, and overseeing radioactive waste management protocols.
Physicists as Facility Architects: One of the most significant yet under-recognized contributions of medical physicists are in the design and commissioning of radionuclide handling environments. From initial radiopharmacy layouts, ventilation systems, and radiation shielding, to selecting and validating robotic systems, physicists are involved, hence they are the backbone of infrastructure planning.
A Hybrid Professionals: Medical Physicists
The integration of medical physicists into radionuclide pharmacy is now becoming significant. it is becoming a formalized part of the field’s evolution. New educational programs, interdisciplinary collaborations, and licensing frameworks are enabling the way for physicists to evolve into hybrid professionals, bridging the domains of pharmacy, physics, and nuclear medicine. They are no longer just the “invisible safety officers” behind lead shields, they are innovators, collaborators, and frontline professionals ensuring that radiopharmaceutical therapies are safe and effective.
“This is a time of opportunity, as new challenges emerge in radiopharmaceutical science, medical physicists should prepare to redefine their profession, standing at the fusion of physics, pharmacy, and nuclear medicine.”