Nuclear pharmacy

It generally involves the practice of combining a radionuclide tracer with a pharmaceutical component that determines the biological localization in the patient.

[1][2] Radiopharmaceuticals are generally not designed to have a therapeutic effect themselves, but there is a risk to staff from radiation exposure and to patients from possible contamination in production.

[6] The concept of nuclear pharmacy was first described in 1960 by Captain William H. Briner while at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland.

[7][8] John Christian and William Briner were both active on key national committees responsible for the development, regulation and utilization of radiopharmaceuticals.

[14] Staff working in nuclear pharmacies require extensive training on aspects of good manufacturing practice, radiation safety concerns and aseptic dispensing.