Radiotherapeutics are gaining prominence in oncology, with experts highlighting their evolution and potential during interviews published by BioSpace on Apr. 1. Industry leaders say improved supply chains, new therapies like Novartis’ Pluvicto, and a growing number of cancer targets have contributed to the field’s growth.
The importance of radiotherapeutics lies in their ability to address significant gaps in current cancer treatments. Many patients with advanced cancers face limited options after standard therapies fail, making the development of new targeted approaches critical.
Dr. Philip Kantoff, co-founder and CEO of Convergent Therapeutics, said he was drawn to the field after seeing promising early data from Cornell University on Actinium-225 for prostate cancer: “The data showed that Actinium-225, an alpha-emitting isotope, in a single-dose study showed responses in roughly 45% to 50% of heavily pretreated prostate cancer patients.” Kantoff explained that this opportunity led him from academic medicine into biotech leadership due to the need for better therapies for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC).
Dr. Marc Hedrick, president and CEO of Plus Therapeutics, said his motivation came from decades without improvement in survival outcomes for central nervous system cancers: “Diagnostics have not kept pace with disease complexity,” Hedrick said. He described how Plus Therapeutics now combines therapeutics with diagnostics and data analytics to improve patient outcomes.
Both executives noted historical ups and downs within radiotherapy development. While Iodine-131 proved effective against thyroid diseases decades ago, commercial setbacks such as GlaxoSmithKline’s Bexxar led to caution until recent successes like Pluvicto revived interest. Kantoff said Pluvicto demonstrated both clinical benefit and commercial viability when approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2022.
Supply chain improvements have also played a role; concerns about producing enough isotopes like Actinium-225 have eased as pharmaceutical interest has driven innovation. “There are now accelerated generated methods enabling commercial-scale production of multiple isotopes,” Kantoff said.
Looking ahead, both Kantoff and Hedrick see significant opportunities as researchers optimize combinations of isotopes, delivery methods, formulations, linkers, and dosing strategies tailored to specific tumor targets. “While this can make radiotherapy development complex,” Hedrick concluded,“it also creates major opportunities.”
The discussion underscores optimism about future advancements while acknowledging ongoing logistical challenges such as timely drug delivery due to short isotope half-lives.
