Activities of the Japan Radiopharmaceuticals Association.

The medical application of radioisotopes (RI) commenced in the 1950s in Japan. Ever since, it has been contributing to revealing causes of diseases, accumulating the medical knowledge and the progress of medical technologies.

Radiopharmaceuticals using RI have been developed based on the research findings in the medical applications, and have come to be used widely. Radiopharmaceuticals, which allow the measurement of a tiny amount of internal substances and trace the bio-distribution of RI over time, were recognized as one of the technologies contributing to the future progress of the medical sciences.

The twenty-first century is often referred to as the era of the life sciences. The advancement and materialization of various state-of-the-art medical technologies such genome sciences and regenerative medicine are expected.

In order to ensure that the newly developed therapeutic pharmaceuticals and medical technology are used in an appropriate manner for the efficient medical practice, accurate diagnosis of the diseases and their conditions is essential. As a diagnostic procedure to ensure the utilization of new medical technologies, nuclear medicine studies using radiopharmaceuticals is effective for meeting the needs of the medical professionals.

Moreover, by adopting a different approach in using RI in radiopharmaceuticals, the targeted treatment in the selected lesion has become available.

The Japan Radiopharmaceuticals Association comprised of companies producing and importing radiopharmaceuticals, will be contributing to the improvement of healthcare of the people by development and supply of radiopharmaceuticals, making good use of RI.