Russian nuclear medicine is making a major breakthrough in therapy accessibility. By 2026, the network of clinics using radiopharmaceuticals to fight one of the most common male pathologies — prostate cancer — will expand to 50 centers across the country. The key growth driver was the full transition to Russian technologies: the company “Prostor Pharma” acts as one of the main suppliers ensuring import substitution in this segment.
Atomic Precision: Why Alpha Particles Are More Effective
It refers to a preparation based on radium chloride (223Ra). This is a modern radiopharmaceutical (RP) belonging to the class of alpha-emitters. Compared to previous generation isotopes (beta-emitters), alpha particles possess multiple times higher energy, making them significantly more effective in destroying tumor cells in bone metastases.
The key advantage of the technology is safety for the organism. Due to the short range of the particles, damage to surrounding healthy tissues and bone marrow is minimized.
Made in the Urals: Complex Logistics and the UrFU Base
Production of such drugs requires a serious technological base and perfectly streamlined logistics, as isotopes have a short half-life — the medicine needs to be “delivered” to the patient as quickly as possible.
In Russia, this task was solved in 2024. Full-cycle production was established by the company “Prostor Pharma” based at the Ural Federal University (UrFU) in Yekaterinburg. This allowed for a complete rejection of imports.
“Until January 2026, Prostor Pharma was the only Russian producer of radium-223 shipping products to customers. At the same time, all centers that previously used the foreign drug were transferred to Russian-produced radium as part of import substitution.”
Geography of Salvation: From the Baltic to the Pacific
Currently, therapy is available in 40 clinics, primarily in the Central, Ural, and North-Western Federal Districts. However, the map of treatment availability will change significantly in the coming year.
As reported by the manufacturer’s press service, preparatory work is being conducted by at least 10 state medical institutions “from Kaliningrad to Sakhalin.” New “radium centers” will open in 2026 in the following locations:
- Moscow Region;
- Volgograd Region;
- Kaliningrad Region;
- Regions of the Southern Federal District;
- The Far East.
Availability and State Support
The expansion of the network became possible not only due to the appearance of the Russian product but also due to regulatory changes: the easing of SanPiN requirements in 2025 and the implementation of the national project “Long and Active Life.”
The drug is included in the list of Vital and Essential Drugs (VED) and is available to patients free of charge under the Compulsory Health Insurance (CHI) system in major oncology dispensaries and federal clinics. Experts note that opening new centers in the regions is critically important, as prostate cancer occupies leading positions among oncological diseases in men in Russia.
