ABSTRACT
A radiopharmaceutical is defined as a pharmaceutical that incorporates a radionuclide. A radionuclide may decay by emitting three different types of ionizing radiation: alpha, beta, and gamma radiation. Alpha decay is characterized by the emission of an alpha particle from the nucleus. Radiopharmacy is now on the brink of entering a new important stage in its development. Progress in biotechnology has made it possible to produce sufficient amounts of monoclonal antibodies to be used as carrier molecules for specific tumor-targeting radiopharmaceuticals. Good Radiopharmaceutical Practices are the guidelines for the manufacture, preparation, and handling of radiopharmaceuticals. Parenteral radiopharmaceuticals produced at such premises are terminally sterilized in the final container either by autoclaving or by membrane filtration into the vial. Aseptic production of radiopharmaceuticals will increase the requirements for the design and construction of the premises. The extensive use of radionuclides with short half-lives has made it necessary to develop a range of preparation kits.
