Radiopharma-Focused CDMO Nucleus Unveils Two New Plants, Looks to Create 100 Jobs

AstraZeneca-backed Nucleus RadioPharma on Monday unveiled plans for two new manufacturing facilities—one in Arizona and another in Pennsylvania—to address critical bottlenecks in the radiopharmaceuticals space.

Together, the Arizona and Pennsylvania sites will expand Nucleus’ U.S. footprint by more than 100,000 square feet and will add 100 new jobs—50 at each location—helping to establish the respective regions as healthcare hubs, according to the company. Construction on both plants is expected to be completed by the end of 2026.

“To reach their full potential as treatments for millions of patients with limited options, theranostic radiopharmaceuticals must be available close to those who need them,” Nucleus CEO Charles Conroy said in a statement, noting that the two new sites will “significantly improve patient access” to radiopharmaceuticals and “expedite clinical trials.” Conroy expects the Arizona and Pennsylvania plants to cut “time-to-market for new therapies by up to 30%.”

According to Nucleus, these new manufacturing facilities will be “first-of-a-kind” bringing together research, development and commercial production processes “under one roof.” This level of integration will give Nucleus’ partners “massive time and scale advantage,” the company contends, while providing a solution to the current supply chain constraints nationwide.

Nucleus expects its new sites to target two central challenges in the radiopharma space—the lack of high-quality manufacturing and development capabilities and geographic limitations associated with the short half-life of many radioactive components.

Addressing these gaps has become increasingly important, especially as biopharma ramps up its investments in radiopharmaceuticals.

In June 2024, Nucleus RadioPharma secured Series A extension funding with investment for an undisclosed amount from AstraZeneca. Tyrell Rivers, executive director of corporate ventures at AstraZeneca, was named to Nucleus’ board of directors at the time.

The most prominent deal to date in the radiopharma space was Bristol Myers Squibb’s December 2023 acquisition of RayzeBio for $4.1 billion. Eli Lilly is also putting big biobucks on the line in radiopharma with its $1.4 billion buy of Point Biopharma in October 2023 and a potential $1.1 billion deal with Aktis Oncology in May 2024 for worldwide rights to specific therapeutic and diagnostic products. In July, Lilly also paid $140 million for a strategic partnership with Radionetics Oncology, giving it access to a promising radiopharma pipeline and an exclusive right to buy the biotech.

Last week, Sanofi put $326 million on the table to acquire a 16% stake in Orano Med, which is developing radioligand therapies using lead-212 alpha-emitting isotopes. The partners have yet to reveal specific targets, only announcing that they will focus on rare cancers.