IBA to distribute ARTMS QIS cyclotron technology for theranostics
IBA (Ion Beam Applications S.A.) has signed a distribution agreement with ARTMS Inc., a subsidiary of Telix Pharmaceuticals, to offer ARTMS's proprietary solid-target cyclotron system, the QUANTM Irradiation System (QIS), to IBA's global base of cyclotron customers. The deal is intended to simplify procurement and servicing by making accelerator hardware and solid-target production capability available through a single supplier.
QIS is already referenced in FDA filings for multiple approved radiopharmaceutical products and is described by the companies as the only solid-target cyclotron solution in the United States with validated production of gallium-68 and zirconium-89. The system is also being extended to produce technetium-99m and copper-64, two radiometals with broad clinical and commercial relevance.
The deal
Under the agreement, IBA will sell and service QIS alongside its own cyclotron platforms, though the technology remains compatible with third-party cyclotron hardware. ARTMS retains direct relationships with its existing customer base. The partnership is structured to accelerate local, decentralised production of diagnostic and therapeutic isotopes, which the companies say is a prerequisite for scaling theranostics beyond the handful of high-volume academic and commercial centres currently equipped to handle short-lived radiometals.
Loïk-Maël Nys, President of IBA RadioPharma Solutions, said the initiative reflects a strategic push to support "the transformation of nuclear medicine toward a broad theranostic landscape relying on radiometals and emerging therapeutic isotopes." Chad Watkins, General Manager Isotope Strategy at Telix, framed the rationale around access: "Reliable local supply of gallium-68 and other radiometals is what allows precision oncology to reach more patients. IBA brings the reach and the service capability to put QIS within reach of sites that could not easily access it before."
Market context
The theranostics sector has attracted substantial commercial and investor attention over the past three years, driven by the clinical validation of lutetium-177-based agents such as Novartis's Lutathera and Pluvicto. As approved radiopharmaceutical pipelines broaden, demand for scalable, geographically distributed isotope production is intensifying. Gallium-68, with a half-life of roughly 68 minutes, cannot be shipped economically over long distances, making on-site or near-site cyclotron production increasingly essential.
Several cyclotron manufacturers and radiopharmaceutical service providers are competing to capture infrastructure investment from hospital networks and commercial radiopharmacies looking to establish in-house production. IBA's combination of global cyclotron installed base and established field-service network gives it meaningful reach in this race, while Telix brings QIS's regulatory track record and isotope chemistry expertise.
The partnership also reflects a broader pattern of vertical integration across the radiopharmaceutical value chain, as companies seek to control supply reliability for short-lived isotopes. Regulatory agencies, including the FDA, have signalled awareness of isotope supply constraints, and production technology with existing FDA filing references carries a credentialling advantage in procurement conversations with hospital systems and contract manufacturers. For IBA and Telix, the agreement is as much a positioning move ahead of anticipated pipeline growth as it is an immediate commercial transaction.