AtomVie Global Radiopharma has opened a purpose-built radiopharmaceutical manufacturing facility in Hamilton, Ontario, backed by more than $160 million — a sizable wager on one of oncology’s hottest areas.
At 72,300 square feet, the company says it’s the largest single-site contract manufacturing (CDMO) facility for radiopharmaceuticals in North America to date. It increases AtomVie’s manufacturing capacity more than tenfold and supports everything from early development to commercial supply.
Why radiopharmaceuticals are hard to make
Radiopharmaceuticals are drugs that carry a radioactive element — used both to image disease and to deliver targeted radiation to tumors. Manufacturing them is unusually demanding: the radioactive isotopes decay quickly (so production and shipping are a race against the clock), and handling them safely requires shielding, specialized facilities and strict regulatory compliance. That combination makes dedicated capacity scarce — and valuable.
Why it matters
Interest in radioligand therapies has surged, and a persistent bottleneck has been where and how to manufacture them at scale. AtomVie says it has already delivered on a global footprint — more than 70 clinical programs, over 1,000 cGMP batches and 4,400+ doses shipped to patients across 28 countries — and is targeting 200+ employees by the end of 2026. “This facility amplifies our proven track record and deep scientific expertise,” said CEO Bruno Paquin.