IBA wins 12-cyclotron US order from major radiopharmaceutical producer

IBA secured a 12-unit Cyclone KIUBE 300 order to build a national PET radioisotope network in the US, with capacity configured for fluorine-18

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A brightly lit cleanroom features a large, symmetrical stainless steel processing machine with extensive piping, flanked by white control cabinets and illuminated by overhead fluorescent lights.

IBA (Ion Beam Applications S.A.) has announced a contract to supply 12 Cyclone KIUBE 300 cyclotron systems to an unnamed leading global radiopharmaceutical producer for deployment across a multi-site production network in the United States. Each system will be configured primarily for high-volume fluorine-18 (18F) output, with the capability to add radiometal production as the therapeutic pipeline matures.

The contract covers not only the hardware but also Nirta HCFT helium-cooling-free targets, facility design and commissioning services through IntegraLab, access to the KARE digital portal, and operator training. The Cyclone KIUBE 300 is priced in a range of approximately €2.5 million to €5 million per unit depending on configuration, implying a contract value of up to €60 million at full specification, though IBA did not disclose the agreed commercial terms.

Scale and timing

Loïk-Maël Nys, President of IBA RadioPharma Solutions, said the deployment of twelve high-output cyclotrons across a national network "within a short timeframe" was a significant undertaking that reflected IBA's ability to manufacture at scale and execute with consistency. He framed the collaboration as one aimed at expanding patient access to both diagnostic and therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals in the US and internationally.

IBA describes the KIUBE platform as capable of producing up to 35 Ci of 18F in a single two-hour dual-beam run, with fleet uptime above 97% owing to subsystem redundancy. The company claims the platform generates 42% more FDG revenue and 76% more FDG EBIT per site than the leading competing system. Those figures originate from IBA's own marketing materials and have not been independently verified.

Market context

The order reflects a broader pattern of upstream capacity investment in the radiopharmaceutical sector. Clinical interest in theranostics, which combines diagnostic imaging and targeted radionuclide therapy in a single agent class, has accelerated sharply following regulatory approvals for agents such as Novartis's Lutathera and Pluvicto. That commercial momentum has highlighted a structural bottleneck: isotope production infrastructure has lagged behind the clinical pipeline, with cyclotron and target availability limiting the volume at which approved tracers and therapeutics can reach patients.

Several large pharmaceutical companies and contract manufacturers have announced capacity expansion programmes in the US market over the past two years, and demand for cyclotron hardware has risen accordingly. IBA, which has more than 350 systems installed globally and covers the full 9 to 70 MeV energy range, is well positioned in the capital equipment segment, but competition from Siemens Healthineers, GE HealthCare, and a number of specialist suppliers means the vendor landscape is not without rivalry.

The decision by the unnamed producer to commit to a 12-system national network ahead of demand, rather than reactively, is notable. It suggests confidence in the growth trajectory of PET diagnostics and radiometal-based therapeutics, and may also reflect an effort to secure supply ahead of anticipated tightening in cyclotron lead times. IBA will be watched for further multi-system orders as more producers accelerate their buildout strategies in the coming quarters.

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