IBA and Framatome announced on October 16, 2026, the establishment of Ekalia, a jointly owned venture intended to build an international Astatine-211 production network for future targeted cancer therapies. Its first site is planned in Nantes, France, with operations expected to begin in 2028.
Key Takeaways
- Ekalia combines IBA’s cyclotron and isotope-production technology with Framatome’s nuclear industrial expertise.
- A planned Nantes facility is expected to start operating in 2028, followed by a proposed US pilot site.
- The venture aims to address isotope supply constraints; the announcement did not disclose investment or production targets.
Table of Contents
- Astatine-211 production starts with a planned French site
- The supply challenge behind the partnership
- Partners bring existing isotope capabilities
- Conclusion
Astatine-211 production starts with a planned French site
The Ekalia production network plans call for industrial-scale facilities close to customers, beginning in Nantes and extending into Europe and North America. A second pilot site is planned in the United States, followed by additional installations across Europe and the US.
The announcement establishes the corporate partnership, but the production network remains a development plan. The companies did not disclose a commissioning date for the US pilot, capacity targets, investment costs or their respective ownership percentages.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Announcement date | October 16, 2026 |
| Venture ownership | Jointly owned by IBA and Framatome; percentage stakes not disclosed |
| Initial operating milestone | Nantes, France, expected to become operational in 2028 |
| Financial disclosure | No investment amount, capacity target or revenue forecast announced |
The supply challenge behind the partnership
Astatine-211 is an alpha-emitting radioisotope being explored for precision nuclear medicine. It can deliver concentrated radiation over a very short distance, offering the potential to destroy cancer cells while limiting exposure to surrounding healthy tissue.
The commercial challenge identified by the partners is turning that therapeutic potential into a reliable, large-scale supply. Ekalia is therefore an infrastructure initiative to support future therapies, rather than an announcement of a newly approved cancer treatment.
François Gauché, vice president of Framatome Healthcare, said future targeted therapies require reliable, scalable and resilient supply chains. IBA’s chief corporate and ventures officer, Catherine Vandenborre, described the partnership as a way to remove barriers limiting access to innovations in nuclear medicine.
Partners bring existing isotope capabilities
IBA recently launched its Cyclone iKure cyclotron specifically for Astatine-211 production. The company also participates in Actinium-225 production through PanTera, giving the new venture a connection to its broader activities in isotopes for targeted alpha therapy.
Framatome contributes nuclear industrial expertise and experience in medical-isotope production. Its technology, through the ISOGEN joint venture, enabled large-scale commercial production of Lutetium-177 in a Canadian power reactor in June 2022.
Those capabilities explain the industrial rationale for the partnership, but the announcement provides no revenue forecast or quantified financial contribution from Ekalia.
Conclusion
Ekalia gives IBA and Framatome a joint platform for developing industrial isotope supply. The next dated milestone in the announcement is the planned start of operations at Nantes in 2028; the timing of the US pilot remains unspecified.
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