GE Healthcare is aiming to secure and increase the supply of iodine—an integral ingredient of iodinated contrast media used in medical imaging.
The multi-year deal was struck with Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile S.A., SQM for short. SQM is a Chile-based mining company that develops and produces products such as lithium, potassium nitrate, iodine and thermo-solar salts. Their ongoing collaboration with GE healthcare is part of a broader plan to increase the supply of iodine raw material, eventually enabling the production of an additional 30 million doses of iodinated contrast media annually by the year 2025.
“We expect global demand for iodinated contrast media to double in the next 10 years. As an industry leader, we understand our responsibility to help meet this growing demand from customers and patients by investing in production capacity and securing higher volumes of iodine raw material. As one of the largest consumers of iodine globally we value our longstanding relationship with SQM, an important partner for us,” Kevin O’Neill, President and CEO, GE Healthcare Pharmaceutical Diagnostics, said in an October 13 release about the partnership.
SQM has worked with GE for more than 40 years and is one of the largest producers of iodine worldwide. Approximately 24% of SQM’s iodine production is currently dedicated to iodinated contrast media.
Pablo Altimiras, Executive Vice President of Iodine and Nitrates at SQM, also commented on the latest initiative.
“We’re pleased to continue our relationship with GE Healthcare,” Altimiras said. “We are committed to the iodine industry and will continue to improve quality and increase capacity to ensure the reliability of supply, which is essential to so many sectors, including healthcare.”
In addition to building their partnership with SQM, GE Healthcare is also in the process of opening a new manufacturing line at its Cork, Ireland, contrast media production facility.
These moves should come as welcome news to the imaging community after the worldwide iodinated contrast media shortage recently wreaked havoc on the healthcare system, causing tens of thousands of imaging procedures to be delayed or cancelled.
The full release is available here.
In addition to her background in journalism, Hannah also has patient-facing experience in clinical settings, having spent more than 12 years working as a registered rad tech. She joined Innovate Healthcare in 2021 and has since put her unique expertise to use in her editorial role with Health Imaging.