PLANO, Texas, Sept. 10, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AREVA Med has begun construction of the company's second lead-212 production facility, known as DDPU (Domestic Distribution and Purification Unit), located in Plano, Texas. The DDPU will become the AREVA Med U.S. headquarters and will also host the laboratories and offices of its subsidiary, Macrocyclics, the global leader in design and manufacturing of chelating agents and high-quality chemicals for nuclear medicine.

AREVA Med began operating its first-of-a-kind high-purity lead-212 (²¹²Pb) production facility in France in 2013, and this second facility will produce lead-212 in the U.S. by mid-2016.  With a modular design concept, the DDPU will be able to increase production capacities over time to allow for multiple lead-212 product development phases.

Patrick Bourdet, CEO of AREVA Med, said: "Since completing our first Phase 1 clinical trial, we can combine now all our expertise in one centralized location. This second lead-212 production facility will allow us to expand our product pipeline in development and our industrial footprint in the U.S."

As the medical subsidiary of the AREVA group, AREVA Med develops innovative therapies to fight cancer thanks to the unique characteristics of lead-212.  Its usage is becoming increasingly more common within the scientific community and the pharmaceutical industry. Lead-212 is used notably in targeted alpha therapy (TAT),  a promising, innovative approach in oncology to target and destroy cancer cells while limiting the impact on nearby healthy cells.

More information at www.arevamed.com, @AREVAmed

MORE ABOUT AREVA Med

AREVA Med is an AREVA subsidiary formed in 2009 to develop new therapies to fight cancer. AREVA Med has developed a unique process to extract lead-212 (²¹²Pb), a rare metal used in targeted alpha therapy (TAT), a novel approach which targets and destroys cancer cells, while limiting the impact on nearby healthy cells. AREVA Med collaborates with world-renowned scientific partners, and formed a strategic global alliance with Roche in 2012, to create a new advanced alpha radioimmunotherapy platform. For more information: www.arevamed.com. Follow @AREVAmed on Twitter.