Orano Med inaugurates ATLab Valenciennes, Europe’s first industrial facility dedicated to the production of lead-212-based targeted alpha therapies

Valenciennes, France, October 2, 2026 - Orano Med, a subsidiary of the Orano group and pioneer in the field of targeted alpha therapies for oncology, today announced the inauguration of its ATLab (Alpha Therapy Laboratory) Valenciennes, Europe’s first industrial-scale pharmaceutical facility dedicated to the production of lead-212-based radioligand therapies. The opening ceremony took place in Onnaing, France, in the presence of Claude Imauven, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Orano, Nicolas Maes, CEO of Orano, Frederic Desdouits, CEO of Orano Med, as well as the company’s partners, key stakeholders, and official representatives.

ATLab Valenciennes is dedicated to the production of a new generation of cancer treatments: lead-212-based targeted alpha therapies. Developed by Orano Med, they will be produced in the ATLab on a large scale to meet the needs of patients in Europe. In the medium term, ATLab Valenciennes will be able to produce up to 10,000 doses per year, with production potential that could be multiplied by five at full capacity.

Covering more than 3,000 m², this new site represents an investment of €29 million and will create about 25 direct jobs. This project was also selected under the France 2030 plan following the call for “Industrialization and health capacities 2030” and received public support of almost €3.8 million. 

Nicolas Maes, Chief Executive Officer of Orano, commented: “The inauguration of ATLab Valenciennes marks a major industrial milestone for Orano Med and confirms the Orano group’s ability to innovate and deploy breakthrough technologies to advance healthcare. This site embodies our commitment to putting our industrial know-how and our expertise in handling nuclear materials at the service of cancer patients, in France and across Europe.”

Frederic Desdouits, Chief Executive Officer of Orano Med, added: “With the inauguration of ATLab Valenciennes, we have taken a decisive step in deploying our industrial platform in Europe. The site provides large-scale production capacity designed to meet the logistical constraints resulting from the half-life of lead-212. In the future, the ATLab will enable us to offer European patients new therapeutic options for cancer types with high unmet medical needs.”

Given the half-life of lead-212 of only 10.6 hours, the production and delivery of the targeted alpha therapies developed by Orano Med and its partners are subject to particularly demanding logistical requirements. These treatments must be produced, shipped and administered to patients within 24 hours. Located just two hours from Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Brussels-Zaventem airports, the Onnaing site benefits from a strategic location that makes it possible to deliver treatments to hospitals within the required time limit and cover nearly 70% of the European population. A similar production site is also currently being commissioned in Indianapolis, in the US, to serve the North American market.

The two ATLabs complete Orano Med’s fully integrated industrial platform. With this integrated platform, supported by a patented chemical process for lead-212 production and secured access to raw materials, Orano Med is also well positioned to address key challenges associated with the production of these targeted therapies, including isotope availability and scalable manufacturing.

The deployment of this production capacity is consistent with Orano Med’s continued progress in developing targeted alpha therapies. Four drug candidates, either proprietary or co-developed with its partners Sanofi, Roche and Molecular Partners, are currently in clinical development in humans. In parallel, Orano Med is advancing a broad preclinical pipeline to extend the approach to different cancer types.