GalliaPharm from Eckert & Ziegler SE - ready-made 68Ge/ 68Ga generator for PET tracers

Reviewed: ad hoc news Software & Services desk. Edited and checked on 2026-06-26, 01:46. Details in the imprint.

GalliaPharm stands on a stainless-steel trolley, its compact silver cylinder humming quietly while a technologist in lead apron draws a clear 68Ga eluate into a syringe. For many PET centers, this generator is the daily starting point for gallium-68 tracers.

What GalliaPharm actually is

GalliaPharm from Eckert & Ziegler SE is a medical 68Ge/68Ga radionuclide generator designed to supply gallium-68 for PET radiopharmaceuticals used in oncology and cardiology. The system uses germanium-68 with a half-life of about 271 days as the parent nuclide to provide a consistent 68Ga source over several months.

The generator is configured in several activity levels, commonly up to 1.85 GBq, roughly 50 mCi, allowing multiple daily elutions for one site. It is registered as a drug product in the European Union, which means hospitals can order it like a medicinal product through pharmacy channels rather than as pure hardware.

How the generator works in practice

In routine use, a radiopharmacist connects a sterile elution set to GalliaPharm, opens the valves, and after a short gurgling of saline in the shielded column, a few milliliters of activity-rich gallium-68 chloride drip into a small glass vial. The eluate can then be used as input for cold kits or automated synthesis modules, for example to label PSMA or somatostatin receptor ligands.

The whole handling process takes only a few minutes and fits into the tight time windows of nuclear medicine, where every minute counts because of radioactive decay. Compared with cyclotron-based production routes, the generator concept significantly reduces infrastructure requirements for smaller clinics, as Eckert & Ziegler emphasizes on its official product page.

Regulatory status and indications

GalliaPharm is authorized in several European countries as a radionuclide generator for the preparation of 68Ga radiopharmaceuticals, especially for imaging neuroendocrine tumors with 68Ga-DOTATATE and prostate cancer with 68Ga-PSMA ligands. The marketing authorization includes detailed instructions for handling, elution volumes, and quality control procedures.

Clinical users value that the eluate matches the requirements of widely used cold kits and synthesis cassettes, reducing variability between centers. Professor Bernd Krause, a nuclear medicine specialist frequently cited in German PET tracer discussions, points out that standardized generators have helped expand gallium-68 imaging into smaller regional hospitals, according to industry interviews.

Workflow and user experience in the lab

From a workflow perspective, GalliaPharm lives in a lead castle on a bench next to shielded hot cells and dose calibrators. A technologist turns the slightly rough metal knobs with gloved hands, feeling a clear mechanical stop that reassures them the valves are properly closed.

The generator can be integrated with automated synthesis modules from various vendors, so that elution, labeling, and final product formulation follow a scripted sequence. Eckert & Ziegler highlights compatibility with several commercial PSMA and somatostatin receptor tracer kits on its professional radiopharmaceutical portfolio pages.

Service life, logistics and safety

The practical lifetime of one GalliaPharm generator is usually close to the physical half-life of 68Ge. After eight to ten months of daily use, activity and elution yield drop enough that most centers schedule a replacement. This recurring replacement cycle creates a predictable revenue stream for Eckert & Ziegler's Isotope Products segment, as summarized in its segment reporting.

Transport and storage follow strict radiation safety rules with type-tested shielded containers. Eckert & Ziegler provides return logistics for spent generators, which are sent back for secure long-term storage and disposal. The company combines this with technical support and training offers for new customers, according to its annual report.

Place in Eckert & Ziegler's strategy and stock angle

For CEO Dr. Harald Hasselmann, standardized generator systems like GalliaPharm are a pillar of the company's nuclear medicine portfolio, complementing radiopharmaceutical contract manufacturing and radioisotope supply. The generator business sits in the Isotope Products segment, which focuses on sealed and unsealed radiation sources for medicine and industry.

Eckert & Ziegler shares (ISIN DE0005659700) are listed on Xetra in Frankfurt, and investors often watch demand for PET tracers and generators like GalliaPharm as an indicator of long-term growth in the nuclear medicine business.

This article was AI-assisted and editorially reviewed. Product information without guarantee; prices and availability may change at short notice. No investment advice, no buy or sell recommendation. Stock-market transactions involve risks up to total loss.