New fast preparation of 123I labelled radiopharmaceuticals.

A new fast kit preparation of 123I labelled radiopharmaceuticals such as IMP, HIPDM, MIBG and Hippuran is proposed. A radiochemical yield greater than 99% is obtained at 100 degrees C within 10-30 min. The new labelling procedure is based on the nucleophilic exchange in presence of Cu(I) and an excess of reducing agents. The four kit prepared 123I-radiopharmaceuticals have been used with success in clinical studies involving 400 patients. The proposed method is also compared with earlier described methods which, yielding labelled side products and 123I2, do not fulfill the requirements for kit labelling.