Global Thulium-167 Market 2026 by Manufacturers, Regions, Type and Application, Forecast to 2032

According to our (Global Info Research) latest study, the global Thulium-167 market size was valued at US$ million in 2025 and is forecast to a readjusted size of US$ million by 2032 with a CAGR of %during review period.
In 2025, global thulium-167 production is estimated at 520 mCi, with an average global market price of approximately US$2,800 per mCi. Total global thulium-167 production capacity is projected to reach approximately 950 mCi by 2025, with an industry average gross margin of approximately 46%. Thulium-167 is an artificial radioactive isotope of thulium, with atomic number 69 and mass number 167. It is virtually non-existent in nature and requires accelerator irradiation for preparation. Its half-life is approximately 9.25 days. It decays primarily through electron capture into stable erbium-167, releasing low-energy X-rays, gamma rays, Auger electrons, and internal conversion electrons. The gamma rays from thulium-167 can be used for nuclear medicine imaging, while its short-range electrons have potential for localized therapy. Therefore, it is considered a potential "therapeutic" nuclide with both diagnostic and therapeutic functions, primarily targeting microtumors, disseminated tumor cells, and bone tissue imaging research.
The upstream of the thulium-167 industry chain mainly includes target materials such as enriched erbium-167, natural or enriched erbium oxides, thulium-169, ytterbium isotopes, and holmium-165, as well as medical cyclotron accelerators, medium- and high-energy proton accelerators, and target processing facilities. Among these, the enrichment of erbium-167 via the ¹⁶⁷Er(p,n)¹⁶⁷Tm reaction is a representative direct production route, capable of obtaining high-purity thulium-167 at relatively low proton energies. Other research routes include ¹⁶⁷Er(d,2n)¹⁶⁷Tm, ¹⁶⁵Ho(α,2n)¹⁶⁷Tm, and indirect production via thulium-169 or ytterbium targets. The core upstream barriers lie in the supply of enriched targets, accelerator beam stability, control of the nuclear reaction energy window, and the recovery of expensive targets. The downstream processes in different production routes include target irradiation, cooling and transport, target dissolution, radiochemical separation of thulium from erbium or ytterbium, mass separation, activity determination, and drug precursor preparation. Because thulium and erbium are both rare earth elements with similar chemical properties, traditional chemical separation is challenging. Research institutions are employing techniques such as extraction chromatography, ion exchange, electromagnetic mass separation, and laser resonance ionization to improve the specific activity and nuclide purity of thulium-167. Products are typically supplied as thulium-167 chloride solutions, citrate, DOTA chelate precursors, or research-grade solid samples, and require testing for radionuclide impurities, metallic impurities, pH value, radiochemical purity, and labeling efficiency. Potential downstream applications of thulium-167 include nuclear medicine imaging, targeted radionuclide therapy, bone tissue and tumor tracing, radiopharmaceutical development, and nuclear physics research. Thulium-167 citrate has been used in tumor and bone imaging research; its low-energy gamma rays are detectable. The short interaction distance between Auger electrons and internal conversion electrons theoretically makes it suitable for treating single tumor cells, micrometastases, and postoperative residual lesions. In the future, thulium-167 needs to be combined with antibodies, peptides, small molecules, or nanocarriers to allow the nucleus to enter or approach the tumor cell nucleus in order to fully realize the therapeutic effect of short-range electrons.
The development of thulium-167 was initially driven by the demand for precision nuclear medicine and therapeutic applications. With a half-life of approximately 9.25 days, thulium-167 releases low-energy X-rays and gamma rays suitable for imaging, while simultaneously generating short-range Auger electrons and internal conversion electrons. Theoretically, this could be used for lesion localization, dosage assessment, and local treatment. Compared to beta rays with longer ranges, the electrons produced by thulium-167 are more suitable for small tumors, single disseminated tumor cells, and postoperative residual lesions. As tumor therapy evolves towards small lesion control and personalized dosage management, the research value of thulium-167 as a potential therapeutic nuclide is increasing.
The expansion of medical cyclotron accelerator networks and improvements in isotope enrichment capabilities have provided the technological foundation for thulium-167 production. Thulium-167 can be directly produced on low- to medium-energy proton accelerators via the ¹⁶⁷Er(p,n)¹⁶⁷Tm reaction using enriched erbium-167 targets, theoretically utilizing some existing medical cyclotron accelerator facilities. Future production will focus on optimizing target heat dissipation, beam energy windows, automated target dissolution, and erbium-thulium separation processes. Simultaneously, a recycling cycle for enriched erbium-167 targets will be established to reduce raw material costs and improve batch stability. Natural erbium, holmium, and ytterbium target routes will remain as supplementary technologies under research.
Advances in high specific activity preparation and targeted delivery technologies are crucial for the clinical translation of thulium-167. Both thulium and erbium are rare earth elements with similar chemical properties; traditional separation methods struggle to completely remove large amounts of carrier elements, potentially limiting the labeling efficiency of radioligands. The industry is exploring extraction chromatography, electromagnetic mass separation, laser resonance ionization, and multi-stage ion exchange technologies to improve nuclide purity and molar activity. Downstream research and development will focus on developing DOTA-like chelators, antibodies, peptides, small molecules, and nanocarriers to bring thulium-167 as close as possible to the tumor cell nucleus, thereby exerting the therapeutic effect of short-range Auger electrons.
Report Scope
This report is a detailed and comprehensive analysis for global Thulium-167 market. Both quantitative and qualitative analyses are presented by manufacturers, by region & country, by Type and by Application. As the market is constantly changing, this report explores the competition, supply and demand trends, as well as key factors that contribute to its changing demands across many markets. Company profiles and product examples of selected competitors, along with market share estimates of some of the selected leaders for the year 2025, are provided.
Key Features:
Global Thulium-167 market size and forecasts, in consumption value ($ Million), sales quantity (mCi), and average selling prices (US$/mCi), 2021-2032
Global Thulium-167 market size and forecasts by region and country, in consumption value ($ Million), sales quantity (mCi), and average selling prices (US$/mCi), 2021-2032
Global Thulium-167 market size and forecasts, by Type and by Application, in consumption value ($ Million), sales quantity (mCi), and average selling prices (US$/mCi), 2021-2032
Global Thulium-167 market shares of main players, shipments in revenue ($ Million), sales quantity (mCi), and ASP (US$/mCi), 2021-2026
The Primary Objectives in This Report Are:
To determine the size of the total market opportunity of global and key countries
To assess the growth potential for Thulium-167
To forecast future growth in each product and end-use market
To assess competitive factors affecting the marketplace
This report profiles key players in the global Thulium-167 market based on the following parameters - company overview, sales quantity, revenue, price, gross margin, product portfolio, geographical presence, and key developments. Key companies covered as a part of this study include CERN, Paul Scherrer Institute, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory, SCK CEN, etc.
This report also provides key insights about market drivers, restraints, opportunities, new product launches or approvals.
Thulium-167 market is split by Type and by Application. For the period 2021-2032, the growth among segments provides accurate calculations and forecasts for consumption value by Type, and by Application in terms of volume and value. This analysis can help you expand your business by targeting qualified niche markets.
Market Segmentation
Market segment by Type
Produced by Nuclear Reactor
Produced by Accelerator
Market segment by Production Route
Erbium-167 Proton Enrichment Irradiation
Erbium-167 Deuterium Enrichment Irradiation
Holium-165 Helium Irradiation
Others
Market segment by Chemical Form
Thulium-167 Chloride Solution
Thulium-167 Citrate
Thulium-167 Chelate
Thulium-167 Oxide
Others
Market segment by Specific Activity
Low Specific Activity
Medium Specific Activity
High Specific Activity
Market segment by Application
Medical Imaging
Radiotherapy
Scientific Research
Major players covered
CERN
Paul Scherrer Institute
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Los Alamos National Laboratory
SCK CEN
Market segment by region, regional analysis covers
North America (United States, Canada, and Mexico)
Europe (Germany, France, United Kingdom, Russia, Italy, and Rest of Europe)
Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India, Southeast Asia, and Australia)
South America (Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, and Rest of South America)
Middle East & Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, South Africa, and Rest of Middle East & Africa)
Chapter Outline
Chapter 1, to describe Thulium-167 product scope, market overview, market estimation caveats and base year.
Chapter 2, to profile the top manufacturers of Thulium-167, with price, sales quantity, revenue, and global market share of Thulium-167 from 2021 to 2026.
Chapter 3, the Thulium-167 competitive situation, sales quantity, revenue, and global market share of top manufacturers are analyzed emphatically by landscape contrast.
Chapter 4, the Thulium-167 breakdown data are shown at the regional level, to show the sales quantity, consumption value, and growth by regions, from 2021 to 2032.
Chapter 5 and 6, to segment the sales by Type and by Application, with sales market share and growth rate by Type, by Application, from 2021 to 2032.
Chapter 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11, to break the sales data at the country level, with sales quantity, consumption value, and market share for key countries in the world, from 2021 to 2026.and Thulium-167 market forecast, by regions, by Type, and by Application, with sales and revenue, from 2027 to 2032.
Chapter 12, market dynamics, drivers, restraints, trends, and Porters Five Forces analysis.
Chapter 13, the key raw materials and key suppliers, and industry chain of Thulium-167.
Chapter 14 and 15, to describe Thulium-167 sales channel, distributors, customers, research findings and conclusion.