Beacon Hospital houses the SIEMENS RDS Eclipse Cyclotron, which is a sophisticated piece of equipment that is used to produce a fresh radiotracer known as 18F-FDG (Fluorodeoxyglucose) on a daily basis.
FDG is a radioactive form of glucose used in PET/CT imaging. It only has a half-life of 110 minutes, and therefore, cannot be imported. Previously, this was the reason that PET/CT scanning was very costly and rare in Malaysia.
The cyclotron facility in Beacon is a GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) certified facility by NPRA (National Pharmaceutical Bureau Agency, Malaysia) and therefore is licensed to supply FDG nationwide. Currently Beacon Hospital actively supplies FDG to various private & government hospitals across Malaysia.