Fluorine-18 Market is expected to reach US$ 2.53 Billion by 2031

FGD Segment to Lead Fluorine-18 Market Based on Product Type During 2025–2031

According to our new research study on “Fluorine-18 Market Forecast to 2031 – Global Analysis – by Product Type, Application, and End User,” the fluorine-18 market size is expected to grow from US$ 1.85 billion in 2024 to US$ 2.53 billion by 2031; the market is expected to register a CAGR of 4.7% during 2025–2031. Major factors driving the fluorine-18 market growth include the rising prevalence of cancers, increasing pet imaging, technological advancements in PET scanners and imaging systems, and regulatory approvals and development of novel fluorine-18 tracers.

Fluorine-18 (F-18) is a radioactively unstable fluorine isotope that finds major applications as a tracer in positron emission tomography (PET) imaging. It facilitates the visualization of the body's metabolic and biochemical activities through imaging, which is very helpful in cancer diagnosis and brain research, among other things. The development of novel fluorine-18 tracers for emerging applications is expected to be a major Fluorine-18 market trend in the coming years.

Fluorine-18 Market, by Region, 2024 (%)

Source: The Insight Partners Analysis

Fluorine-18 Market Analysis Based on Segmental Evaluation:

Based on product type, the fluorine-18 market is segmented into FDG, NaF, and Others. In 2024, the FDG segment held a significant fluorine-18 market share. FDG (fluorodeoxyglucose) is the primary radiotracer for PET (positron emission tomography) imaging, due to its ability to visualize glucose metabolism in diseased tissues. Due to FDG's short half-life of about 110 minutes, it has to be produced on-site in the cyclotron, which allows a quick delivery to the imaging centers for the same-day use. About 3–5 million PET scans are performed globally per year, with more than 2 million conducted in the US only. Most of these scans are made with the use of FDG to ensure the diagnostic precision as well as the treatment of oncology, cardiology, and neurology fields. For instance, an FDG-PET is very helpful in the early identification of therapy responses; thus, it is a good tool for recurrence prediction, with a high sensitivity of up to 96% in the case of esophageal cancer after chemotherapy, which is the source of recurrence. 

FDG is leading in cardiology as well, thus it is a good tool for the assessment of myocardial viability in ischemic heart disease, and in such a way, it shows up to 70% of viable tissue in those segments which are judged as non-viable on echocardiography, and thus revascularization decisions are made accordingly. In neurology, FDG is utilized for the separation of Alzheimer's disease from other dementias by measuring the area of hypometabolism in the temporoparietal regions, and thus the decline of cognitive functions is connected to the drop of the uptake here, which is more than 20%. These applications are the proof of FDG being multitalented and very much loved as a product for efficient production modules with a yield ranging from 10 to 20 curies per batch, and thus can supply high-volume centers performing thousands of scans annually without any time delay. Thus, it allows developments in the hybrid PET/CT systems for better spatial resolution and patient outcomes.

The scope of the fluorine-18 market report includes an assessment of the market performance in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, South and Central America, and the Middle East and Africa. In terms of revenue, North America dominated the fluorine-18 market share in 2024.

The US is the leading force in the North American Fluorine-18 market growth, essentially supported by a well-developed network of more than 1,200 cyclotrons that are scattered all over the world, allowing the large-scale production of Fluorine-18-based radiotracers such as 2-[18F]fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG) for positron emission tomography (PET) imaging. Due to this isotope's 110-minute half-life, on-site synthesis is done in big facilities such as the MD Anderson Cancer Center's Cyclotron and Radiochemistry Program, which consequently, guarantees the distribution there is in time for more than 2.5 million PET scans yearly that are mainly done in oncology where the hypermetabolic activity in cancers such as lung and colorectal (8%) is detected.

The American Cancer Society anticipates 2.3 million new cancer diagnoses in 2025, which in turn, will escalate the need as FDG-PET/CT changes patient management in 38% of cases by staging more accurately and thus avoiding the performance of the wrong surgeries, also with an effectiveness of over 90% for metastases. The number of neurological cases is growing fast, with 6.7 million Alzheimer's patients. Hence, amyloid tracers like florbetapir (approved 2012) visualize plaques with 90–95% accuracy. The FDA's approval in September 2024 of flurpiridaz F-18 (Flyrcado) is a turning point in cardiology, offering 87% accuracy in coronary artery disease detection, and at the same time, it can shorten the scan time by 30%, while it is able to perform over the performance of one million myocardial viability assessments per year.

Innovative technologies, such as time-of-flight PET/CT, which is present in 70% of new installations, are enabling the signal-to-noise ratio to be improved by 40%, thus allowing for lower doses to be used. Furthermore, the DOE grant of US$32 million for isotope facilities in 2024 is the one that sets the US to be a leader in Fluorine-18 with the enhancement of accurate diagnostics and the reduction of cancer deaths through early interventions.

Curium Pharma, Cardinal Health, GE Healthcare, Siemens Healthineers, IBA Radiopharma Solutions, Eckert & Ziegler Radiopharma, Lantheus Medical Imaging, Blue Earth Diagnostics, Jubilant Radiopharma, and Positron Corporation are among the leading companies profiled in the fluorine-18 market report.

Based on product type, the fluorine-18 market is segmented into FDG, NaF, and others. By application, the market is segmented into oncology, cardiology, neurology, and others. By end user, the market is segmented into hospitals, diagnostic and imaging centers, and others. In terms of geography, the market is categorized into North America (the US, Canada, and Mexico), Europe (France, Germany, the UK, Spain, Italy, and the Rest of Europe), Asia Pacific (China, Japan, India, Australia, South Korea, and the Rest of APAC), South and Central America (Brazil, Argentina, and the Rest of SAM), and the Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, the UAE, South Africa and the Rest of Middle East and Africa).

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