PET Radiopharmaceuticals: What's new, what's reimbursed, and what's next?

The field of molecular imaging is undergoing a period of growth and expansion. Of the ten FDA-approved PET imaging agents, six have been approved since 2012. As we enter 2018, we await the approval of a targeted radionuclide therapy, 177Lu-DOTATATE. The approval of agents such as 11C-choline represented a paradigm shift in radiopharmaceutical drug development. This shift has illuminated a path to approval for similar agents and demonstrated the importance of molecular imaging in determining effective treatment strategies in serious diseases. This is a review of approval history of PET agents with a summary of how to use the newest agents in your clinic. Then, a look to the not-so-distant future to see what agents we may be using to image and treat patients with serious illnesses. The promise of personalized medicine is within our grasp.