An early clinical-stage radionuclide therapy for neuroendocrine tumours received a ‘breakthrough therapy designation’ from the US Food and Drug Administration on 12 February – the first targeted alpha therapy to do so. The therapy, AlphaMedix, is being developed by RadioMedix Inc of the US and Orano Med of France to treat patients with somatostatin receptor expressing gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumours. Neuroendocrine tumours mostly occur in the gastrointestinal tract and pancreas, but also can be found in other tissues such as the thymus.