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Hundreds of thousands of medical tests worldwide were in jeopardy after a key maker of radioisotopes for nuclear medicine said its Canadian reactor would be out of commission longer than expected. Hundreds of thousands of medical tests worldwide were in jeopardy on Wednesday after a key maker of radioisotopes for nuclear medicine said its Canadian reactor would be out of commission longer than expected.

The delays come after Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd said late on Tuesday that its National Research Universal reactor at Chalk River in eastern Ontario, which supplies more than two-thirds of the world's radioisotopes, would not be back to full production until early to mid January.

The plant was expected to be back at normal production by mid-December but officials were forced to extend the shutdown after unplanned electrical work was needed.

Chalk River is a key producer of medical isotopes for Canadian healthcare company MDS Inc and its MDS Nordion division, which is responsible for about 50 per cent of the world supply.

"AECL recognizes the important role NRU plays in the supply and delivery of medical isotopes to patients around the world," AECL's senior vice-president and chief nuclear officer, Brian McGee, said in a release.

"We understand that patients will be impacted by this development and we are focused on completing the work procedures as quickly as possible," he said.

AECL, a government-owned nuclear technology firm, was not immediately available for further comment.