The labeled [F]FDG compound has a relatively short shelf life which is dominated by the physical decay of fluorine-18 with a half-life of 109.8 minutes, or slightly less than two hours. Still, this half life is sufficiently long to allow shipping the compound to remote PET scanning facilities, in contrast to other medical radioisotopes like carbon-11. Due to transport regulations for radioactive compounds, delivery is normally done by specially licensed road transport, but means of transport may also include dedicated small commercial jet services. Transport by air allows to expand the distribution area around a [F]FDG production site to deliver the compound to PET scanning centres even hundreds of miles away.
Recently, on-site cyclotrons with integral shielding and portable chemistry stations for making [F]FDG have accompanied PET scanners to remote hospitals. This technology holds some promise in the future, for replacing some of the scramble to transport [F]FDG from site of manufacture to site of use.