Coqui Radio Pharmaceuticals

Coqui RadioPharmaceuticals Corp. is a pharmaceutical company focused on producing medical isotopes, particularly Molybdenum-99 (Mo-99). The company was founded in 2009 with the goal of establishing a reliable and commercially scalable medical diagnostic and therapeutic radioisotope supply base in the US. Coqui's primary project is the development of a medical isotope production facility in Alachua, Florida. This facility, when completed, will be the first commercial supplier of Mo-99 in the Western Hemisphere, capable of producing 7,000 six-day curies per week. Mo-99 is a critical radioisotope used in approximately 20 million medical procedures annually in the US The facility will utilize low-enriched uranium (LEU) fuel and open pool reactor technology, similar to that used in Australia's OPAL reactor. The project is estimated to involve a USD 330 million investment and create up to 164 jobs. As of 2015, Coqui had completed the schematic design for the facility and was working on the detailed design. The company planned to submit a license application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for the facility's construction by the end of 2015, with groundbreaking expected in 2017.

Key customers and partnerships

In November 2014, Coqui RadioPharmaceuticals signed a contract with INVAP SE, an Argentine nuclear engineering firm, for the design and construction services of its medical isotope production facility. INVAP has extensive experience in nuclear development, having worked on over 15 nuclear reactors and related facilities worldwide. Other partnerships include Gresham, Smith and Partners for environmental consulting, ENERCON for construction and permit application assistance, and MPR Associates as the owner's engineer and consultant. Additionally, legal firm Hogan Lovells was appointed to act as nuclear regulatory and environmental attorneys for the project.