The cost of producing the radioisotope molybdenum-99 (Mo-99) in the U.S. will not be cheap.
Appearing at a U.S. Department of Energy meeting in Washington, DC, on June 27, Coquí RadioPharmaceuticals estimated that it will cost approximately $250 million to bring a new molybdenum-99 (Mo-99) production facility online in the U.S.
The Florida company based its estimate on information provided by Argentinian firm Invap, which has been selected to design and construct a proposed facility in Alachua, FL.
Invap has designed and constructed a number of similar facilities around the world, including the Open Pool Australian Lightwater (OPAL) research reactor in Australia and the RA-3 facility in Argentina.
Coquí hopes to establish a reliable U.S. supply of Mo-99, a medical isotope used in a wide variety of medical tests, including cardiology stress tests and cancer screening diagnostic treatment.
