Coquí Pharma’s work may be rooted in science, but its origins are inspired by a humanitarian spirit.

Much like its namesake, the small, very loud Puerto Rican frog, Coquí Pharma is committed to making its presence known in the radiopharmaceuticals industry, loud and clear.

In 2007, Coquí Pharma President and CEO Carmen I. Bigles co-founded the Caribbean Radiation Oncology Center with her husband, Dr. Pedro A. Serrano-Ojeda, a radiation oncologist. Bigles’ work at the center provided her with a first-hand glimpse of nuclear medicine’s potential to diagnosis and treat patients with a wide range of diseases. It was also here where she encountered several patients who were not properly diagnosed. Bigles learned this was due to a global shortage of Molybdenum-99 (Mo-99), which plays a crucial role in modern nuclear medicine. Moved by her patients’ inability to get the treatments they needed and the emotional impact it was having on them, Bigles sought to learn as much as she could about the Mo-99 industry. After learning the U.S. did not have a domestic supply of Mo-99, Bigles decided to establish a medical radioisotope production facility in the U.S.

Coquí Pharma was founded in September 2009 with a mission to create a commercially scalable and reliable supply of medical diagnostic and therapeutic radioisotopes in the U.S. using proven technology. Bigles sought to assemble a “Mo-99” dream team of experts with the knowledge and skills needed to bring her vision to life. The Coquí Pharma team includes leaders  with deep expertise as CFOs, multinational company CEOs, medical doctors, and former U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission officials. For the technology, it was important to Bigles that the production process utilized low enriched uranium (LEU) instead of weapons grade, highly enriched uranium (HEU). This led her to execute an exclusive license with Argentinian nuclear engineering firm INVAP in November 2014 to use their LEU technology to design Coquí Pharma’s medical radioisotope production facility.

In December 2017, Congress and the Department of Energy approved a land transfer of 206-acres in Oak Ridge, Tennessee to Coquí Pharma. The site will serve as the future location for Coquí Pharma’s medical radioisotope production facility.

For Bigles, Coquí Pharma’s vision is greater than creating a scalable and reliable domestic supply of Mo-99. It’s about making sure people have access to the health care they need, when they need it. It’s about keeping costs low for diagnostics and treatments so people can afford them. It’s contributing to the reduction in weapons grade uranium, bringing jobs to the U.S., and creating a better future for generations to come.

Much like its namesake, the small, very loud Puerto Rican frog, Coquí Pharma is committed to making its presence known in the radiopharmaceuticals industry, loud and clear.