Someone Please Make Radiation Drugs, U.S. FDA Asks
Fri September 12, 2003 01:52 PM ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Friday it was trying to entice someone, somewhere, into making drugs to treat people for internal radiation poisoning.
It said it had identified two compounds that could be made into safe drugs and called on companies to come up with plans for making them.
The compounds, pentetate calcium trisodium (Ca-DTPA) and pentetate zinctrisodium (Zn-DTPA), can be safe and effective for the treatment of internal contamination with plutonium, americium, or curium, the FDA said.
"FDA is calling for manufacturers to use these findings to submit marketing applications for Ca-DTPA and Zn-DTPA products for use as medical countermeasures," the agency said.
People can be poisoned with plutonium, americium, or curium by accidentally eating or drinking contaminated substances, inhaling it or through wounds. It can be fatal or, at lower doses, may cause cancer.
Radioactive plutonium, americium and curium are found in the fallout nuclear bombs and in waste from nuclear power plants. The chemicals may also be used in a "dirty bomb" -- which is an explosive device that contains a small amount of radioactive material.
The FDA made a similar call in February when the agency said the compound Prussian blue could be made into a safe treatment of people exposed to radioactive thallium, non-radioactive thallium, or radioactive cesium.
"One of FDA's most urgent new challenges is to protect Americans from heightened threats of terrorism," added FDA Commissioner Dr. Mark McClellan.
"We are doing all we can to help product developers provide safe and effective countermeasures for biological, chemical, and radiological attacks." |
