New Drugs Thwart Dirty Bomb Effects

[seemslikeadream]

- Scott Roberts

FRIDAY, Aug. 13 (HealthDayNews) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved two new drugs designed to counter the radioactive effects of a so-called "dirty bomb."

The agency said the drugs, penetrate calcium trisodium (Ca-DTPA) and penetrate zinc trisodium (Zn-DTPA), are safe and effective for treating contamination from plutonium, americium, or curium -- three elements that could be used to produce a dirty bomb.

Such a device would use conventional explosives to spread radioactive material across a wide area. While it wouldn't cause the death and destruction of a true nuclear device, it's easier to build and could still make a large area virtually uninhabitable, experts say.

The newly approved medications have been used for several decades as "investigational drugs" to treat people in radioactive emergencies, the agency said in a statement.

more
http://www.forbes.com/lifestyle/health/feeds/hscout/2004/08/13/hscout520660.html

[Downtown Hound]

1. And how much did it cost the pharmaceutical industry

to get Bush to ramp up the fear about "dirty bomb" attacks to get these drugs on the market?

[truthisfreedom]

2. uh, excuse me scott roberts, but you should do your research a little more

carefully, dude. it's pentetate calcium trisodium injection (Ca-DTPA) and pentetate zinc trisodium injection (Zn-DTPA). not penetrate.

[truthisfreedom]

3. what about prussian blue?

http://www.fda.gov/cder/drug/infopage/prussian_blue/default.htm

is this stuff more effective? it can be used in conjunction with the radioactive iodine-blocking potassium iodide (and presumably the less-bitter potassium iodate which children are more willing to chew). prussian blue has been used since its discovery to treat poisoning with heavy metals and radioactive elements and is most certainly not patentable... is it possible that prussian blue is being overlooked by the pharmecutical industry in an effort to generate massive profits using more easily controlled chemicals manufactured by one central lab?

is it possible that the focus on these drugs will limit the focus on prussian blue?

[Moderator]

4. Duplicate

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=743671