Neupogen, first drug to treat radiation sickness gets USFDA nod

WASHINGTON: The first drug that can safely and effectively treat the nasty effects of severe radiation exposure following a nuclear disaster has been approved by US health-watchdog.

The drug, Neupogen, long-used to counter the negative effects of chemotherapy, received approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of acute radiation injury.

Researchers at the University of Maryland investigated a non-human clinical model of high-dose radiation.

"Our research shows that this drug works to increase survival by protecting blood cells," said Thomas J MacVittie, professor at the School of Medicine (UM SOM) Department of Radiation Oncology.

"That is a significant advancement, because the drug can now be used as a safe and effective treatment for the blood cell effects of severe radiation poisoning," said MacVittie.

Radiation damages the bone marrow, and as a result decreases production of infection-fighting white blood cells. Neupogen counteracts these effects, researchers said.

The drug, which is made by Amgen, Inc, was first approved in 1991 to treat cancer patients receiving chemotherapy.

Although doctors may use it "off label" for other indications, the research and the resulting approval would speed up access to and use of the drug in the event of a nuclear incident, researchers said.