Ex-Rad: Anti-Radiation Pill; Just in time for Fukushima

[Ara Pacis]

No, this is not KI (Potassium Iodide) or KIO3 (Potassium Iodate)

From an opinion piece at, ahem, FoxNews, yesterday (March 16, 2011)

In what has to be one of the greatest accomplishments in the history of military medicine, the U. S. military has developed a radiation protection drug known as Ex-Rad that can give protection through DNA repair against otherwise lethal dosages of radiation. Ex-Rad, which is administered as an injection or orally, can be given either before or after exposure. While Ex-Rad officials are continuing to work with the FDA, it has successfully cleared two clinical studies showing it is safe.

According to this abstract at the National Institute of Health, a new drug being tested helps prevent and/or repair damage from ionizing radiation by the Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute, (Feb 2009).

Thirty-day survival studies with C3H/HeN male mice revealed 88% survival when 500 mg/kg of Ex-Rad was injected subcutaneously 24 h and 15 min before gamma irradiation with 8.0 Gy. [....] In conclusion, it appears that Ex-Rad's radioprotective mechanisms involve prevention of p53-dependent and independent radiation-induced apoptosis.

Note: 1 Gray of Cobalt-60 is 1 Sievert (Beta & Gamma).

clinical trials awarded to Onconova in 2009.

[Swift]

It is a neat drug, but as you note in your references, it has been around for several years. I even think there was an old thread about it, but I'm too lazy to try to find it

[Ara Pacis]

I did a search for "ex-rad" but nothing came up.

[HenrikOlsen]

Note that this is a drug for treating acute radiation syndrome. This would have been relevant for Chernobyl because they had firefighters working right up against the exposed core trying to put out the fire in the graphite and getting lethal doses of radiation.

In Fukushima it's not relevant as they're taking care not to expose people to more radiation than is easily survivable.

Very different level of emergency, there's currently nothing in Fukushima to warrant risking lives.

[Ara Pacis]

...yet.

[HenrikOlsen]

Which part of "currently" didn't you understand?

[Ara Pacis]

Which part of "currently" didn't you understand?

Which part of "currently" did you mean?

[publiusr]

Maybe we could get into the all natural food suppliment business, and sell Organic radiation moderating liquid in Marin County. After all, urea was also going to be used in the Orion nuclear spaceship too.

[HenrikOlsen]

I don't doubt that we'll soon see a spate of spam mails selling pills that give immunity to radiation. Likely containing colloid silver.

[bbelinda]

It is a tragic time for the Japanese, and I wander about the claim that anti-radiation drugs actually work.

I am stationed here in Bolivia and their is a company here now claiming to have anti-radiation herbal medicine. I did a Google on it and the plant (cactus) does give anti-radiation protection to shield electrical products.

However I am sure that is would work on real radiation sickness or do anything to prevent the same.

However the story is that Bolivian witch doctors believe in this plants powers or this is the claim.

Does anyone know anything, as I have a close friend and family in Japan now and may wish to send some of this Herbal meds

[wd40]

Does the claim of some epidemologists that in the unlikely event of the current rate of emission persisting until then, people will only start dying demonstrably as a direct result of Fukushima by 2020, and a large number by 2034, sound correct?

i.e that if the problem is solved a year from now, no one at all may actually ever be shown to have died as a result of the disaster?

[Swift]

I am stationed here in Bolivia and their is a company here now claiming to have anti-radiation herbal medicine. I did a Google on it and the plant (cactus) does give anti-radiation protection to shield electrical products.

Hi bbelinda, welcome to BAUT. I can't imagine why a material, whether plant-based or not, that shield electrical products from radiation would do anything for humans. The mechanisms of radiation effects in electronics and biology are very different.

Do you have a link to this product, or at least a name?

[Swift]

Does the claim of some epidemologists that in the unlikely event of the current rate of emission persisting until then, people will only start dying demonstrably as a direct result of Fukushima by 2020, and a large number by 2034, sound correct?

i.e that if the problem is solved a year from now, no one at all may actually ever be shown to have died as a result of the disaster?

wd40,

Don't hijack this thread and turn it to yet another thread about the effects of Fukushima. Please take it to one of the existing threads on that topic and leave this one to anti-radiation drugs.

[Van Rijn]

It is a tragic time for the Japanese, and I wander about the claim that anti-radiation drugs actually work.

Iodine supplements are what you usually hear about in this context. They aren't really anti-radiation drugs, but they make it less likely that the thyroid will take up radioactive iodine, a substance that produces ionizing radiation. So, indirectly, they protect against radiation.

I don't think there really is much else that would be of much use in Japan other than iodine supplements, and then only where there is significant exposure.

I am stationed here in Bolivia and their is a company here now claiming to have anti-radiation herbal medicine. I did a Google on it and the plant (cactus) does give anti-radiation protection to shield electrical products.

That doesn't make sense to me. Could you tell us what the name of the cactus is?

However I am sure that is would work on real radiation sickness or do anything to prevent the same.

Radiation sickness is only an issue with quite large exposure, far too high to be relevant to people living outside the Japanese plant.

However the story is that Bolivian witch doctors believe in this plants powers or this is the claim.

Does anyone know anything, as I have a close friend and family in Japan now and may wish to send some of this Herbal meds

Do you take witch doctors seriously? How would they even know that it protects against ionizing radiation? Have they done medical testing to support their claims? How many people do they treat that have exceptional exposure to radiation?

At any rate, the first thing I'd want to know is if this claimed medicine was safe to consume - I wouldn't want to take something I probably don't need, but could do me harm.

Also, does your friend or someone in the family work at the affected Japanese nuclear plant?