Looks like there just may be a backup plan to the fallout shelter. A Food and Drug Administration panel this month agreed that two drugs made by Amgen Inc. may dramatically reduce the risk of death from radiation exposure – and might be used in the event of a disaster like the 2011 meltdown of the nuclear plant in Fukushima, Japan. Neupogen, and its longer lasting cousin Neulasta, are designed to boost the body’s ability to produce white blood cells when patients are undergoing chemotherapy treatment. But a study conducted by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the University of Maryland found that 79 percent of monkeys exposed to radiation and treated with Neupogen survived longer than 60 days, while only 41 percent of the monkeys who did not receive the drug lived that long. Nuclear radiation patients don’t exactly walk into hospitals every day, but the researchers said disaster relief organizations might want to have it on hand in the event of nuclear a disaster. The study was conducted independently by the national institute to develop radiation and nuclear countermeasures. A spokeswoman for Amgen, which did not conduct the study, said the company provided information to help researchers. “We weren’t seeking an added indication (use) for Neupogen; this was done by the FDA. But when they ask you for information, you help them out,” said spokeswoman Ashleigh Koss. The next step is for the FDA panel to decide whether to ask for human studies before approving the drugs for radiation treatment or to simply allow disaster relief organizations to stockpile it. So how do you test such a drug on humans? Well, the national institute acknowledged that it isn’t exactly sure and that animal testing may be the best it can do – until a human field test prompted by an unintended radiation release. – Kelly Goff
