U.S. Purchases $290 Million Worth of Radiation Sickness Drugs

U.S. Purchases $290 Million Worth of Radiation Sickness Drugs

This weekend, administration officials spent some time “clarifying” Biden’s recent remarks about nuclear “Armageddon.”

The White House believes “the stakes are very high right now” with Russia amid Vladimir Putin’s struggles in Ukraine and his references to his nuclear arsenal, but President Joe Biden’s warning of possible “Armageddon” wasn’t about an imminent threat, a top Biden spokesperson said Sunday.

“These comments were not based on new or fresh intelligence or new indications that Mr. Putin has made a decision to use nuclear weapons and, quite frankly, we don’t have any indication that he has made that kind of decision,” John Kirby, a spokesman for the White House National Security Council, told ABC “This Week” co-anchor Martha Raddatz.

“Nor have we seen anything that would give us pause to reconsider our own strategic nuclear posture in our efforts to defend our own national security interests and those of our allies and partners,” Kirby said, citing the president’s promise that “neither we nor our allies are going to be intimidated by this.”

Be that as it may, it turns out that the government recently bought $290 million in supplies of radiation sickness pills. Officials say this is part of “long-standing efforts” to prepare for potential health impacts from threats to national security.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services purchased the drug Nplate from Amgen Inc (AMGN.O).

When asked whether the purchase, announced Tuesday, was linked to tensions with Russia following its invasion of Ukraine, an HHS spokesperson said it was part of ongoing efforts to prepare for a wide range of threats including chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and emerging infectious diseases.

With funds from the Project Bioshield Act, a law passed in 2004, HHS supports development of diagnostics, vaccines and treatments to respond to potential health impacts of such threats. When development is successful, HHS buys the products for national preparedness.

Yet, it must be stressed that this is the first time the US Government has bought Nplate.

The US Health and Human Services (HHS) – whose motto is to ‘improve the health, safety, and well-being of America – announced the purchase of romiplostim Tuesday.

Sold under the brand name Nplate, it is used to reduce bleeding caused by acute radiation syndrome (ARS), also known as radiation sickness.

Putin issued a chilling warning late last month that he was prepared to use Russia’s nuclear arsenal to protect Ukrainian territory annexed after sham referendums.

Chris Meekins, former deputy assistant secretary for preparedness and response at HHS, expanded upon the Nplate order.

…[T]he $290 million purchase of Nplate amounts to about 50,000 courses of the drug, less than the amount he would expect the U.S. to buy if the nation were close to a nuclear war with Russia.

“It isn’t that much product,” he said. “I would expect a bigger buy if this were in a response to something going on over there that requires them to both have enough for the U.S. and for giving to partners overseas.”

Nplate would not be the ideal medication to use for a widespread nuclear event, he added.

The drug needs to be used within 24 hours of exposure, he said, though the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, recommends that people stay indoors for at least 24 hours after a nuclear blast.

“We need products that can be used longer,” he said.

Personally, I would be really interested in where the Npate is stored and who would have the readiest accessibility to this medication. I bet that distribution would be focused on going to those whose policies resulted in their necessity.

Meanwhile, sales of potassium iodide pills surged in late March.

Manufacturers have ramped up production of the tablets, which provide limited protection against radiation sickness, CNN reported.

Some dosages are sold out.

“In the past five days we’ve probably sold as much as what typically would take us half a year to sell,” Troy Jones, vice president of sales and marketing for New York-based Anbex Inc., told the network.

The company has sold up to 15 million pills since February, Jones told CNN.

Shortages also have led to price-gouging. Twenty tablets of ThyroSafe, which contains potassium iodide, are selling for $175 on eBay, The Washington Post reported.

Potassium iodide is classic radiation treatment, preventing the uptake of the radioactive iodide into the thyroid resulting in cancer.

By taking the correct dose of potassium iodide right before or during exposure to airborne radioactive iodine, a large amount of stable iodine enters the body and reduces or blocks the amount of radioactive iodine that is taken into the thyroid. This has been shown to be quite effective. By reducing the amount of the radioactive iodine in the thyroid, the radiation dose to the thyroid is reduced, resulting in a smaller risk of health effects.

I sure miss the days I only had to worry about mean tweets.

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