The United States administration has recently ordered $290 million worth of a drug called Nplate, which can be used to treat radiation sickness.

Newsweek reported that early this month, the US Department for Health and Human Services, or HHS, announced it was purchasing a supply of the drug Nplate as part of long-standing, ongoing initiatives to better be ready to save lives after radiological and nuclear emergencies.

 

Essentially, Nplate is a prescription drug manufactured by California-based biotechnology firm Amgen. Meaning, it is not available for purchase over the counter. The company said its drug is administered as an injection by a healthcare provider.

Amgen also said that the drug is developed to treat low blood platelet counts because of a condition called "immune thrombocytopenia," and not a low platelet count caused by any other condition.

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Nplate for Blood Injury Treatment

The HHS states that Nplate is approved for treating blood cell injuries that accompany acute radiation syndrome in adults and children.

While the drug has been available on the commercial market for some time, Amgen said this is the first time it is supplying Amgen to the government, which purchased the drug under the 2004 Project Bioshield Act.

The HHS statement specified that the government supply would be separately held from the doses available in the commercial market.

The purchase of Nplate comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin has suggested that nuclear weapons are not off the table in the current war in Ukraine; he declared late last month he would use "all available means" to defend Russian territory.

Drug Against Radiation Sickness

It is not clear, though, that the purchase of this drug against radiation sickness is associated with concerns. 

According to assistant professor Rupak Pathak, from the Division of Radiation Health in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, the drug works by stimulating the body to produce blood platelets, which are produced in the bone marrow.

Pathak explained that platelets are produced from megakaryocytes. Mechanistic research showed that a protein known as "thrombopoietin" stimulates megakaryopoiesis and platelet production. Additionally, bone marrow is one of the most radiation-sensitive organs found in the body.

Moreover, radiation is causing a substantial drop in the stem and progenitor cells, including the megakaryocytes, resulting from several decreases substantially.

For Platelet Enhancement

Pathak also explained that since platelets play a vital role in blood clotting, a decline in platelet number increases the hazard of bleeding, contributing to radiation toxicity.

Consequently, increasing the number of platelets after radiation injury may offer beneficial effects. Nplate, detailed in a Healthline report, is a thrombopoietin mimetic. It helps stimulate megakaryocytes and platelet production.

Because of this property, the drug has been authorized to enhance platelet count in the blood after radiation.

According to a Mayo Clinic report, acute radiation sickness occurs when a person's body is exposed to a high dose of radiation that reaches the internal organs within seconds.

This can result in impaired blood clotting because of low platelet counts and potentially life-threatening bleeding.

Possible Serious Side Effects

The cost of Nplate in powder form, in the pirate sector, for injection is $1,195 for every 125 mcg, a Drugs.com report specified, although this may vary across providers and does not take into account insurance plans.

Finally, this drug can lead to serious side effects, which include worsening a precancerous blood condition to blood cancer and a higher risk of blood clots.

Related information about the US government's purchase of Nplate drugs is shown on WION's YouTube video below:

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