A new type of antidote pill, called HOPO 14-1, is undergoing its first human trial in the United States. This pill is designed to remove harmful radioactive contamination from the body and may be effective against materials used in weapons, including uranium. The trial aims to determine the safety and effectiveness of the drug by testing different doses on 42 volunteers and monitoring for any side effects. SRI International, based in Menlo Park, California, is leading the trial and receiving funding from the National Institutes of Health, a US government agency. The results of the phase one study are expected in 2024.
The development of this antidote pill is significant as it could provide protection against potential harm from nuclear accidents or terrorist attacks involving dirty bombs. A dirty bomb, also known as a radiological dispersal device (RDD), is an explosive that combines conventional explosives with radioactive materials. While not as destructive as a nuclear bomb, a dirty bomb can cause contamination in the immediate blast zone. Unlike a nuclear bomb, the radiation cloud from a dirty bomb is likely to be limited to a few blocks or miles.
Exposure to radiation can cause severe damage to DNA, tissues, and organs, leading to various illnesses, including cancer. Therefore, an oral drug that can counteract some of these effects would be valuable. Currently, there are already two drug injections available for treating individuals exposed to specific radioactive materials such as plutonium, americium, and curium. Additionally, iodine tablets have been used to protect people from radioactive iodine, and Prussian blue can help remove radioactive cesium and thallium.
If HOPO 14-1 proves successful, it would be another addition to the existing treatments, providing protection against uranium and neptunium in addition to plutonium, americium, and curium.
Although there have not been any successful dirty-bomb attacks worldwide, there have been attempted incidents. For example, in 1996, rebels from Chechnya planted a bomb containing dynamite and radioactive cesium-137 in Moscow’s Izmailovo Park, but it was discovered and defused by security services. In another instance in 1998, Chechnya’s intelligence service found and defused a dirty bomb near a railway line in Chechnya.
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