HHS partners with Novartis Pharmaceuticals to determine capabilities for treating radiation injury

Looking to a drug already on the market for treating thrombocytopenia, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has joined a private corporation in evaluating its use against radiation injuries.

The drug in question is approved for use to treat low blood platelet counts resulting from the body attacking its own platelets–a condition caused by chronic immune thrombocytopenia. The drug, in turn, spurs bone marrow progenitors to increase their production of platelets. In conjunction with Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) sees potential for that same drug in counteracting damage caused by radiation exposure.

“To help save lives following a nuclear incident, we need countermeasures for the injuries resulting from exposures to high levels of radiation,” Rick Bright, director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), said. “The ability to treat thrombocytopenia resulting from acute radiation exposure will address a critical gap in treatment for survivors of a nuclear detonation.”

Among the many debilitating effects, radiation exposure can cause is myelosuppression–a decrease in bone marrow activity. Studies funded through BARDA seek to determine whether the drug could help restore platelet levels in the face of that, which would help survival chances significantly, as resulting thrombocytopenia can cause hemorrhage and organ failure. Their four-year contract with Novartis will amount to a $24 million investment.