The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has announced a clinical trial aimed at determining the safety, tolerability, and processing of escalating doses of the capsule medication HOPO 14-1 in healthy individuals.
The United States has conducted its first human clinical trial for an oral medication designed to eliminate radioactive substances from the body.
This medication can eliminate three radioactive elements: plutonium, americium, and curium. (Illustrative image).
On May 15, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) reported that the trial seeks to assess the safety, tolerability, and how the body processes escalating doses of the capsule medication HOPO 14-1.
The clinical trial is being conducted in Plymouth, Michigan. The research team has selected 42 participants aged between 18 and 65, divided into 7 groups of 6 individuals each. Each person in the first group will receive a dose of 100 mg of HOPO 14-1.
The subsequent groups will receive increasing doses, up to 7,500 mg per person in the final group. Participants will undergo extensive safety monitoring and will be followed for 14 days to measure the absorption, distribution, and excretion of the medication.
Previously, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved two medications designed to remove radioactive contamination from the human body.
NIH stated that these medications are administered intravenously and can eliminate three radioactive elements: plutonium, americium, and curium.
HOPO 14-1 is formulated as an oral capsule, making it easier to stock, deploy, and manage in emergencies.
Preclinical studies have shown that HOPO 14-1 can effectively remove more radioactive substances, including uranium and neptunium, in addition to plutonium, americium, and curium.
