IF ANYONE detonates a nuclear bomb in a US city those affected by radiation shouldn鈥檛 expect an instant remedy. In a shock move, the government has dropped plans to buy a novel drug to treat radiation sickness.
Last week Hollis-Eden, a start-up firm in San Diego, California, expected a government order for a million self-injectable doses of Neumune, a drug that stimulates bone marrow growth (New Scientist, 3 March, p 7). The US Department of 午夜福利1000集合 and Human Services now says that no drug meets its requirements. Richard Hollis, CEO of Hollis-Eden, calls this 鈥渄ifficult to understand鈥�, especially since government officials told him last October that Neumune was what they wanted.
鈥淭he US government now says no radiation drug meets its requirements鈥�
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This is the second cancellation under the $5.6 billion Project BioShield, the US government鈥檚 plan to defend against biological, chemical and radiological attacks. Last December it dropped its biggest contract, for an anthrax vaccine, with VaxGen, another California firm.
