The US government announced that it purchased $290 million worth of anti radiation drugs this week, with President Joe Biden warning Americans of “the prospect of Armageddon” in response to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s remarks about using nuclear weapons.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) stated that the order of Nplate was part of “ongoing efforts to be better prepared to save lives following radiological and nuclear emergencies.”
Nplate is used to “treat blood cell injuries that accompany acute radiation syndrome [ARS]” in adults and children, HHS said in a statement.
The department said that ARS, also referred to as radiation sickness, “occurs when a person’s entire body is exposed to a high dose of penetrating radiation, reaching internal organs in a matter of seconds. Symptoms of ARS injuries include impaired blood clotting as a result of low platelet counts, which can lead to uncontrolled and life-threatening bleeding.”
They added, “To reduce radiation-induced bleeding, Nplate stimulates the body’s production of platelets.”
The $290 million in funding was provided by Project BioShield, a 2004 act that provided money to purchase anti-ARS drugs and to make investments that enable companies to “develop the medical countermeasures that are critical to national security.”
A spokesperson told the New York Post that the purchase was unrelated to Biden’s remark that Putin was “not joking when he talks about the use of tactical nuclear weapons or biological or chemical weapons.”
Instead, HHS said that it was made as part of routine preparedness against nuclear attack.