HHS Awards Bioshield Contract for Liquid Potassium Iodide

Main Category: Pediatrics / Children's Health
Article Date: 19 Mar 2005 - 9:00 PDT

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The Department of Health and Human Services today awarded a $5.7 million contract to Fleming & Company, Pharmaceuticals of Fenton, Mo. for the manufacture and delivery of 1.7 million pediatric doses of liquid potassium iodide (KI). This supply of liquid KI, which is being purchased under the BioShield program, would be used in the event of a release of radioactive iodine, a commonly produced material in commercial nuclear power facilities.

The liquid KI formulation is the first to be developed specifically for children. Its black raspberry taste is designed to make it more palatable to children. Current adult dose tablets are bitter and must be broken into pieces to get a child's dose. The new formulation is delivered using a graduated eyedropper.

"The acquisition of this new and easy-to-administer pediatric KI formulation is an important step forward for our nation's radiological preparedness program," Assistant Secretary for Public Health Emergency Preparedness Stewart Simonson, said.

Because the thyroid gland rapidly absorbs any iodine in the body, people need to take KI soon after an incident that involves the release of radioactive iodine, such as could occur in the vicinity of a nuclear commercial power facility. The KI saturates the thyroid gland with iodine, thus preventing the thyroid from absorbing additional, radioactive iodine. However, KI does not prevent the effects of any other radioactive elements.

Approval of the liquid KI as a pediatric formulation was given last year by the Interagency Weapons of Mass Destruction Medical Countermeasures Subcommittee. Children are the most susceptible to the dangerous effects of radioactive iodine.

Once it is delivered to HHS, the pediatric KI will be made available to states that submit and receive approval from HHS for plans they develop to distribute the new product in communities around commercial nuclear power plants.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved KI in tablet form as a nonprescription drug for use as a "blocking agent" to prevent the human thyroid gland from absorbing radioactive iodine. On Jan. 12, 2005, the FDA granted approval to Fleming for their product ThyroShieldTM (Potassium Iodide Oral Solution, USP) 65 mg/ml for children.

HHS Press Office
(202) 690-6343
US Department of Health and Human Services

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