St. Louis Park-based Humanetics Corp. received a $3.5 million government contract to develop a drug to prevent injury to the lungs during a nuclear explosion.
The money would go toward preliminary efficacy studies. The two-year contract is with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, a group within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
"To protect health and save lives, health care providers will need a variety of effective ways to identify and treat the wide range of illnesses and injuries that can be caused by chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear incidents," said Dr. Robin Robinson, the authority's director, in a statement. "This product shows promise to become part of the radiation medicine bag."
Humanetics historically had made most of its revenue through selling wholesale dietary ingredients for weight loss. Last year, the company announced it received licenses from the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit to develop and market two experimental treatments that aim to protect people from radiation's effects during cancer treatment and terrorist attacks.
