The Food and Drug Administration recently approved for pediatric use a drug used to treat poisoning from organophosphate pesticides and chemicals, such as bioterrorist nerve agents. The drug, Protopam Chloride, can be administered by intravenous or intramuscular injections.
It was approved for use in adults in 1964. Organophosphate pesticides are typically used in the farm setting and by professional exterminators.
"We know this drug has been widely used for many years to treat poisoning in pediatric patients in emergency situations," said Russell Katz, M.D., director of the Division of Neurology Products in the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. "Improving the drug's label with new dosing information for children will give health care professionals better guidance on how to use this drug safely and effectively."
[ via AHA News Now ]