Iran To Produce Deuterated Drugs Using Nuclear Technologies - Energy Organization Head

Iran plans to produce advanced drugs containing deuterium isotope using nuclear technologies and combining laser and biological technologies for working on heavy water derivatives, Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) chief Mohammad Eslami said on Tuesday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 08th August, 2023) Iran plans to produce advanced drugs containing deuterium isotope using nuclear technologies and combining laser and biological technologies for working on heavy water derivatives, Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) chief Mohammad Eslami said on Tuesday.

"We are looking for a combination of laser and biological technologies as we work on heavy water derivatives for manufacturing deuterated drugs, which is one of the most advanced trends that have emerged in laboratory research," Eslami was quoted as saying by the Tasnim news agency.

The creation of heavy water derivatives is the most advanced achievement that only a handful of developed countries are able to boast of, Eslami said, adding that Iran intends to export the new technology to other countries.

"We ... are ready to export these technologies to other countries," he was quoted as saying by the ISNA news agency.

Deuterated drugs are medicinal products in which one or more of the hydrogen atoms contained in the drug molecule have been replaced by its isotope deuterium. Deuterium is one of two stable isotopes of hydrogen, which is heavier and non-radioactive. A deuterium-based drug was developed by multinational pharmaceutical company Teva Pharmaceutical Industries and approved by the US food and Drug Administration in 2017 for the treatment of Huntington's disease.

Heavy water is a form of water whose hydrogen atoms are all deuterium, which is used in nuclear energy industry.