FRIDAY, Sept. 10 (HealthDay News) -- A treatment for poisoning
from pesticides and similar chemicals has been approved by the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration for use in children, nearly 50 years
after it was first approved for adults.
Pralidoxime chloride (Protopam Chloride) was approved by the FDA
in 1964 as an antidote to pesticides and other chemicals in the
organophosphate class. The injected antidote slows the attachment
of the poisonous chemical to a person's nerve endings, the agency
said in a news release.
The FDA acknowledged the drug already has been used "for many
years" as an emergency antidote in children, and that approving it
for pediatric use would "give health-care professionals better
guidance on how to use this drug safely and effectively."
Organophosphates are commonly used at farms and by licensed
exterminators, the agency said. Symptoms of ingestion could include
mild reactions such as runny nose, teary eyes or vomiting, to more
serious symptoms including trouble breathing and convulsions.
Adverse reactions to the antidote itself could include blurred
vision, dizziness, headache, fatigue, nausea, difficulty breathing
and increased heart rate or blood pressure, the agency said.
Protopam Chloride is produced by Baxter Healthcare, based in
Deerfield, Ill.
More information
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more
about
organophosphate poisoning.