A Decades-Old Drug Technology Finally Nears Its Big Breakthrough
- Modifying drugs with heavy hydrogen can make them last longer
- Teva product would be first deuterated drug approved by FDA
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Drugmakers are breathing new life into old drugs -- with hydrogen.
Substituting a heavier form of the gaseous element in drugs can slow their breakdown by the body, leaving them in the bloodstream longer. That means a patient can take them less frequently -- and that, in theory, might reduce the severity of side effects.