IOSAT – Potassium Iodide Tablets

IOSAT (Potassium Iodide, or KI, Tablets USP, 130 mg each) – 14 tablets per package

Packages not sold individually but in 100 package, 200 package, and 300 package (one case) volumes.

Potassium Iodide (KI) is a thyroid blocking medicine that is used only in a nuclear radiation emergency and only as directed by public officials.

Certain forms of iodine help the thyroid gland work properly. Most people get the iodine they need from foods like iodized salt and/or fish. The thyroid can store only a certain amount of iodine. In a nuclear radiation emergency, radioactive iodine may be released into the air. The material may be inhaled through breathing and/or injested through swallowing. It may enter and damage the thyroid gland. The damage would probably not be detected for years. Children are more susceptible to this damage than adults. By taking the prescribed dosages of KI, one blocks or reduces the chances that radioactive iodine will enter and damage the thyroid gland.

1. IOSAT is fully FDA approved for thyroid blocking in a radiation emergency.  Please know that IOSAT is the ONLY full-strength potassium iodide tablet approved by the FDA which can be sold in the US, and which is approved for government purchasing.  Also, be aware that IOSAT contains potassium iodide, not iodate, which is not FDA approved and is not legal to sell in the US.  Statements by other companies that they are “FDA Approved” or that iodide and iodate are equivalent are either untrue or misleading (see www.fda.gov).
2. Each standard package of IOSAT contains a strip of 14 tablets, with each tablet containing 130 mg of potassium iodide.  The tablets are double scored to split easily and cleanly into 65 mg and 32.5 mg child doses.  For special orders, strips of 2, 4 or 10 tablets are also available. Specific dosing instructions and other supplemental information is included as a package insert.
3. Each IOSAT tablet is individually wrapped in a foil blister packet.  The product is available with or without an outer transparent plastic film enclosure containing the tablet strip and Patient Product Information brochure

The CDC, or Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has some FAQ and informational content regarding health risks associated with KI @ http://www.bt.cdc.gov/radiation/ki.asp#med . Presently,  CDC does not recommend that people in the United States take potassium iodide supplements (also called KI) in response to the damaged nuclear reactors in Japan.