Russian Scientists Develop Pill
That Keeps You Drunk
By Julius Strauss in Moscow - 24 February 2005
Huh?? They are taking our natural supplements, vitamins away –
and giving us inebriation-enhancers? Phew...Sounds like science
fiction to me!! - Patricia Cori
The makers of RU-21, the "miracle" hangover cure reputedly
developed for Soviet spies, have developed a product to keep you
drunk.
Spirit Sciences, which is based in California but has research facilities
in Russia employing scientists who once worked on secret programmes
for the Kremlin, have christened the new product RU-21 Red.
If you take a tablet you need less alcohol to stay drunk, they claim.
Emil Chiabery, a co-founder of the company, told The Telegraph from
his offices in Los Angeles: "I never drink and there's no personal
story. But RU-21 Red prolongs drunkenness and enhances intoxication.''
RU-21, the company's original product, is sold as a natural dietary
supplement in the US and Britain. It officially claims to help prevent
long-term diseases associated with moderate alcohol intake.
But among its ingredients are acids that are natural anti-oxidants
and reportedly rid the body of some of the harmful by-products of
alcohol breakdown that lead to hangovers.
The new pill, which contains grapevine extracts intended to slow
down the oxidation of alcohol and keep the user drunk, has been
criticised. The weight of criticism means the company may now reconsider
introducing it to the market.
Mr Chiabery, who was born in what was then the Soviet republic of
Georgia, said: "I'm not sure I'm going to market it in the
USA. I don't want it to become a party drug. We are for responsible
drinking."
The company makes no secret of the fact that its hangover cure is
aimed at party-goers anxious to avoid the debilitating morning-after
effects of heavy drinking. The company sponsors concerts and pop
groups.
The product, which is marketed with a video showing KGB types in
the shadow of the Kremlin handing over a briefcase of money in exchange
for the secret formula, earns hundreds of thousands of pounds a
year in sales in the US.
© Copyright of Telegraph Group Limited 2005.
http://telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;s5549
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