Tetrodocain ( Korean: 테트로도카인주사약) is medical injection produced by the Korea Jangsaeng Joint Venture Company (조선장생합영회사) in North Korea. The injection was first claimed to be invented by the company in 2004. [1] According to the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the main ingredient of the injection is tetrodotoxin, isolated from puffer poisons, and operates as an anaesthetic. [2] It has been sold for international export on sites based in Russia and China. [3]
KCNA described the medicine as efficacious in treating a wide range of diseases, including cancer, tuberculosis, chronic hepatitis, pancreatitis and HIV/AIDS. [4] [5] These claims have been deemed to be either exaggerated or false. [3] The North Korean government also marketed its use in drug detoxification from narcotics such as opium, cocaine and heroin. [6]
North Korea released a supposed clinical research thesis about the usage of tetrodocain for anesthetics in 2015. [7]