Kim Jong-nam had antidote to VX nerve agent, learns court

The half-brother of North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un was carrying an antidote to the poison which killed him at the time of his death.

Malaysia's High Court heard this week Kim Jong Nam had 12 doses of atropine in his sling bag when he was allegedly swabbed with VX nerve agent in Kuala Lumpur International airport on 13 February, said defense lawyer Hisyam Abdullah.

The lawyer said that K. Sharmilah, a government toxicologist, told the court Wednesday she examined the drug along with several other samples provided by police.

Atropine provides "primary protection against exposure to chemical nerve agents and insecticide poisoning," according to the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP).

"If you know someone is coming after you with a nerve agent, atropine is a key drug you would want to carry," said Nial Wheate, a senior lecturer in pharmaceutics at the University of Sydney.

Indonesia’s Siti Aisyah, 25, and Vietnam’s Doan Thi Huong, 29 (Photo: Toronto Star)

In addition to the antidote, Kim was also carrying $125,000 in cash at the time of his death, a police officer previously testified in court.

Kim was allegedly poisoned with VX while on his way back to his home in the Chinese territory of Macau.

Security footage showed two women, 25-year-old Indonesian Siti Aisyah, and 29-year-old Vietnamese citizen Doan Thi Huong, walking up behind Kim and rubbing their hands on his face.

Malaysian authorities claim the pair were trained by North Korean agents to swab Kim's face with the nerve agent. They have pleaded not guilty to murdering Kim, saying they were duped into thinking they were participating in a prank TV show.

North Korea has repeatedly denied any involvement in the assassination of Kim.

Why Kim did not attempt to administer the antidote he was carrying is unclear. Soon after he was poisoned with VX, he stumbled into a clinic in the airport and requested medical attention.

A nurse wiped a "odorless, water-like" fluid from Kim's face, as his blood pressure spiked to a "life threatening level," according to a doctor who testified in court.

Shortly after entering the clinic, Kim developed a seizure. The 45-year-old was rushed to hospital but died in the ambulance en route.

According to ASHP, atropine is most commonly injected into a muscle, under the skin, or administered intravenously, but is also available in pill form or as eye-drops. While it can be used as an antidote, the drug is also used to treat muscle spasms and reduce airway secretions.

It's marketed under a number of brand names, including Sal-Tropine, AtroPen, and Atreza.

Wheate, at the University of Sydney, said that atropine's effectiveness against a fast-acting nerve agent like VX depended on how it was delivered.

"If you're carrying it as a tablet or a liquid that you're intending to swallow is not going to do you any good," he said.

"If you swallow it as a tablet it's going to take anywhere from 15-20 minutes until it gets into your bloodstream and by that stage the VX is going to have (taken effect)."

Meridian Medical Technologies, which sells the AtroPen auto-injector similar to EpiPens used to treat allergic shocks, said the drug "is intended as an initial treatment of the (nervous system) symptoms of insecticide or nerve agent poisonings (generally breathing difficulties due to increased secretions," after which immediate medical care should be sought.

"Individuals should not rely solely upon antidotes ... to provide complete protection from chemical nerve agents," the company warns. "Decontamination of the poisoned individual should occur as soon as possible."

Wheate said the drugs are "fairly common (and) not difficult to get your hands on."