News Health & Medicine

The U.S. now has a drug for severe frostbite. How does it work?

Approved by the FDA in February, iloprost can prevent the need to amputate frozen fingers and toes

Bundled in layers of warm clothing, a pedestrian in Minneapolis braves a freezing day

Bundled in layers of warm clothing, a pedestrian in Minneapolis braves a day that was so bitterly cold that officials warned of a heightened risk of frostbite. A newly FDA-approved drug, iloprost, can help to treat severe frostbite.

STEPHEN MATUREN/AFP via Getty Images

By Saugat Bolakhe

In the worst cases, frostbite can cause the tissues in fingers, toes, noses and other extremities to die and require amputation.