The end of hangovers?                                         
 By EMMA MORTON and ADELE WATERS
Wednesday June 9, 2004

A PILL which claims to be the ultimate hangover cure goes on sale in the High Street today.

RU-21 means people can theoretically booze all day without much of a backlash the morning after.

Four million of the pills — named after the legal drinking age in the US — have been sold there since they were launched last year.

Now the pill is available from Superdrug stores across Britain at £4.99 for 20. Boozers must take one with each drink for the cure to work. But the US makers, Spirit Sciences, warn they do NOT stop people feeling drunk or vomiting.

They say RU-21 regulates alcohol metabolism and taking it with every drink will help protect organs against alcohol damage.

They say it works by blocking the body’s production of acetaldehyde, reducing the hangover risk and even possible damage to the liver. Doctors have linked acetaldehyde to alcohol-related cancers and even cirrhosis.

Pills, thrills and no bellyaches ... RU-21 can help hangovers

The formula for RU-21 was created by the KGB to extract secrets from enemies during drinking sessions without getting drunk themselves. It didn’t work — but they were not hung over.

Experts warned the tablets could lead to more booze problems. Alcohol Concern said: “We believe that a hangover is the body’s way of saying you are drinking too much.”

Chris Allison of the Metropolitan Police said: “Anything that could encourage binge drinking is a concern, as we don’t want the problem to get worse.”

Alcohol expert and liver consultant Professor Oliver James said: “I’d say don’t waste your money. If you want to protect yourself against a hangover, don’t drink as much.”

But Sun man John Sturgis said: “I’ve had RU-21 pills a couple of times and I will definitely buy them again. The pills don’t remove all the effects, but I felt better after both nights out than I’d have expected to.

“My only real gripe with RU-21 is that you have to take so many.”