Students now have the opportunity to have a hangover-free morning after a night of partying and drinking.

RU-21, a new pill created by Spirit Sciences USA Inc., is said to minimize or stop the effects of hangovers.

Spirit Sciences USA Inc. is a company based in California. The company focuses on the “discovery, development, manufacture and marketing of breakthrough pharmaceutical and nutritional products.”

Emil Chiaberi, executive director of Spirit Sciences USA Inc., said RU-21 originally was not intended to be used as a hangover remedy.

According to the Web site www.ru-21usa.com, the supplement was developed by the Russian Academy of Sciences 25 years ago, intended to keep spies sober when they were drinking with possible targets. The pill did not work and the spies became intoxicated, causing the project files to be dismissed in 1999.

Although the pill didn’t work for spies, RU-21 can benefit the public.

Spirit Sciences USA Inc. explained RU-21 slows down the production of acetaldehyde, which is a highly toxic byproduct of alcohol, and speeds up the processing of aldehyde dehydrogenase 2, an enzyme that converts acetaldehyde into a non-toxic acid in the consumer’s body.

The result is alcohol metabolizes more quickly, leading to a hangover-free morning for most people.

Adam Schonauer, a sophomore physical education major, said he has heard about RU-21 but wouldn’t buy it because he has his own hangover remedy.

“I just drink a beer the next morning and it takes it,” Schonauer said.

Although the manufacturer’s warning reads people should not take the pill just to escape from a hangover, some health officials are concerned.

“It is designed to protect people from the effects of alcohol when consumed moderately … it is a pill that can help over time, and fortunately, or unfortunately, there are short-term effects, like not having a hangover,” Chiaberi said.

The site directs consumers to take two pills before or during the consumption of every two drinks.

The site points out the long-term effects of RU-21 have not been tested, nor does the FDA regulate the pill because it is marketed as a dietary supplement.

The pill is available at www.RU-21.com. Consumers can buy 20 pills for $4.99.