Hematopoietic syndrome of acute radiation syndrome (HSARS) is a life‐threatening condition with no approved treatment. We compared recombinant human interleukin‐12 (rHuIL‐12; 175 ng/kg × 1) with vehicle, granulocyte‐colony‐stimulating factor (G‐CSF; 10 µg/kg/day × 18), or rHuIL‐12+G‐CSF after lethal irradiation in rhesus monkeys in a Good Laboratory Practice, randomized, blinded, placebo‐controlled study. Fluids, antibiotics, and blood products were not used. Survival at day 60 was significantly increased for rHuIL‐12 versus G‐CSF or vehicle. rHuIL‐12/G‐CSF combination provided no additional survival benefit over rHuIL‐12. Both rHuIL‐12 and rHuIL‐12+G‐CSF increased blood cell nadirs, induced earlier recovery of all hematopoietic lineages, and significantly decreased frequencies of severe cytopenias versus vehicle or G‐CSF. In bone marrow, rHuIL‐12 alone increased erythroid, myeloid, and megakaryocyte counts relative to vehicle or G‐CSF. Thus, a single injection of rHuIL‐12, without supportive medical intervention, significantly improved survival and promoted multilineage hematopoietic recovery in a nonhuman primate model of HSARS. Am. J. Hematol. 89:868–873, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.