E-drug: Doxycycline becomes D.C.'s anthrax drug of choice
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[This is absolutely amazing. All that is said below was known from
the very start of the anthrax crisis. Why then did CDC go full blast
for a very expensive brandname variant of Ciprofloxacin with limited
manufacturing capacity, instead of a low-cost, highly effective
essential drug that could be made available in any quantity needed
at short notice? And what to do with the remark that "... cost is
not a factor, since both drugs are in the national stockpile?" Of
course cost is a highly critical factor in any kind of health care
delivery. Has the US government gotten completely confused now
between favoring selected pharmaceutical industries and exercising
professional public health care? Cross-posted from Ip-health. Copied
as fair use. HH]
http://www.cnn.com/2001/HEALTH/conditions/10/27/doxycycline/
Doxycycline becomes D.C.'s anthrax drug of choice
October 27, 2001
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Washington health officials say they will
now prescribe the antibiotic doxycycline, instead of Cipro, to those
needing a preventive treatment against anthrax.
"We'll be treating them with 60 days of doxycycline, which is what
the CDC is now recommending, because we are fortunate to have a
very sensitive organism," said Dr. Gregory Martin, an infectious
disease specialist at Bethesda Naval Medical Center.
More than 10,000 people in the Washington area alone are
currently taking ciproflaxin, manufactured under the name Cipro, to
combat or prevent anthrax infections.
Authorities initially prescribed Cipro but said they will now prescribe
doxycycline because the anthrax strain seen so far is sensitive to a
wide range of antibiotics. Health officials said they also want to
bolster the public's confidence in other drugs, besides Cipro, to
treat anthrax infections and to achieve a better balance in the type
of antibiotics used.
Using a single antibiotic for extended periods of time can increase
the likelihood of antibiotic resistance, CDC sources say. Also,
doxycycline is cheaper than Cipro and more plentiful.
"I think (over-prescribing Cipro) should concern us because this is a
large clinical trial," Dr. Ivan Walks, Washington's chief health
officer, said of the desire to use antibiotics beside Cipro. "We have
not put this many people on this number of concentrated antibiotics
if not ever, in certainly a long period of time."
The side effects for Cipro and doxycycline -- including nausea -- are
similar, but Walks told CNN that "doxycycline has a better
side-effect profile."
Although doxycycline is cheaper and more plentiful than Cipro,
Walks said cost is not a factor, since both drugs are "in the national
stockpile."
The justices of the Supreme Court began a 10-day doxycycline
prophylactic treatment, Walks said. On Friday, authorities
discovered anthrax spores in an off-site mail room that serves the
nation's highest court.