- Note: Doxycycline and penicillin are much less expensive
than Cipro...and less risky on the body. From the JAMA article, Anthrax
Therapy, on our site:
-
- "Most naturally-occurring anthrax strains are sensitive
to penicillin (inexpensive), and penicillin historically has been the preferred
therapy for the treatment of anthrax. Penicillin is approved by the FDA
for this indication, as is doxycycline.
-
- "Doxycycline is the preferred option from the tetracycline
class of antibiotics because of its proven efficacy in monkey studies and
its ease of administration. Other members of this class of antibiotics
are suitable alternatives.
-
- "Although treatment of anthrax infection with ciprofloxacin
has NOT BEEN studied in humans, animal models suggest excellent efficacy."
-
-
-
- BOMBAY (Reuters) - Indian
drug maker Cipla Ltd Monday offered to supply large quantities of an anti-anthrax
drug to the United States as further cases of exposure to the bacteria
emerged there.
-
- At least 78 Indian drug makers turn out copies of German
giant Bayer's Cipro -- the only U.S.-approved treatment for anthrax --
but they cannot sell the drug in the United States until Bayer's patent
expires in 2003.
-
- "If there is a shortage of the drug, the U.S. government
should ask Bayer to grant compulsory licences for the drug to generic drug
makers approved to sell Cipro-equivalents in the United States post-2003,"
Cipla Chairman Yusuf Hamied told Reuters.
-
- Cipla, which offered to sell AIDS drugs for $1 a day
in February, is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
-
- (FDA) to supply Cipro's active ingredient ciprofloxacin
hydrochloride to a U.S. generic producer once the drug goes off patent,
Hamied said, without naming the firm.
-
- An FDA spokesman said Monday the agency believed Cipro
supplies would remain adequate as long as people did not hoard the medicine.
-
- "We believe there is an adequate supply. We don't
see a need for drugs from outside the country," said the spokesman,
who requested anonymity.
-
- Indian drug makers already export the drug to Russia,
Brazil, south east Asia and the Middle East.
-
- "Generic companies allowed to sell the drug in the
U.S. market ahead of the scheduled patent expiry could pay Bayer a small
royalty for this with the U.S. government's approval," Hamied said.
-
- Two months' supply of 120 pills of Cipro 500 mg costs
as much as $693 in the United States, while Cipla and U.S.-listed Dr. Reddy's
sell the same amount for $20 in India.
-
- "India is a huge volume market for ciprofloxacin
and we have our hands full catering to local demand with our Ciplox brand.
But we can easily ramp up capacities if needed," he said.
-
- Indian patent law allows local drug makers to make their
versions of Cipro without paying a licence fee to Bayer as long as they
use a different manufacturing process from Bayer's.
-
- Cipla shares ended up 1.81 percent at 1,064.55 rupees
while the Bombay benchmark index was up 0.57 percent.
-
- (US$1 = 48.02 Indian rupees)
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