The guidelines apply only to confirmed cases of anthrax, not as a precaution for people who may have been exposed.
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Cipro, marketed by Bayer Corp., has received the most attention as the anthrax investigation has widened. Doses have been dispensed to thousands of people, from postal workers to NBC anchor Tom Brokaw, who may have been exposed to the bacteria.
First, they admit to no human studies.
Second, they advise treatment only in diagnosed cases.
Third, Cipro is being used to treat thousands of people (I just read ten thousand) right now. Yet I keep hearing major media say only a few have been infected. Is the government ignoring its own guidelines or are we being lied to about the number of cases? Of course I realize it could be both.
Cipro has been given to more than 100 million people since 1987. Last year in July, Cipro became and still remains the only drug approved by the FDA for inhalational anthrax.
Penicillin the number one antibiotic in the world, has actually treated more anthrax than Cipro, but because the drug is now not owned by any one drug company, none brought it to the FDA for approval. Merck provides guidelines for penicillin therapy for both types of anthrax, based upon years of history of treatment on humans.