Posted on 09/20/2001 4:13:48 AM PDT by ResistorSister
CUYAHOGA FALLS — A doctor is offering prescriptions for antibiotics against possible biological terrorist attacks, despite warnings from medical officials that the drugs may be misused.
Dr. Hugh McLaughlin is giving his patients a chance to pick up ciprofloxacin, which was approved by the Federal Drug Administration last year to treat people exposed to anthrax, a bacteria of increasing concern as a possible terrorist weapon.
Medical officials say they know of no other doctor who has started a similar pre-emptive prescription program for Cipro. Anthrax is relatively easy to manufacture and when inhaled can cause death within a few days.
“To me this is like a bee-sting kit,” McLaughlin said. “You have one or two in your pocket and a little more at home.”
In the event of a terrorist attack with anthrax, people would already have the antibiotics they need, and would not need to rush to the hospitals, he said.
“I did just a random survey of pharmacies in Akron and they have only enough (Cipro) for six doses at any one time,” McLaughlin said.
But health officials said McLaughlin’s civil defense program may do more harm than good.
In a statement Wednesday, the Ohio Department of Health said “prescribing antibiotics in advance of any perceived biological terrorism attack fosters the misuse of antibiotics and may create an unwarranted sense of panic. It is not advised.”
The statement was signed by an array of state and local health officials, including the Summit County Department of Health, which covers Cuyahoga Falls.
Dr. Jonathan Temte, who has studied emergency responses to terrorism through the American Academy of Family Physicians, said McLaughlin’s prescriptions could make it harder for officials to respond to an attack elsewhere.
FDA guidelines recommend treating anthrax exposure with two doses of Cipro a day for 60 days, Temte said.
“If you want everybody in your practice to stock up just in case, we may not have the surpluses available to react if there really is a problem somewhere else,” he said.
Rob Kloppenburg, a spokesman for Bayer Corp., which manufactures Cipro, said the company is working with the government to develop an emergency Cipro stockpile.
McLaughlin said he is prescribing 10-day courses of antibiotics, which cost about $100. He began offering prescriptions Tuesday and had issued more than 50 by midday Wednesday.
The Cipro doses would only be useful against anthrax, and not against other potential biological agents, said Thomas Inglesby, senior fellow at the Johns Hopkins Center for Civilian Biodefense Studies. McLaughlin’s antibiotics may leave people with the mistaken impression that they are protected against any biological agent, he said.
“Is it possible in the future that people would have their own response kits? I suppose it’s theoretically possible,” Inglesby said. “But that’s not the world we’re in now.”
McLaughlin said he decided to issue the prescriptions in part because he was given no other direction or advice from state officials about how to identify or respond to an anthrax outbreak.
Temte admitted state and federal public health officials need to do more to deliver information to private physicians.
“This serves as a wake-up call,” Temte said. “We have very good systems of surveillance and disease detection, but unless that information is transmitted to the people who are out there actually dealing with patients, it doesn’t help.”
Oh, so if there is a terrorist attack with anthrax, we must rush to our local hospitals to get antibiotics?
Great plan!
You might be right. But as far as the article reports, it doesn't seem like he is in danger of having his license suspended, yet.
“Is it possible in the future that people would have their own response kits? I suppose it’s theoretically possible,” Inglesby said. “But that’s not the world we’re in now.”
No perceived threat, not the world we're in now? Where have these people been the last week? A think a personal response kit is a great idea.
He is a gem in the land of physicians/sheeple who live with their heads up their butts, singing the song..'this is America, 'it' can't happen here'.
If they allow the doctors to prescribe the medicine the manufacturer will reply with more supply and probably lower cost. But the governments answer is to wait and see when it happens and then try to react. Guess what, most of the people exposed will die by the gubb'mint plan and a whole lot less if they listened to this doctor.
FDA approving drug for Anthrax::: http://my.webmd.com/content/article/1728.59870
Dosage and effects::: http://my.webmd.com/content/article/3185.606
Generic info from manufacturer::: http://infections.bayer.com/treatment/ciprofloxacin_ciprobay_en.html
Drugstore on line::: http://www.1drugstore-online.com/search.asp?txtsearch=ciprofloxacin
Interesting though when you have to decide how much to order. Order just for yourself and spouse or what about your grown children, what about their spouse, then what about your sister and her children, etc?
My King Solomon decision was to write a long email to each and provide them with the info and costs. Letting them decide for themselves.
The classic expected response was from my stepdaughter. She said "You'll give me some won't you." My response was your husband is responsible for you now, you need to talk to him.
Now what will I do when they come to my door coughing their guts up is beyond me. All I know is if you give everyone a little, you all die. So it gets down to who lives if you have a limited supply.
I swear, I am starting to feel like I have stepped into a horror flick.
There does seem to be a lot of misinformation floating around on this topic. If you are saying that it's a bad idea for people to stock up on Cipro, and/or Cipro may not be effective, then I'd be interested in your view as what options people DO HAVE when it comes to protecting/treating themselves against anthrax?
I have bet $160 that the box cutter terrorists didn't. If I loose so what?
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