US Food and Drug Administration approval of ciprofloxacin hydrochloride for management of postexposure inhalational anthrax.

In August 2000, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved ciprofloxacin hydrochloride (Cipro; Bayer) for management of postexposure inhalational anthrax. This was the first antimicrobial drug approved by the FDA for use in treating an infection due to a biological agent used intentionally. The terrorist attacks of 2001 involving anthrax underscore the imperative that safe and effective drugs to manage such infections be readily available in the United States.

Hemorrhagic fever viruses as biological weapons: medical and public health management.

Objective: To develop consensus-based recommendations for measures to be taken by medical and public health professionals if hemorrhagic fever viruses (HFVs) are used as biological weapons against a civilian population.

Participants: The Working Group on Civilian Biodefense included 26 representatives from academic medical centers, public health, military services, governmental agencies, and other emergency management institutions.

Evidence: MEDLINE was searched from January 1966 to January 2002.