Pharma firms set to fight anthrax

Nisha Das
16 October 2001

Mumbai: After the detection of four anthrax cases in the US and two in India, the manufacturers of anti-anthrax drug Ciprofloxacin have started taking stock of their inventories to counter any panic situation arising from the fear of the spread of the disease through bio-terrorism.

When contacted, a Ranbaxy Laboratories spokesperson said as the supply situation is normal and there has not been any panic so far, the company, as a precautionary measure, is reviewing the inventory position of Ciprofloxacin stocks.

Saying that Ranbaxy did not have the US Food and Drug Administration approval to market the drug in the US, the spokesperson said its US subsidiary, Ranbaxy Pharmaceuticals, has been asked by the authorities to review the inventory of Doxycyclin.

About 100 pharmaceutical companies are manufacturing copies of Ciprofloxacin, a drug discovered by the German pharmaceutical major Bayer. While the domestic market is led by Ranbaxy, the other leading players include Cipla, Zydus Cadila Healthcare, Dr Reddys Laboratories and Alkem, some of whom are also believed to be gearing up to face any such situation.

Commenting on the supply-side situation, All-India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists vice-president Sandeep Nangia said there is no shortage for anti-anthrax drugs as the supply situation is normal. Nangia, who also heads the Delhi Druggists and Chemists Association, said there is no chance of hoarding of drugs by its members and asserted that there is no panic in New Delhi. He said some companies manufacturing Cipro are also in the process of checking up stocks.

Outbreaks of anthrax occur every year in the country and some people catch it from infected animals or eating their meat.

Currently, anthrax occurs among the countrys livestock, as animal vaccination is in a dismal state. But what worries public health experts is the rare and far more fatal form of anthrax transmitted through spores that can be sprayed from a plane or soaked in a filter paper and sent by post.