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Two Companies Report Progress in Anthrax Treatment
Two U.S. companies have made progress in developing new treatments against anthrax, the Washington Post reported today (see GSN, Feb. 20). Human Genome Sciences Inc. announced today that its anthrax drug, ABthrax, appears safe for use in humans. The Rockville, Md., company said yesterday that ABthrax was found in tests on rabbits to be effective against anthrax if administered within 12 hours of exposure, the Post reported (see GSN, June 25, 2003). In addition, Elusys Therapeutics Inc. of Pine Brook, N.J., said a drug it is developing that is similar to ABthrax has been shown to protect mice and rabbits against anthrax inhalation if administered immediately before exposure (see GSN, May 31, 2002). According to the Post, U.S. officials are concerned by the large number of companies working on similar treatments against biological agents. The federal government will have to decide which treatments to purchase without definitive knowledge of their effectiveness in humans because of the ethical concerns in exposing humans to biological agents for testing purposes, the Post reported. “We would completely break the bank if we committed to purchasing every one” of the products under development, said National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci. “We just can’t do that,” he said, adding that ground rules for evaluating competing bioterrorism products are being developed (Justin Gillis, Washington Post, March 9).
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