Should the FDA now follow its committee's recommendation, Cipro would become the first drug approved as a response to a biological attack.
Anthrax is a dangerous, infectious disease caused by the bacterium Bacillus anthracis .
Most anthrax infections occur when the bacterium enters a cut from handling the hide, leather, or hair of an infected animal. But it also can be inhaled and spread by eating infected animals. These infections usually are treatable with two other antibiotics, penicillin and vibramycin. However, the military believes that about 14 nations, including Iraq and North Korea, have developed several strains of airborne anthrax specifically resistant to these antibiotics for use as biological weapons. Left untreated, inhaled Anthrax results in death with one to two days.