IP: Cipro Handling May Haunt Pharmas

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

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FOOL ON THE HILL
The U.S. Government negotiated a deal with German pharma company Bayer to 
buy Cipro, its antibiotic treatment for anthrax, at reduced prices. U.S. 
actions made it clear that the government was none too keen on having a 
company profit during our time of need. But that's exactly what drug 
companies are supposed to do, and U.S. companies may find their patents 
under fire because of our government's stance in the Cipro case.

Let's set one thing straight before starting: Anthrax scares me. It's 
horrible that some anonymous weirdos are mailing it to our public 
institutions. In fact, I had to deal with quite a scare yesterday when my 
pregnant wife, a State Department attorney, called to say anthrax was found 
in her building. I was scared because, hey, she's my wife, and just as much 
because she would have had quite a quandary had there been any question of 
exposure. (Anthrax antibiotics are not exactly fetus-friendly, if you know 
what I mean.)

Fortunately, it hasn't come to that for us. A medical correspondent so 
patiently explained to me, furthermore, that the media has done a pretty 
good job of stoking people's fears about ways to catch anthrax: Due to the 
anthrax germ's physiological properties, it is extremely difficult to catch 
anthrax from airborne sources even if you are exposed.

Let's get some perspective here, folks: Four people have died from anthrax 
in the U.S. thus far. Three of the four had direct, verifiable, physical 
contact with the spores. It is horrible that these innocents have died, but 
there is very little reason for the vast majority of Americans to get 
freaked out about anthrax

http://www.fool.com/news/foth/2001/foth011031.htm