WebMD News from HealthDay
March 25, 2015 -- A new drug to treat inhalation anthrax has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Anthrasil was approved to be used in combination with appropriate antibacterial drugs. Anthrasil testing was limited to animals, because it was not feasible or ethical to test it in people, the FDA said.
Inhalation anthrax can occur after a person is exposed to infected animals or contaminated animal products, or as the result of the intentional release of anthrax spores in a bioterrorism attack. The anthrax bacteria multiply in the body and produce toxins that can cause extensive and irreversible tissue damage and death.
Anthrasil is made from the plasma of people vaccinated against anthrax. The plasma contains antibodies that neutralize the toxins produced by anthrax bacteria.
"Today's approval provides an important additional treatment to other FDA-approved therapies for inhalational anthrax, a life-threatening disease," Dr. Karen Midthun, director of the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said in an agency news release.
"This product will be stored in U.S. Strategic National Stockpile to facilitate its availability in response to an anthrax emergency," she added.
source : New Anthrax Drug Approved by FDA
