New approach to anthrax treatment.(Cipro to doxycycline, generic)(Brief Article)

WASHINGTON -- Federal health authorities have changed the recommended front-line defense against anthrax from Bayer's Cipro to doxycycline.

The switch to the generic antibiotic was prompted by concerns that germs would develop resistance to Cipro (ciprofloxacin) as a result of its overuse.

Public health would be better served with the tens of thousands of Americans taking Cipro preventively switching to doxycycline, according to Bradley Perkins, a leading anthrax specialist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Widespread use of doxycycline poses less of a resistance threat, he notes.

The Food and Drug Administration has asked …