An outbreak of web sites selling ciprofloxacin following an outbreak of anthrax by mail

American Journal of Medicine

Volumn 113, Issue 5, 2002, Pages 424-427

  Tsai, Alexander C ^a,b   Lurie, Peter ^c   Sehgal, Ashwini R ^a,d  

^a CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY   (United States)

^b CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE   (United States)

^c Public Citizen Health Research Group   (United States)

^d METROHEALTH MEDICAL CENTER   (United States)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

CIPROFLOXACIN; DOXYCYCLINE; QUINOLINE DERIVED ANTIINFECTIVE AGENT;

ADVERTIZING; ANTHRAX; ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE; ARTICLE; BACILLUS ANTHRACIS; CHI SQUARE DISTRIBUTION; COMPUTER PROGRAM; CONTROLLED STUDY; DRUG CONTRAINDICATION; DRUG MARKETING; EPIDEMIC; HUMAN; HYPERSENSITIVITY; INTERNET; POSTAL MAIL; PRESCRIPTION; PRIORITY JOURNAL; PROPHYLAXIS; QUESTIONNAIRE; SIDE EFFECT; STATISTICAL ANALYSIS;

ANTHRAX; ANTI-INFECTIVE AGENTS; CIPROFLOXACIN; COMMERCE; DISEASE OUTBREAKS; HUMANS; INTERNET; POSTAL SERVICE; TIME FACTORS;

EID: 0036800137     PISSN: 00029343     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1016/S0002-9343(02)01246-9     Document Type: Article

References (39)

1. U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . Notice to readers ongoing investigation of anthrax - Florida, October 2001 . MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 50:2001;877.
2. U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . Update investigation of bioterrorism-related anthrax and interim guidelines for clinical evaluation of persons with possible anthrax . MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 50:2001;941-948.
3. U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . Update investigation of bioterrorism-related anthrax and interim guidelines for exposure management and antimicrobial therapy, October 2001 . MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 50:2001;909-919.
4. Hensley S. Purchases of antibiotic jump on fears of bioterrorism, but doctors see risks. Wall Street Journal. October 9, 2001:A1.
5. Petersen M, Pear R. Anthrax fears send demand for a drug far beyond output. New York Times. October 16, 2001:A1.
6. Oransky I. Antibiotic overuse can silence medicine's big guns. USA Today. November 15, 2001:A15.
7. Kurtz H. Tom Brokaw, putting a familiar face on the anthrax story. Washington Post. October 18, 2001:C1.
8. U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . Update investigation of bioterrorism-related anthrax and adverse events from antimicrobial prophylaxis . MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 50:2001;973-976.
9. LeDuc D. Va., Md. warn of Cipro sales on Internet. Washington Post. October 27, 2001:B4.
10. Catizone C. Drugstores on the Net: The Benefits and Risks of On-Line Pharmacies. Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations of the Committee on Commerce, 106th Cong, 1st Sess (1999). Serial no. 106-51.
11. From the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy . Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites Database. Accessed October 30, 2001.
12. Armstrong K., Schwartz J.S., Asch D.A. Direct sale of sildenafil (Viagra) to consumers over the Internet. N Engl J Med. 341:1999;1389-1392.
13. Bloom B.S., Iannacone R.C. Internet availability of prescription pharmaceuticals to the public. Ann Intern Med. 131:1999;830-833.
14. Internet Pharmacies: Adding Disclosure Requirements Would Aid State and Federal Oversight. Washington, DC: U.S. General Accounting Office; October 2000. GAO-01-69.
15. Abromowitz HI. Drugstores on the Net: The Benefits and Risks of On-Line Pharmacies. Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations of the Committee on Commerce, 106th Cong, 1st Sess (1999). Serial no. 106-51.
16. Martinez B, Harris G. Doctors struggle to allay patients' fears as requests for anthrax antibiotic surge. Wall Street Journal. October 15, 2001:B1.
17. Hart C.A., Beeching N.J. Prophylactic treatment of anthrax with antibiotics. BMJ. 323:2001;1017-1018.
18. U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . Update adverse events associated with anthrax prophylaxis among postal employees - New Jersey, New York City, and the District of Columbia Metropolitan Area, 2001 . MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 50:2001;1051-1054.
19. Lawrence S., Giles C.L. Accessibility of information on the Web. Nature. 400:1999;107-109.
20. Sullivan D. Jupiter Media Metrix search engine ratings . Accessed October 30, 2001.
21. Sullivan D. Nielsen//NetRatings search engine ratings . Accessed October 30, 2001.
22. Descriptions and contact information for ICANN-accredited registrars . Accessed October 30, 2001.
23. Inglesby T.V., Henderson D.A., Bartlett J.G., et al. Anthrax as a biological weapon: medical and public health management. Working Group on Civilian Biodefense. JAMA. 281:1999;1735-1745.
24. Cipro-anthrax-cure.com [Web site]. Accessed November 2, 2001.
25. U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . Update investigation of anthrax associated with intentional exposure and interim public health guidelines, October 2001 . MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 50:2001;889-897.
26. Pesta J, Pearl D. Indian drug makers emerging as a potential source of Cipro. Wall Street Journal. October 19, 2001:A13.
27. Angwin J. Medical board in North Carolina acts to curb online prescriptions for Cipro. Wall Street Journal. October 29, 2001:B8.
28. Shamp J. Cipro allegedly prescribed over Net. Herald-Sun [Durham, NC]. November 3, 2001:C1.
29. Kazak DR. County sues to stop three Cipro sellers on Internet. Chicago Daily Herald. November 3, 2001:3.
30. American Medical Association . Report of the Board of Trustees: internet prescribing. Board of Trustees Report 35-A-99, 1999. Available at: Accessed June 5, 2002.
31. Web site labeling claims guidance would be "quickly outdated" - FDA. F-D-C Reports ["The Tan Sheet"]. November 26, 2001:18.
32. Carey B, Cimons M. FDA to halt Cipro imports in bid to stop illegal sales over Internet. Los Angeles Times. October 20, 2001:A1.
33. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. FDA Issues Cyber-Letters to Web Sites Selling Unapproved Foreign Ciprofloxacin. November 1, 2001. FDA Talk Paper T01-54.
34. Woodcock J. Drugstores on the Net: The Benefits and Risks of On-Line Pharmacies. Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations of the Committee on Commerce, 106th Cong, 1st Sess (1999). Serial no. 106-51.
35. Stovall CJ. Enforcing the Laws on Internet Pharmaceutical Sales: Where Are the Feds? Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations of the Committee on Commerce, 106th Cong, 2nd Sess (2000). Serial no. 106-112.
36. Lewin T. Anthrax drug sold online leads to suit. New York Times. January 12, 2002:A9.
37. White RD. State seeks to fine online pharmacy. Los Angeles Times. May 29, 2002:A1.
38. Silverman R.D. Regulating medical practices in the cyber age issues and challenges for state medical boards . Am J Law Med. 26:2000;255-276.
39. Chin T. Rx surveillance: watch out for prescribing over the Internet. Am Med News. 44:2001;23-24.