Panel finds vaccine to be safe, recommends more testing.(anthrax vaccine)(Brief Article)

2002 MAY 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A U.S. panel of scientists has endorsed the safety and effectiveness of the anthrax vaccine, but also suggested more research be done to improve it.

Last year's anthrax-by-mail attacks focused additional attention on the vaccine, already criticized by some military members who resigned rather than take it because of concerns about side effects.

The study by the National Academy of Science's Institute of Medicine concluded that the vaccine protects against all forms of anthrax and has no more serious side effects than other vaccines given to adults.

"The anthrax vaccine should protect against even the inhalational form of the infection, but the lengthy vaccination schedule and the way the shots are physically administered make it far from optimal," said Brian L. Strom, chairman of the committee that reviewed the vaccine.

The committee urged the Defense Department to support research into a better vaccine.

The vaccine was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1970. The manufacturer, BioPort Corp., took over the product in 1998, but not until February 2002 did it win FDA approval for full production.

After the anthrax attacks, many postal workers and Senate employees were given protective antibiotics in case they had been exposed to anthrax. When those workers finished the first 60 days of antibiotics, medical experts suggested they could continue on those drugs, add vaccinations or end treatment. Most opted to avoid the vaccine.