Report: US stockpiling smallpox drug in case of attack

The federal government is buying 2 million doses of a smallpox medicine to have in reserve in case of a bioterrorist attack, according to a report.

The antiviral drug Arestvyr costs the government more than $200 for each course of treatment, a price some have criticized as too high. Following Sept. 11, when officials discussed amassing smallpox medicine, the price was expected to be $5 or $10 per course, The New York Times reported.

Smallpox has not been a global health threat since the 1970s, but some worry that laboratory strains could be imitated or stolen by terrorists. 

The Centers for Disease Control classifies the virus as a major threat because it's easily transmitted, like a cold. The disease presents with lesions on the skin, and for patients that survive, blindness and disfigurement is common.

Smallpox is best treated with a combination of a preventive vaccine, which can work even days after infection, and an antiviral like Arestvyr.

Some experts argue this makes the U.S. purchase of Arestvyr unnecessary because the country already has millions of smallpox vaccines in reserve.

"Is it appropriate to stockpile it? Absolutely," Dr. Richard H. Ebright of Rutgers University said. "Is it appropriate to stockpile 2 million doses? Absolutely not. Twenty thousand seems like the right number."

Read more at the Times.

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