Survey: Pharmaceutical Scientists Share Their Opinion on Bioterrorism Issues at Annual Meeting of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists

DENVER - October 24, 2001 - Pharmaceutical scientists from around the world attending this week's annual meeting of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) were questioned about their opinions regarding current bioterrorism issues. Of the 500 responses received:

• 91% said they would not take Cipro proactively to prevent anthrax.
• 57% said they did believe the threat of small pox is real; 39% did not perceive small pox as a threat.
• Asked how concerned they were that they or someone in their family would be exposed to anthrax, 5% said they were "very concerned," 24% said they were "somewhat concerned," 45% said they were "not very concerned" and 25% said they were "not concerned at all".

An open-ended question asked, aside from anthrax, what other bioterrorist threats do you think are most realistic? Small pox and worries about water contamination were cited most often followed by worries of Ebola virus outbreaks.

Pharmaceutical scientists work in research and development that has resulted in the production of vaccines, medicines, and treatments for many medical problems. Basic biological and medical research continues to provide the building blocks necessary to develop solutions to human health problems. Many scientists work independently in private industry, university or government laboratories.

AAPS is a professional, scientific society of more than 11,000 members employed in academia, industry, government and other research institutes worldwide. Founded in 1986, AAPS aims to advance science through the open exchange of scientific knowledge, serve as an information resource, and contribute to human health through pharmaceutical research and development. For more information about AAPS, visit AAPS Pharmaceutica at www.aapspharmaceutica.com

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