Latebreakers: HHS mulls strategies for emergency preparedness

What emergency medical countermeasures should the U.S. employ against chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear threats? In a notice published in the March 20 Federal Register, HHS said it favors medications the public can self-administer (e.g., oral antibiotics). If a health professional must be used to administer the drugs, HHS prefers a single injection to prolonged IVs. The notice added that the drugs should ideally be ones that can be stored at room temperature and have a five-year minimum shelf life. HHS plans to launch a Web site, MedicalCountermeasures.com, to share information on this issue.