title: Shelf-life extension program (SLEP) as a significant contributor to Strategic National Stockpile Maintenance: the Israeli experience with ciprofloxacin.
abstract: In the past decade, the 2001 anthrax incident in the U.S. and the 2003 SARS epidemic have highlighted the biological threat to civilian populations. The risk posed by the natural or manmade spread of biological agents among the population dictates a need for better national preparedness. One key component of this preparation is the establishment of a Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) of pharmaceuticals that would provide appropriate medical countermeasures in case of an outbreak. However, to reduce the expense of such a stockpile and to make it worthwhile, there is also a need for a shelf-life extension program (SLEP) through which pharmaceuticals could be extended beyond manufacturer-ascribed shelf life, as long as they meet regulation standards. In this article, we review the Israeli experience with the national ciprofloxacin stockpile procurement and shelf-life extension program.
authors.affiliation: Multidisciplinary Program for Emergency and Disaster Management, School of Public Health, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel. mbodas@gmail.com
authors.forename: Moran
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bodas
authors.forename: Landschaft
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yuval
authors.forename: Ron
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zadok
authors.forename: Zippora
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Hess
authors.forename: Batya
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Haran
authors.forename: Mimi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kaplan
authors.forename: Arik
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Eisenkraft
mesh_terms: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000592:standards* / Q000600:supply & distribution; D001694:Biological Warfare; D023482:Bioterrorism; D002939:Ciprofloxacin / Q000592:standards* / Q000600:supply & distribution; D002959:Civil Defense / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration*; D004189:Disaster Planning / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration; D004355:Drug Stability; D004356:Drug Storage / Q000592:standards; D018954:Drugs, Essential / Q000592:standards* / Q000600:supply & distribution; D006801:Humans; D007557:Israel; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D018954:Drugs, Essential; D002939:Ciprofloxacin