To the Point

Generic Cipro: Cost to Consumers, Research

With the US under bio-terrorist attack, germs have become weapons of war. Combating them requires drugs and vaccines, which has made the pharmaceutical companies a de facto part of the nation's defenses. Canada has begun stockpiling generic forms of Cipro, even though Bayer still holds the patent, and drug companies are responding with claims that such "enlistment" places them in economic jeopardy. We look at profits and patriotism, anthrax, antibiotics and national defense, with health care experts, ethicists and the pharmaceutical industry. Newmaker: Snail Mail Could Further Disrupt US Economy - Already facing its worst year in recent history, the US Postal Service now finds itself on the front line of the anthrax attacks. Greg Ip, of The Wall Street Journal, looks at new attention being focused on the importance of "snail mail" to the nation's economy, and discusses potentially devastating disruptions to business and cash flow. Reporter's Notebook: Yankees Win One for New York - The New York Yankees have won so many baseball titles, one could believe their winning were part of God's natural order of things. Last night, they won the pennant again for the fourth year in a row. Pete Hamill, columnist for the New York Daily News, calls their victory a "return to normalcy."