Rumsfeld Makes Killing on Bird Flu Remedy
by Nelson D. Schwartz, Fortune senior writer, CNN Money
Could
Bush be using an exaggerated threat of bird flu to instill panic,
instate martial law AND enrich cronies? I'm thinkin' yes.
Defense Secretary, ex-chairman of flu treatment rights holder, sees portfolio value growing.
NEW YORK
(Fortune) – The prospect of a bird flu outbreak may be panicking people
around the globe, but it's proving to be very good news for Defense
Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and other politically connected investors in
Gilead Sciences, the California bio-tech company that owns the rights to
Tamiflu, the influenza remedy that's now the most-sought after drug in
the world.
Rumsfeld
served as Gilead (Research)'s chairman from 1997 until he joined the
Bush administration in 2001, and he still holds a Gilead stake valued
at between $5 million and $25 million, according to federal financial
disclosures filed by Rumsfeld.
The
forms don't reveal the exact number of shares Rumsfeld owns, but in the
past six months fears of a pandemic and the ensuing scramble for
Tamiflu have sent Gilead's stock from $35 to $47. That's made the
Pentagon chief, already one of the wealthiest members of the Bush
cabinet, at least $1 million richer.
Rumsfeld
isn't the only political heavyweight benefiting from demand for
Tamiflu, which is manufactured and marketed by Swiss pharma giant
Roche. (Gilead receives a royalty from Roche equaling about 10% of
sales.) Former Secretary of State George Shultz, who is on Gilead's
board, has sold more than $7 million worth of Gilead since the
beginning of 2005.
(Click here to read the complete article.)
Blog For Iowa 
http://www.cnn.com/2005/HEALTH/11/01/tamiflu.supplies.reut/?eref=yahoo
Drug combo could stretch Tamiflu supplies
Wednesday, November 2, 2005; Posted: 5:11 a.m. EST (10:11 GMT)
“Scarce supplies of Tamiflu, which is being stockpiled by governments in case of an influenza pandemic, could be stretched by giving it with another drug, doctors said on Tuesday.”
Hopefully, local journalists will reach out and contact local health authorities and get the word out to the public, that this option is taken advantage of, should it be necessary, in Iowa. Or, get a reasonable explanation, why not.
LikeLike
As a side note: I find the president's $7.1 billion “plan” interesting, don't you? I mean, for instance, the WHO isn't even mentioned in the few articles I've seen. Why wouldn't the $7.1 billion be turned over to them? I'll bet they might just strike a better bang for the buck by bringing international resources to any plan . . . . OK, try this one: The way you stop a pandemic is a well-accepted strategy of identifying the first/source case(s) and isolating, treating, and containing. I think they refer to it as surveillance and rapid response. Given that knowledge, why wouldn't we be focusing on such a strategy, here, and around the world, with that $7.1 billion? . . . . OK, try this one:
The WHO is pretty convinced the avian flu problem is going to begin in places like Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, the Far East. Why not throw a few billion at them, and manufacture there? Outsourcing is the name of the game, these days, isn't it? Yeah, you're right. We need to keep control of profits, and turning over responsibility to another government would get too many ethical people and governments and international agencies involved. Just a thought.
LikeLike