"Rumsfeld’s growing stake in Tamiflu"

Rumsfeld's growing stake in Tamiflu

Defense Secretary, ex-chairman of flu
treatment rights holder, sees portfolio
value growing.


October 31, 2005: 10:55 AM EST
By Nelson D. Schwartz, Fortune senior writer

             
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 biotech 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.

Another board member is the wife of former California Gov. Pete Wilson.

"I don't know of any biotech company that's so politically well-
connected," says analyst Andrew McDonald of Think Equity Partners in
San


http://money.cnn.com/2005/10/31/news/newsmakers/fortune_rums feld/

Edited by Rick

I hate to say this, but you gotta consider how convinent it is that Tamiflu is found to be the only effective anti-viral against BF. I dont know, it's probably the consipracy theorist in me peaking out to say HELLO, but it does get you thinking!

Rick wrote: I hate to burst your bubble, but the makers of Tamiflu want you to keep thinking it might work. Latest opinion from experts differ.

And that right there is the reason I have not purchased any!
 

don't forget that placebos work... if you hype up a drug that won't work, it might work