The anticipated 'millennium bug' of the year 2000 failed to strike: planes did not fall out of the sky, our PCs and laptops did not crash, and society did not descend into chaos. The prophets of doom were wrong. IT companies' profits soared, and retail outlets benefited from increased sales as consumers bought extra non-perishable goods - just in case.
As we approach the end of this first decade of a new millennium, with the Avian (Bird) Flu scare under our belts and the Swine Flu Pandemic threat still menacing our future, we might conclude that 'one man's doom is another man's profit'.
Avian Flu and Tamiflu Profits
European researchers published their findings on the effectiveness of Tamiflu in the prestigious medical journal Lancet on January 19, 2006. According to their review, based on 51 randomised controlled trials, Tamiflu was not effective against Avian Flu and many other flu viruses. Their recommendation was not to use Tamiflu. This was reported by the Wall Street Journal on January 19, 2006 in bold headline: "Tamiflu's Widespread Use, Effectiveness Questioned"
The article raised questions about why the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Centre for Disease Control (CDC), continued to advise governments and health services to stockpile and use Tamiflu, when there was little "credible evidence" of its efficacy.
Later in the same year, the highly respected UK newspaper The Independent reported on March 12, 2006, that stock prices for Roche and Gilead Sciences Incorporated, the company that developed Tamiflu, had soared following the US government's endorsement of Tamiflu. The article stated that the Chairman of Gilead Sciences from 1997 until 2001 was Donald Rumsfeld, who went on to become the US Secretary for Defense, and adds "he made more than £2.9 million in capital gains from selling shares in the Biotechnology firm that discovered and developed Tamiflu."
The article provides details of the value of Rumsfeld's shareholdings in 2005 - worth up to $95.9 million, from which he received an income of $13 million. In 2003, the year prior to concerns about the Avian Flu, Gilead Sciences made a loss. Since 2004, the article points out, sales almost quadrupled to $44.6 million in 2004, and again in 2005 to $161million. Financial statements released by Gilead Sciences show that this trend of profitability has continued into the Third Quarter of 2009 - up 31 percent over Third Quarter 2008.
Tamiflu Stockpiles not Needed
The massive stocks of Tamiflu that governments around the world stockpiled were not used. The WHO reported on April 3, 2009, that the total number of confirmed deaths resulting from Avian Flu since 2003 was 257. By way of comparison, the CDC estimates that influenza alone accounts for some 36,000 deaths in one year in the United States. The shelf life of Tamiflu, ranging from three to seven years means that it can't be utilised during the current Swine Flu scare, even if it was effective.
Currently there are questions being asked about the Swine Flu vaccine: its cost, its effectiveness, possible side effects, and whether there is any real threat of a pandemic in the first place.
Sources:
http://www.healthnewsreview.org/review.html?rid=27
Alister Gillies - Alister's background is in project development. He is trained in counselling and personal development, although his academic background is ...
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