News Made Simple: Bird Flu Vaccines

The Story: States are resisting a Federal “bird flu readiness” program that stipulates the purchase of billions of dollars worth of  Tamiflu vaccine.

What the Press Doesn’t Stress: Tamiflu has never been shown to be effective against bird flu. In addition, vaccine purchased through this program cannot be used to fight outbreaks of other (far more likely) strains of flu. If the bird flu epidemic never happens, states will have to destroy these “specially discounted” doses of the medicine. (Source: final paragraphs of same story cited above.)

The Question You Should Ask: Who really profits from a “bird flu epidemic readiness program” that forces the purchase of billions of dollars’ worth of unproven and possibly ineffective medication … and then requires states to destroy unused vaccine and replace it with the same medication at a higher price?

On a Related Note: Roche Laboratories developed Tamiflu, then sold the patent for it to a company called Gilead Sciences in 1996. Donald Rumsfeld, now Secretary of Defense for the United States, was Chairman of Gilead Sciences at the time, and remains a major shareholder in the company. The company continues to combat worldwide efforts to produce a cheaper generic version of the drug.