Bird Flu scare ... just a conspiracy to cause people to buy more Tamiflu.

It looks as if we have another fear to raise share prices to benefit the few.

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Originally Posted by CNN

Rumsfeld's growing stake in Tamiflu
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 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 Francisco.

What's more, the federal government is emerging as one of the world's biggest customers for Tamiflu. In July, the Pentagon ordered $58 million worth of the treatment for U.S. troops around the world, and Congress is considering a multi-billion dollar purchase. Roche expects 2005 sales for Tamiflu to be about $1 billion, compared with $258 million in 2004.

Rumsfeld recused himself from any decisions involving Gilead when he left Gilead and became Secretary of Defense in early 2001. And late last month, notes a senior Pentagon official, Rumsfeld went even further and had the Pentagon's general counsel issue additional instructions outlining what he could and could not be involved in if there were an avian flu pandemic and the Pentagon had to respond.

As the flu issue heated up early this year, according to the Pentagon official, Rumsfeld considered unloading his entire Gilead stake and sought the advice of the Department of Justice, the SEC and the federal Office of Government Ethics.

Those agencies didn't offer an opinion so Rumsfeld consulted a private securities lawyer, who advised him that it was safer to hold on to the stock and be quite public about his recusal rather than sell and run the risk of being accused of trading on insider information, something Rumsfeld doesn't believe he possesses. So he's keeping his shares for the time being.

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LINK

You can also find further analysis on these links.

Rumsfeld To Profit From Bird Flu, Avian Flu another Pentagon Hoax?, The Second Coming of Jesus Christ and Bird Flu

But it is interesting the CNN is making the connection. Could this be another nail in the NeoCons Coffin ? With the PalmeGate and Karl Rove events as well.

Haha! money as always been important in politics in this country(U.S), and now it seems to it control it completely.

I think we all know what must be done...

:greedy: :rifle:

I did read somewhere that Tamiflu has the same effects as a placebo. Not sure if that's at all reliable, but wouldn't surprise me greatly.

I don't know whats all the fuss abut the bird flu. You can't get unless you are in direct contact with the infected birds. You can't get it by eating for example a diseased chicken. People are scared because about 60 people died, but they aren't scared by the earthquakes, tornados, car accidents which take more lives and do more damage than a diseased. The people are just afraid of something they don't understand.

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Originally Posted by miho

I don't know whats all the fuss abut the bird flu.

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Exactly.

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Originally Posted by miho

I don't know whats all the fuss abut the bird flu.

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The fuss is about the risk that it could mutate into a much more aggressive strain.

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Originally Posted by AdrianII

The fuss is about the risk that it could mutate into a much more aggressive strain.

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I thought that the fuss was about how Rumsfeild will profit from the avian flu. ~:rolleyes: Come on Adrian, this is a great opportunity for another irrational anti American rant that you do so well...~D
You guys are ridiculous. Instead of a vaccine, they need to distribute tin foil hats.:hide:

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Originally Posted by Devastatin Dave

I thought that the fuss was about how Rumsfeild will profit from the avian flu. ~:rolleyes: Come on Adrian, this is a great opportunity for another irrational anti American rant that you do so well...~D
You guys are ridiculous. Instead of a vaccine, they need to distribute tin foil hats.:hide:

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Eaten a lot of chicken lately, Dave? :mellow:

EDIT
Rumsfeld sure has... ~:eek:

**Sniff, sniff....cough, cough**
Whatever do you mean?
~D

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Originally Posted by Devastatin Dave

**Sniff, sniff....cough, cough**
Whatever do you mean?
~D

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You Conservatives always swallow so much chickenshit...
~;)

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Originally Posted by Devastatin Dave

You guys are ridiculous.

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Indeed. I have to sign off now. It's been a pleasure, Mr Devastashun, Sir!
:bow:

:bow:

I knew it... At least out government wasn't involved in the game, so far. They even went honest on us and declared that there wasn't enough supply of Tamirflu.~D

I don't think Tamiflu is going to help so much when it arrives anyway. You have a very slim chance to get the diagnosis done before you have to start using it. It also doesn't cure the flu, only make it more bareable.....

LOL, so you guys think that the Global community is helping Rumsfeild's stock options? One minute the world hates him and the Administration, now they are going to help them make money? You guys are schitzo.

"But it is interesting the CNN is making the connection."
LOL, CNN or the Communist News Network, is always trying to find an angle to slam Bush or anyone associated with him. There almost as bad as the "experts" on this forum that blame everything on the US, George Bush, neocons, or whatever buzz word that is being used by the left these days. Yawn...

Which news source do you recommend Dave ?

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Originally Posted by kiwitt

Which news source do you recommend Dave ?

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The CDC for one...
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/pandemic.htm
Now are they in cahoots with Haliburton and Rummy as well?
How about these guys, I'm sure they have a boner for Rummy..
http://www.who.int/topics/avian_influenza/en/
Basically your theory, or CNN's theory is like a condom with a lot of wholes in it and your going for some homosexual lovin with it; You can #### with it, but in the long run, its going to be full of s###. Well, my job is done here. Kiwitt, remember the best tin foil to use to keep the CIA from reading your mind is Renolds, the only problem is Cheney owns some stock in it and he uses the money to fund radioactive turtles that use their radiation to turn the entire world into midgets. The pigmies in South America are the ones that are really in control and we will all be there midget slaves someday. Sell the house, the wife, and kids, the CIA pigmies are coming!!!:bow:

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Originally Posted by Devastatin Dave

Kiwitt, remember the best tin foil to use to keep the CIA from reading your mind is Renolds,

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LOL~:joker: