In this photo illustration the American biotechnology company Gilead Sciences logo seen displayed on a smartphone with a computer model of the COVID-19 coronavirus on the background. (Photo: Budrul Chukrut/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Mar 25, 2020
Sen. Bernie Sanders late Tuesday demanded that the Trump administration immediately rescind its decision to grant pharmaceutical giant Gilead Sciences exclusive rights to the antiviral drug remdesivir, one of many drugs currently being tested as a possible treatment for the novel coronavirus that is rapidly spreading and taking lives across the globe.
"Now is not the time for profiteering in the pharmaceutical industry. Now is the time to bring our scientists together to develop and produce the best treatment for the coronavirus as quickly as possible."
--Sen. Bernie Sanders
In a statement, Sanders said it's "truly outrageous that after taxpayers put tens of millions of dollars into developing remdesivir, Trump's [Food and Drug Administration] is exploiting a law reserved for rare diseases to privatize a drug to treat a pandemic virus."
"The Trump administration must rescind this corporate giveaway to Gilead and make any treatment and vaccine free for everybody," added the Vermont senator.
The Intercept reported Tuesday that the FDA earlier this week granted Gilead "orphan" drug status over remdesivir, which was developed with the help of at least $79 million in taxpayer funds.
The designation, according to The Intercept, "allows the pharmaceutical company to profit exclusively for seven years from the product" and "could block supplies of the antiviral medication from generic drug manufacturers."
After characterizing the FDA's decision as "insane and unacceptable" in a tweet Tuesday afternoon, Sanders later said that "now is not the time for profiteering in the pharmaceutical industry."
"Now is the time to bring our scientists together to develop and produce the best treatment for the coronavirus as quickly as possible," said Sanders.
"When Jonas Salk developed the polio vaccine 65 years ago, he understood the tremendous value it would have for all of humanity, and he refused to patent it," Sanders continued. "Right now, we must put human life above corporate profit. We cannot give pharmaceutical corporations a monopoly on treatments that could save millions of people during this crisis."
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Sen. Bernie Sanders late Tuesday demanded that the Trump administration immediately rescind its decision to grant pharmaceutical giant Gilead Sciences exclusive rights to the antiviral drug remdesivir, one of many drugs currently being tested as a possible treatment for the novel coronavirus that is rapidly spreading and taking lives across the globe.
"Now is not the time for profiteering in the pharmaceutical industry. Now is the time to bring our scientists together to develop and produce the best treatment for the coronavirus as quickly as possible."
--Sen. Bernie Sanders
In a statement, Sanders said it's "truly outrageous that after taxpayers put tens of millions of dollars into developing remdesivir, Trump's [Food and Drug Administration] is exploiting a law reserved for rare diseases to privatize a drug to treat a pandemic virus."
"The Trump administration must rescind this corporate giveaway to Gilead and make any treatment and vaccine free for everybody," added the Vermont senator.
The Intercept reported Tuesday that the FDA earlier this week granted Gilead "orphan" drug status over remdesivir, which was developed with the help of at least $79 million in taxpayer funds.
The designation, according to The Intercept, "allows the pharmaceutical company to profit exclusively for seven years from the product" and "could block supplies of the antiviral medication from generic drug manufacturers."
After characterizing the FDA's decision as "insane and unacceptable" in a tweet Tuesday afternoon, Sanders later said that "now is not the time for profiteering in the pharmaceutical industry."
"Now is the time to bring our scientists together to develop and produce the best treatment for the coronavirus as quickly as possible," said Sanders.
"When Jonas Salk developed the polio vaccine 65 years ago, he understood the tremendous value it would have for all of humanity, and he refused to patent it," Sanders continued. "Right now, we must put human life above corporate profit. We cannot give pharmaceutical corporations a monopoly on treatments that could save millions of people during this crisis."
Sen. Bernie Sanders late Tuesday demanded that the Trump administration immediately rescind its decision to grant pharmaceutical giant Gilead Sciences exclusive rights to the antiviral drug remdesivir, one of many drugs currently being tested as a possible treatment for the novel coronavirus that is rapidly spreading and taking lives across the globe.
"Now is not the time for profiteering in the pharmaceutical industry. Now is the time to bring our scientists together to develop and produce the best treatment for the coronavirus as quickly as possible."
--Sen. Bernie Sanders
In a statement, Sanders said it's "truly outrageous that after taxpayers put tens of millions of dollars into developing remdesivir, Trump's [Food and Drug Administration] is exploiting a law reserved for rare diseases to privatize a drug to treat a pandemic virus."
"The Trump administration must rescind this corporate giveaway to Gilead and make any treatment and vaccine free for everybody," added the Vermont senator.
The Intercept reported Tuesday that the FDA earlier this week granted Gilead "orphan" drug status over remdesivir, which was developed with the help of at least $79 million in taxpayer funds.
The designation, according to The Intercept, "allows the pharmaceutical company to profit exclusively for seven years from the product" and "could block supplies of the antiviral medication from generic drug manufacturers."
After characterizing the FDA's decision as "insane and unacceptable" in a tweet Tuesday afternoon, Sanders later said that "now is not the time for profiteering in the pharmaceutical industry."
"Now is the time to bring our scientists together to develop and produce the best treatment for the coronavirus as quickly as possible," said Sanders.
"When Jonas Salk developed the polio vaccine 65 years ago, he understood the tremendous value it would have for all of humanity, and he refused to patent it," Sanders continued. "Right now, we must put human life above corporate profit. We cannot give pharmaceutical corporations a monopoly on treatments that could save millions of people during this crisis."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.