From: Ryan Grim <badnews@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Saturday, March 28, 2020 3:12 PM
To: miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Orphan rescue
The antiviral drug remdesivir has been used heavily by doctors combatting
the novel coronavirus, and is a major part of a WHO study that is
unprecedented in its scope and speed. Yet on Monday, the Trump
administration’s FDA granted its maker, Gilead, new authority to control
access to the drug by
Orphan rescue
<http://email.mg2.substack.com/c/eJxVUMluwyAQ_ZpwiwV4wT5w6KW_YYEZJyRshXEa9-t
LnF4qzeFp9PS2RSFcYt5ligXJViDP1sihnyidiJGdYWM_ElvmNQN4ZZ3EvAFJm3Z2UWhjePGZYIx
cpTCa8hG6VYDiKxUdrFOnhe6p6CuayMtkVpuxEBaQ8IC8xwDkobJVAaVWuFyJk1fEVE7tx4l_1tP
KBPguTdl0QbXcmyX6-k4Qk4MK-MgoHUiW3lYZ_6ji9tTRmDAGZwM0AZBYySmntK3kibGWNawxd7_
fvvxT3bpK9xf-z4HAM0G2Hmquo_j5SHcu9ueoP1eO34LFfYagtAPzXgbfSx5NcU8gX9kdIEJ-P-t
cbSsGPpBqZ2KVDvKv4i8OYIpP> Ryan Grim
Mar 28
The antiviral drug remdesivir has been used heavily by doctors combatting
the novel coronavirus, and is a major part of a WHO study that is
unprecedented in its scope and speed. Yet on Monday, the Trump
administration’s FDA granted its maker, Gilead, new authority to control
access to the drug by
<http://email.mg2.substack.com/c/eJwlkU2SgyAQhU8TdlqgSdQFi9nMNSyEjnYiPwONE-f
0g6aKAqrr9Xv0h1YEs4-7DD4RywniiEbebwPnAzPyakR_6xmm8REBrMJVUszAQp5W1IrQu0MvOiH
YInWju9ZwYXoB5jF0nHNoBqOHUm65ebAjZFTZIDgNEjaIu3fANhVROZKTIr2wVS5EIV3ar0vzXRY
tgI4gaghUa29LqeENLwdvj_uxzbiCMlXSp3OqtI_eqQ1jThVFUGTBUeVjWJSrTMxzlUhRTqWVRWm
x5Nut9OLlyn0g71Z0UDsghvII423Ti0GIVtSiNi-7P3_sWz2vRW7npk55Kn76dTyPwTtAxCNQnsS
qc6wq4d_JbSwamx3SPoJT0wrmg5Q-X3Aioj2AdPCbVqAy-adYOLdtd2_urMQZX6xdIWYO2T_5PZ7
e> deeming it an “orphan” and coronavirus a “rare disease” it treats. The
result would be a significant price increase and a dramatic drop in its
availability. The move was one more instance of the United States not just
acting as the weak link in the global response to the pandemic, but actively
undermining efforts to mitigate it.
<http://email.mg2.substack.com/c/eJwlkU2SgyAQhU8TdlqgSdQFi9nMNSyEjnYiPwONE-f
0g6aKAqrr9Xv0h1YEs4-7DD4RywniiEbebwPnAzPyakR_6xmm8REBrMJVUszAQp5W1IrQu0MvOiH
YInWju9ZwYXoB5jF0nHNoBqOHUm65ebAjZFTZIDgNEjaIu3fANhVROZKTIr2wVS5EIV3ar0vzXRY
tgI4gaghUa29LqeENLwdvj_uxzbiCMlXSp3OqtI_eqQ1jThVFUGTBUeVjWJSrTMxzlUhRTqWVRWm
x5Nut9OLlyn0g71Z0UDsghvII423Ti0GIVtSiNi-7P3_sWz2vRW7npk55Kn76dTyPwTtAxCNQnsS
qc6wq4d_JbSwamx3SPoJT0wrmg5Q-X3Aioj2AdPCbVqAy-adYOLdtd2_urMQZX6xdIWYO2T_5PZ7
e> Sharon Lerner and Lee Fang were the first to report details on this
extraordinary scandal, and their story, to use an unfortunate metaphor, went
viral. Under intense international pressure, Gilead
<http://email.mg2.substack.com/c/eJwlkM2SgyAQhJ8m3LREotEDh73sa1j8TMwkAi4Mbty
nXzRVFExNdXU3n1EEc4i7XEMilhPECa3su7FpRmbl1fKhGxim6R4BnMJFUszA1qwXNIow-EPPb5y
zhzR21IPWvRmU5uLejV0rRms1H8ZhANOzI2RS2SJ4AxI2iHvwwDYVUXmSWpF5sEU-iNZ0EV-X9rs
cegB6gmhgpdoEV1Zt0zblacQxd-WacQFlq2RO51SZEINXG8acKhvzXCQsSoclx21Fg5drE1YKfkE
PtQdiKA_TRrQDHzkXvOa1fbn9-ePe6nktcje3dco6kTKvowaD9woRHZTiJ5nqrF8l_Dv5TEXjskf
aJ_BKL2A_6OiD-kRB-wrSw29agMoPP8vCU4hb3_asxNlQrH0hYw_ZPzSVlaM> turned down
the FDA’s lucrative gift, an unusual act in the annals of Big Pharma
history. If this development wound up being The Intercept’s only
contribution to the pandemic response, I’d go away proud. Of course, there’s
much more we’ve been doing, and sadly much more left to do.
Lee, meanwhile, has had a number of other stories exposing the dark side of
business lobbying in the midst of the crisis,
<http://email.mg2.substack.com/c/eJwlUcly6yAQ_BpzQwVCtqUDh1zeb6hYRtYkLHowcqJ
8fZBdRbE0XdM9Pc4QPHI59JYrsb1CmdHr23USYmJeD16O15FhnZcCEA0GTWUHtu02oDOEOZ18eZe
Srdpdh9EqZ0cxWAEwOjUJNV6ltcskFufZKTKb3SMkBxqeUI6cgD1NQZNIW0NuZUGvRFu9qI9L_68
tWgETQXGwUedybFAvetEOoc77vW0eLHGXQwB3euKY_F6pHNw315UjVQgLh1ohEZrAKfMFk0nufKx
gAq08L61CqnuEUtvvY6XagCd6XtedfP5OTYgVHbG5jc_WA14GkTfKKWCCLgEx1Kc1ofpRTlIq2cn
Of8Xj83_8MZ9Do8dH39XdVjLu62yGwc8GBWPzpV_58lcIvOLvK-W5ceKekI4ZkrEB_HsA9B7YK1A
6NtAJvmsAajm9wTYVpe63_saanM-tdGr5-pP2By_UsKA> including on efforts by the
debt collection industry to remain an essential part of the response to the
pandemic.
Jon Walker
<http://email.mg2.substack.com/c/eJwlkNGSgyAMRb-mvOmAtFYfeNiX_Q0HIbZpBVyI3bp
fv9HOMIFJ7uRejrMEt5Q3s6RCYi2QB_SmvfRS9sKbs1fdpRNYhikDBIuzobyCWNZxRmcJU9z16qq
UuBs1TqqTunUXa69WXeQ09aMHq3o9OjWdxW4y2NUjRAcGXpC3FEG8bEYbyYyW3F3M5k60lJP-OjX
ffOgOGAmyg4VqlwK3GtlIvqTe3y0Xl3KK9oV5LRVlTpahwljWbNmI5yKbgGwSXmyNp7NMC6U4Y4Q
6Agk0-0apm071SmlVq9o_w_b4CW_7OLM83Jq6rGMh6557BgHvBTIG4NQHlurIXhX8O-AMrAlrRNo
GiHacwX-40YfzwYG2BUyE3zID8fc-TYap9bVtWsF2PvHqyFj8LvsHqjKUzg> has a
fascinating piece of policy journalism, arguing that the best way to rapidly
expand health insurance coverage to people in need immediately is to open up
Tricare Select to them. If we’re on a war footing, it makes sense to deploy
the PPO reserved for veterans and their families. If you’re on Tricare, let
me know how your experience with it has been.
Earlier this week, I broke a non-coronavirus story: A woman named Tara
Reade, a former staffer to Sen. Joe Biden, came to the #MeToo organization
Time’s Up, looking for help in talking publicly about her experience there.
The group ended up turning down funding, they confirmed to me, because Biden
is a presidential candidate, and doing so would put their tax-exempt
nonprofit status at risk.
<http://email.mg2.substack.com/c/eJwlkMuOwyAMRb-m7BIBeS9YzGZ-IyLgtrThMeB0mvn
6cVIJGWRf3WuO0Qi3mHeVYkG2Fcizs6rvJs4nZlVrxdiNzJX5mgG8dqvCvAFL27I6o9HFcOjFIAS
7q15O_XIVjRHd2I7TNA0DF_0ku15L6JYrO0JmvVkHwYCCF-Q9BmAvnZ0OqBaN5s5WdUdM5dJ8XeQ
3HbyDCwjZQMLaRE8tySWnizfHu6XyiFAtzkKoPGCMFToPpdoSjVhW3pG_f1Gqu7Q8JoxhdQHqAMi
cOsx4I0cxCdGIWtT26ffHj3_rR0tyf5N12ZaC2jyPeAbvBJn8aeGTSHWuXRX3d3KZSeO34HCfIeh
lBftBhh_EJwLcE6gAv2UFpJ99msSxaYZe9ozibCTrQETsIfsHVUmQzg> That story is here.
She has since spoken to a number of outlets about what
<http://email.mg2.substack.com/c/eJwlkE1ywyAMhU8TdvYY_JNkwaKbXsMjgxyTGHBBpHF
PX8WZ0UaaJ316zwDhLaZdbzGTKBnT6Kwe-mvTXIXVnZWX_iJcHueE6MGtmlJBsZVpdQbIxfDWy7O
UYtHYwfk6t_2g1ITQ9zjbrje2mfvJdBPwGkNGKNZhMKjxiWmPAcUTkoNAegIyi1j1QrTlU_t1Ut9
cOZZgzRqLrU30PHgwF6sF1g0TtwQJKorV4SBp7_iYfzLCnbombhTD6gLWAUk4rRrVNK26yKuUrax
lbR9-v__4F9w7lvubqnOZMoF5vGkCXwxxHvm7w351_Fhl93eEMLLGl-BoHzHAtKL95EOfPA-_tG-
oA_7mFYkwfYYcWtueBzUIxtnIpwPbt2_ZP1uajqI> she describes as a sexual assault
by Biden, which Biden has firmly denied. I don’t think we’ve heard the last
of this.
I’ve been trying to game out a scenario in which President Trump could have
possibly handled the pandemic worse than he has, and getting to that place
requires some extraordinary leaps in imagination. We now have more cases of
coronavirus than any other country in the world, still don’t have widespread
testing, have shortages of supplies and equipment at hospitals across the
country, and a large segment of the population following the president’s
lead in dismissing the seriousness of the pandemic.
<http://email.mg2.substack.com/c/eJwlUctu6yAQ_ZqwwwLbSe0Fi27ub1hjmNi05nFhnMb
9-o4TCTFodHReWCBcUjlMTpXEXrFM3pnbdVRqFM70Tg_XQfg63QtiAL8ZKjuKvM-bt0A-xROvP7Q
Wq7lZuPezHtBpGO9KqXbo0Y39fXCq766dOEUm2J3HaNHgA8uRIooHFA-RzAxkV7GZlSjXS_d5af_
xoRV9JCwWMzU2BV61qlU8VHe-B77waVeIC0rwTrLDkOUPM1aZC_iKckmsFVOp0kKUHJNnyOCXKMF
VJhDFBM8uwoO9-UuvUqYUNx-xiUjCm1NSde2gR6073ejGfYfj6394wlfP8LC0Td3nSmC_T5MCnxm
LD8ixXr3JVzhZ_e-rvYkxYY-ejgkjzBu6d7H0_ohXUXRkNBF_6obE-d9LbrvrPm7tTbCcS0wduTd
3wv4ACaCgUQ> Trump is now telling governors that they won’t get federal help
unless they show him due appreciation, one of the most staggering acts of
presidential negligence and malice in modern history.
Next week I plan to do a few live chats for the Young Turks
<http://email.mg2.substack.com/c/eJwlkM1uwjAQhJ8G34hiJyHJwYe2tDd6QGqvkX-2xBD
bqb0G0qevA9IeVqvRzOynBMLJh4XPPiJJEcJgNN81fVn2RPNa067piInDTwCwwkwcQwIyJzkZJdB
4t-ppSykZedcISVtWd5VupSxZ0_eU6aqCRu1UXUuyhgwiaQNOAYcrhMU7IFcRjHDIpUA1komPiHP
cVC8b9pHndrsVi0-YJBTK23xRo3AOprx9vaWDL49HdJ_7dHjt9t9NxHdxIoFbk03tNUeZTV36Gb2
bjIPCARLDWcnKsmId7SmtaEELfbHL-dfexbnOcntiRUwyolCXNZTAfYZgLOSWDwzbR9dtNH8PGEP
W2OQMLgM4ISfQT0745Pr4G5cZuINbnAARwvOY4VVVu2M7kuO0z9YuY9Cr7B9utY84> youtube
page here, to help people pass the quarantine time.
<http://email.mg2.substack.com/c/eJwlkM1uwjAQhJ8G34hiJyHJwYe2tDd6QGqvkX-2xBD
bqb0G0qevA9IeVqvRzOynBMLJh4XPPiJJEcJgNN81fVn2RPNa067piInDTwCwwkwcQwIyJzkZJdB
4t-ppSykZedcISVtWd5VupSxZ0_eU6aqCRu1UXUuyhgwiaQNOAYcrhMU7IFcRjHDIpUA1komPiHP
cVC8b9pHndrsVi0-YJBTK23xRo3AOprx9vaWDL49HdJ_7dHjt9t9NxHdxIoFbk03tNUeZTV36Gb2
bjIPCARLDWcnKsmId7SmtaEELfbHL-dfexbnOcntiRUwyolCXNZTAfYZgLOSWDwzbR9dtNH8PGEP
W2OQMLgM4ISfQT0745Pr4G5cZuINbnAARwvOY4VVVu2M7kuO0z9YuY9Cr7B9utY84> Subscribe
here and you should get an alert when those happen.
I hope you are weathering this as well as possible, and I urge you to stay
home and away from public places as much as possible. This too shall pass,
though it will take its toll before it does. Be safe and be well.
You’re on the free list for
<http://email.mg2.substack.com/c/eJxVUEluwzAMfE10iyFZXg869NJvGFqYhIkluRKdxn1
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<http://email.mg2.substack.com/c/eJxNkM1uwyAQhJ_G3GKBsR37wKFSlNew-FknJAZcWNK
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xtpo30qfngPGa8mG3VFiUffEpAEW7gI_4W8ReMM_kbd9NUk7CW-PV2I2CynzJiDW7Ws47im1fVnL
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