One plus one = millions

Greetings From Pennsylvania
out of the Blue ... state

I know you're all aware of this , but, As I said.. one plus one = millions for Rumsfeld.
(1) Rumsfeld - former CEO of Gilead (maker of Tamiflu), and major shareholder still in Gilead.+ (1) Bush talks of bird flu scare, says today that Tamiflu to be purchased for bird flu (for $510 million) = (3) A million (or more) in profit for Rumsfeld, and other well-connected politicians. We pay, or the states do. The Feds aren't. Oh, and it's said in some areas that it's not proven to work, either. Articles on both topics, or click on the links and don't read if you want to read them later... Let's hope the press examines it all further to see what works, who SHOULD pay, and who should or should NOT profit. Let's at least see some facts on whether Tamiflu will work or not. (DL)

(1) U.S. Flu Strategy Leans on States By KEVIN FREKING, AP, Nov. 4, 2005 (long after the article that follows this one)
http://articles.news.aol.com/news/article.adp?id=20051103100209990008
WASHINGTON (AP) - The nation's response to a flu pandemic could not succeed without a strong effort by state and local governments because the battle might have to be fought on "5,000 fronts," Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt says.
Democrats in the House and Senate, however, question whether the states have the financial resources to engage in such a fight.

In particular, lawmakers take issue with the Bush administration's plans for the purchase of certain medicines. The plan says states would pay about $510 million for enough anti-flu drugs such as Tamiflu and Relenza, which can reduce the severity of the illness, to treat 31 million The federal government would give states an incentive to make those purchases by providing a 25 percent match, or $170 million.

Rep. Nita Lowey, D-N.Y., said the proposal amounted to an unfunded mandate on the states and might mean that some states would not be able to buy enough drugs."This is a national emergency. I believe very strongly it should not depend upon where you live as to what sort of protection you get," Lowey told Leavitt at a House hearing Wednesday.
Lawmakers also grilled Leavitt on why it took the administration more than a year to issue its plan. "Could we have acted sooner to avoid the situation we are in now, in effect running for cover?" said Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa.

(2) Plus...the second (1) that, with our first (1) makes Rumsfeld an extra million or more. And now... a few other interesting articles on who makes money on Tamiflu...

Rumsfeld's growing stake in TamifluDefense Secretary, ex-chairman of flu treatment rights holder, sees portfolio value growing.October 31, 2005: 10:55 AM EST By Nelson D. Schwartz, Fortune senior writer NEW YORK (Fortune) - http://money.cnn.com/2005/10/31/news/newsmakers/fortune_rumsfeld/?source=aol_quote
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. 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. (Guess what? It happened, as in read the first article on Bush's plan, where YOUR state pays. DL)

(3) TAMIFLU GILEAD CHAIR WAS ... RUMMY Friday, October 21, 2005 - FreeMarketNews.com http://www.freemarketnews.com/WorldNews.asp?nid=1443NEWS AND ANALYSISReaders can be helpful, and one just wrote in to inform us of a link that we had never imagined - Donald Rumsfeld, until he resigned and joined the Bush Administration, was the chairman of something called Gilead which just happened to make something called Tamiflu.
Now anyone who hasn't been on Mars for the last month or two, knows that there were only two things that were going to stop the human version of bird flu. One was a bird flu vaccine (which probably would work better if you were a bird) and the other was something called Tamiflu. Yes, that Tamiflu. In such short supply that the hundreds of millions of orders that have been pouring into Gilead probably won't be filled for another 12 months or so. But everyone has got to have it because somehow or other it became established that Tamiflu really worked. This was the party line, anyway, for about a week, until word began trickling back in that maybe Tamiflu didn't work. In fact, the word on Tamiflu has always been positive at first and then eventually negative. And that brings us to today. Bird flu still rages and, yes, it may mutate into human flu at some point and cause death, many deaths, or fewer deaths, no one knows. It may indeed sweep around the world. But of more worry immediately were moves of civil authorities to float trial balloons about mandatory vaccination and to start sending vials of superflu bugs around the world in the name of science.

(4) Stock reports tell the facts only.. and here's the latest, below. I wonder if the President's announcement today will help more? You see that spike in profits? Your state is supposed to pay the bill for that, according to Bush. (DL)

Morningstar Alert
GILD
11-03-05 09:44 PMNew 52-week highThe price of this stock reached a new 52-week high of $51.58 on an intraday basis. If this stock is a recent initial public offering, this high was made within a price history that is less than 52 weeks. For details, go to
http://quote.morningstar.com/switch.html?hsection=Quicktakes&ticker=GILD