US buys up world stock of key Covid-19 drug remdesivir

[Tom 1]

I don’t need to do better. If 500,000 people can be cured, why not 500,000 Americans?

Firstly, it’s not a cure, secondly it’s not known if it is necessarily the right option for all patients. Do you have a reason to think 500,000 courses of treatment are needed over the next few months in the US? Gilead, independently of the US govt, has released the formula for other manufacturers to produce the drug at a lower cost, for the international market. In the meantime working out a distribution based on need would hardly be unreasonable. Do you have some basis for what you are saying or are you only interested in repeating what you think, regardless of any link to the actual situation as it stands?

 

[Hammster]

Firstly, it’s not a cure, secondly it’s not known if it is necessarily the right option for all patients. Do you have a reason to think 500,000 courses of treatment are needed over the next few months in the US? Gilead, independently of the US govt, has released the formula for other manufacturers to produce the drug at a lower cost, for the international market. In the meantime working out a distribution based on need would hardly be unreasonable. Do you have some basis for what you are saying or are you only interested in repeating what you think, regardless of any link to the actual situation as it stands?

“To the extent possible, we want to ensure that any American patient who needs remdesivir can get it,” Azar added in a statement.

There is nothing unethical about that.

 

[Hammster]

I totally agree. Since one american equals 3 europeans, 5 asians or several hundred africans, it's only right that everything is done to make as many americans survive as possible.

Why do you think that it is America's job to provide this drug to other nations? Or to ensure that they get it over Americans?

 

[Tom 1]

“To the extent possible, we want to ensure that any American patient who needs remdesivir can get it,” Azar added in a statement.

There is nothing unethical about that.

You just keep responding to your own abstract idea about it, rather than addressing the issue as it is actually happening.

 

[Hammster]

You just keep responding to your own abstract idea about it, rather than addressing the issue as it is actually happening.

I think I am just not agreeing with you that it is a problem.

 

[Nithavela]

Why do you think that it is America's job to provide this drug to other nations? Or to ensure that they get it over Americans?

What do you mean? Didn't I just say that americans are more important and should get the drug first?

Did you reply to the wrong post?

 

[Hammster]

What do you mean? Didn't I just say that americans are more important and should get the drug first?

Did you reply to the wrong post?

No, I don’t think I did.

 

[Landon Caeli]

The US is part of an international community, like it or not. This kind of behaviour is not the norm.

Who's willing to sell the global supply to one customer for profit?

...I mean, typically you make a bid, and the seller chooses. Should it only be the buyer who receives criticism?

Maybe at the price we paid, they can afford to double their production. Who knows.

 

[Nithavela]

No, I don’t think I did.

Then I honestly don't know what you're talking about. Unless you deliberately act as if I said the opposite of what I said.

 

[Hammster]

Then I honestly don't know what you're talking about. Unless you deliberately act as if I said the opposite of what I said.

Like sarcasm?

 

[Landon Caeli]

I think this is one of the first rational actions of the US government in this crisis.

Coldly, cruely rational, but rational. So, kudos for that.

Other governments are cold in the way they impose calloused, draconian measures in the way they quarantine. Often leaving their own people to starve, shutting everything down almost instantaneously like what India did.

We all have to pick and choose our cruelties, it seems.

 

[Tom 1]

Who's willing to sell the global supply to one customer for profit?

...I mean, typically you make a bid, and the seller chooses. Should it only be the buyer who receives criticism?

Maybe at the price we paid, they can afford to double their production. Who knows.

There's no mystery about it, Gilead set the price. One for the US, another for the rest of the world. That is in any case besides the point, I don't see how this is in any way unclear. A normal, reasonable action would be to evaluate the need, project how long it will take other manufacturers to get into full production and what their projected output will be (etc) and distribute the drug, at cost, according to need. There's no mysterious 'who knows' about it. Not that this is directed at you but it's pretty odd that whenever the unusual/incompetent/bizarre actions of the current US administration are defended the response is always abstract and disconnected, as if there was somehow no way to access all of the freely available information needed to form a useful opinion about a given topic.

 

[Nithavela]

Like sarcasm?

Yeah, like sarcasm. But I wasn't being sarcastic. Americans are the most important human beings.

That's why everyone in africa rejoices when an american gets a disease that's ravishing their countries, because THEN there will be pharma research.

 

[Tom 1]

I think I am just not agreeing with you that it is a problem.

No, you're just making random statements that don't have any connection with the situation we are discussing, as if it were some abstract question rather than an actual series of events.

 

[Nithavela]

Other governments are cold in the way they impose calloused, draconian measures in the way they quarantine. Often leaving their own people to starve, shutting everything down almost instantaneously like what India did.

We all have to pick and choose our cruelties, it seems.

Some prefer to be cruel to themselves, others prefer to be cruel to others. I can respect both.

 

[Landon Caeli]

Some prefer to be cruel to themselves, others prefer to be cruel to others. I can respect both.

You're the master of sarcasm. You even beat @Aryeh Jay. He's no match for you.

But I would pay money to watch you both have a sarcasm standoff.

 

[Landon Caeli]

There's no mystery about it, Gilead set the price. One for the US, another for the rest of the world. That is in any case besides the point, I don't see how this is in any way unclear. A normal, reasonable action would be to evaluate the need, project how long it will take other manufacturers to get into full production and what their projected output will be (etc) and distribute the drug, at cost, according to need. There's no mysterious 'who knows' about it. Not that this is directed at you but it's pretty odd that whenever the unusual/incompetent/bizarre actions of the current US administration are defended the response is always abstract and disconnected, as if there was somehow no way to access all of the freely available information needed to form a useful opinion about a given topic.

But haven't we been having problems with drug manufacturers for years? Shouldn't we make it their fault out of principle, more than the US government?

...Then nations could be friends still, and we can blame the corporations together.

 

[Tom 1]

But haven't we been having problems with drug manufacturers for years? Shouldn't we make it their fault out of principle, more than the US government?

...Then nations could be friends still, and we can blame the corporations together.

I don't see an issue with Gilead in this instance, they set clear prices and have freely allowed other companies to manufacture the drug without compunction. The actions of the US govt are just clumsy and short-sighted, they could quite easily have worked with other countries to come up with a better solution. Unfortunately your country is led by an administration that always goes with the option requiring the least amount of thought.

 

[Hammster]

Yeah, like sarcasm. But I wasn't being sarcastic. Americans are the most important human beings.

That's why everyone in africa rejoices when an american gets a disease that's ravishing their countries, because THEN there will be pharma research.

That’s a fair point.

 

[Hammster]

No, you're just making random statements that don't have any connection with the situation we are discussing, as if it were some abstract question rather than an actual series of events.

I started off showing how your initial assertion was absurd.