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Biotech / Medical : SARS and Avian Flu -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Elroy Jetson who wrote (2769)	10/17/2005 3:57:22 AM
From: energyplay	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 4232

I don't think New Orleans ever had private subscriptions for levees... Maintaining levees is a government responsibility. Most communities have found that subscription fire departments don't work well. Lot's of US history to this, by the way. Even competing private fire departments. The editorial in the Wall Street Journal was one of those sort of Ayn Rand / free market fantasies of privatizing everything. People creating science fiction scenarios to try to eliminate any and every role for government. **** There are valid roles for government. They require competence. Note that Roche approached a number of governments LAST YEAR about ordering Tamiflu due to the long lead times. France orderd a bunch. UK ordered enough to cover 25% of population Canada somewhat less - with a bigger country, it should have more unaffected areas. US Government (Civilian part) ordered what - 2% ( I expect the military may have their own stocks which they don't report to civilians, because then the civilians will not push to order enough. Imagine someone like Tommy Franks, Colin Powell, or Norman Schwarzkopf dealing with Mike Brown of FEMA. ) ***** If we continue to see this massive incompetence by parts of the Federal Government, we may need to try some alternate solutions.

To: Elroy Jetson who wrote (2769)	10/17/2005 4:42:15 AM
From: Maurice Winn	Respond to of 4232

Elroy, which comes first, the chicken or the egg? <You cannot create an assured supply of antiviral drugs and vaccines based on the periodic once-in-thirty-year interest of people like yourself. This is why the national governments of the world and the WHO have needed to subsidize demand with annual orders and even periodic capital infusions the upgrade the infrastructure, especially for vaccine production.> People depend on governments because governments insist on taking over, so people who take individual precautions end up paying twice, and probably having their individual efforts confiscated "in the public interest in an emergency". A company which thinks to invent a 1 in 30 year solution will find their property stolen by the useless government and population. So there's no incentive to do so. Similarly, individuals can expect governments to leap into gear and provide generic solutions, publicly funded, especially to their favoured mates. So the best thing to do is do nothing, then when it all goes wrong, bribe, lie, cheat and trick to get onto the government list of friends who get preferential treatment. Being a government bludger is a good idea, around the world. Mqurice

To: Elroy Jetson who wrote (2769)	10/17/2005 11:43:11 AM
From: kikogrey	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 4232

You are a perfect example of this. Most Japanese homes have Tamiflu in their home medicine cabinets, to use in case someone in their family contracts the flu. About 15 years ago I felt myself coming down with the flu. Although otherwise healthy, I have had two bouts with pneumonia after influenza. Since we had some Symmetrel (amantadine) in the house I thought I'd try it. After I took one dose I had such profound muscle weakness I felt paralyzed. It was my last dose.