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Wednesday, March 22, 2006
FEAR: THE REAL PANDEMIC (AND A DAMNED PROFITABLE ONE AT THAT!) A few years ago I remember researching the history of earthquakes and disasters in the Pacific Rim. It was a paper required for my certificate in Asian Studies. I mistakenly thought, when I bought it, that it was a book predicting when the, now extremely overdue Tokyo Earthquake might awaken from its tectonic slumber. The book did say that the sea dwelling Centurion, bearing bad news from the depths, would demolish Tokyo, as well as L.A., and was inevitable. The book's function was to guide you to stocks and investments that would make you rich in the event of Japan's misfortune: It told you specifically what to buy in order to become rich after the catastrophe. It seemed to me a rather ghoulish way to manage your money, but he had dispassionately done his homework: He predicted the amount of deaths, construction failures, and factors most of us might never dream of, that could make a buck for the living. It is similar to a Chinese prover: "Observers can see a chess game more clearly than the players." Those who approach the event with no emotion, or compassion, may have bigger wallets in the end than those who are not in the battle. This is back seat driving or armchair quarterbacking made profitable. The U.S. knows that is is only a matter of time before bird flu roosts in America. Investors are buying up shares of companies working on vaccines and interventions. There is big money to be made on fear. I remember my folks, many years ago, having our basement analyzed as a place for a potential bomb shelter in the event of the cold war with Russia going hot.  The FDA heated up the stock market on Monday by announcing that it was halting the use of human antiviral drugs on animals. Subsequently, companies looking at marketing new anti-viral drugs hit new yearly highs. Some stocks like Hemispherx Biopharma Inc. closed up 13 percent higher on the American Stock Exchange. The newest avian flu infections were this last weekend in Israel, and another suspected case of avian flu was found in Egypt. Disease, has its own language, and is not ethnocentric. The rich get richer as the world gets sicker. Where were/where are the anti-viral researchers for the aids crisis for which we still have only expensive pharmacalogical puzzle parts that do not reveal a cure yet? It isn't compassion motivating the likes of Roche. The "observers," expecting shortages of poultry bought pushed up the price of stocks like Tyson Foods Inc. and pork (the other white meat) producers saw their paper worth rise about 8 1/2 percent. Roche, marketers of Scamiflu, are out now out looking for global partners to up their production capabilities and to cash in on this global fear--the real global pandemic. They also want to beat countries, that say they will ignore patents and produce their own versions, to the punch. Meanwhile, the Indian government decided against the hype saying that too much early use might render the drug ineffective and halted future buys from Roche. Disease is the Great Chameleon: Roche may or may not have a short term answer to avian flu. And chances are very good, according to most scientists, that the disease will morph into more resistant strains. So, put your money on the Swiss for the first match. But, hang around because this is liable to be one hell of a game. And observers may need their legalized gambling wins to survive. Meanwhile Roche has still refused to answer my emails or calls about cancer treatment alternatives for Ms Yue. China Chinese Women Asia FDA Cancer Drug companies Drugs Bird Flu Lonnie Hodge Tamiflu Roche Murder Cartoons Cartoons, Cagle.com Blogger News Network is advertiser-supported, and your visits to our advertisers help BNN to meet its expenses. Help keep us afloat! posted by Lonnie at 2:18 AM |
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