Physicians’ Petition to President Trump for a Recalcitrant Company to Save a Life

Apr 1, 2020 by Susan Rosenbluth

By Susan L. Rosenbluth, TheJewishVoiceAndOpinion.com

During this difficult time, we have seen so many individuals and companies step up to the plate, but, right now, Gilead Sciences may be the exception. The pharmaceutical giant is the producer of Remdesivir, a drug that has shown promise disabling coronaviruses in the laboratory.

Enter Michael Goldsmith, a young, previously healthy father of two, who is currently intubated and ventilated in a hospital in New Jersey. He has failed numerous therapies (some of which have been very helpful for other people, and his doctors think Remdesivir might be what he needs. But Gilead Sciences has pulled back its program and, for some reason, no one can understand, is currently allowing only children and pregnant women (two groups that almost never get the disease) to use the drug.

Hundreds of physicians around the world, representing a wide variety of specialties as well as political leanings, are asking their colleagues to sign a petition, asking President Donald Trump to invoke the Defense Production Act with regard to Gilead Sciences.

“Earlier this week, Gilead Sciences had the hutzpah to apply for an orphan drug designation so as to attempt to collect government assistance for what will surely be a most profitable offering. They withdrew this request once the move was publicized. It is inconceivable that in the face of a pandemic that credibly threatens death to 1% of the US population, a company could sit so tightly on what the WHO called ‘the one drug right now that we think may have real efficacy, as though business ought to proceed as usual.”

If you are a physician, please sign this petition. If you are not a doctor, please pass it on to those who are.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSemYd9wN7Za3ue-YbddnBl68QckhS96G_Aqn1urO5mrnvdXJA/viewform?vc=0&c=0&w=1