Billionaire v Big Pharma

Mark Cuban has started a pilot program to manufacture generic drugs. This will create jobs in Dallas, and, the generic drugs made there will be more affordable. It’s not a non-profit and tax breaks probably abound, however, if it helps with healthcare costs, I hope it’s a success.

The covid vaccines have given good PR to Big Pharma, but they are getting a big payout.

Pharmaceutical companies are not charitable organizations and nobody expects them to be, but they don’t normally operate in a way that equally benefits everyone.

There is certainly no reason that all generics shouldn’t be affordable. Considering there was a problem getting some meds in the early months of the pandemic, manufacturing some of them here makes sense, too.

This manufacturing facility is not a big, attention-getting endeavor like SpaceX, but it’s something that will directly and quickly impact more people. This is the type of action we need now.

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46 thoughts on “Billionaire v Big Pharma”

  1. BiD, good for mark.

    something that has to happen too is beef up the made-in-usa ingredients for those assembled-in-america much needed drugs and other healthcare necessities.  back in august there was a paltry effort announced (probably just PR and no more) by the former administration to make ’em.  politico reported:

     More than 70 percent of the world’s drug ingredients are made outside of the U.S., including a significant chunk in China and India. White House trade adviser Peter Navarro, a longtime critic of China, has in the past pushed for more onshore pharmaceutical manufacturing, but industry has warned that aggressive moves could jeopardize its supplies.

    good start’s been made with masks & ppe under defense act but more needs to be encouraged.  

  2. mark had better hurry up tho’.  what with spring break & mask burners, looks like we’re in for another spike & death spiral.

     

  4. has joe’s white house lost its bite?   yes, according to CNN

    Major, who was adopted by Biden in November 2018 from a Delaware animal shelter, had what one of the people described as a “biting incident” with a member of White House security. The exact condition of the victim is unknown, however, the episode was serious enough that the dogs were subsequently moved to Wilmington, Delaware, where they remain.
    […]
    Major, who is 3 years old, is the younger of the two Biden dogs, and has been known to display agitated behavior on multiple occasions, including jumping, barking, and “charging” at staff and security, according to the people CNN spoke with about the dog’s demeanor at the White House. The older of Biden’s German Shepherds, Champ, is approximately 13 and has slowed down physically due to his advanced age.
    […]
    “I’ve been getting obsessed with getting our dogs settled because we have an old dog and we have a very young dog,” Jill Biden told Kelly Clarkson last month during an appearance on “The Kelly Clarkson Show.” “They have to take the elevator, they’re not used to that, and they have to go out on the South Lawn with lots of people watching them. So that’s what I’ve been obsessed with, getting everybody settled and calm.”
    Biden also said the only place the dogs are not allowed is on the furniture, though she admitted to catching Major on the couch. “They run all over,” said Biden.
    A person familiar with the dogs’ schedule confirms to CNN they are in Delaware, but noted they have been known to stay there with minders when the first lady is out of town.

     
    bad dog bad dog, major, you’re only to bite gopers not guarders 

  5. sweet photos of other WH doggies & their POTUS in 9/20 ad from the campaign

    Dogs make us better people. So why isn’t there one in the current White House? Vote for Joe! Learn more at dogloversforjoe.com

  6. I saw Bo Obama when I was on a tour of the WH grounds and gardens in 2009.   I have a pic somewhere.  It was either give him a quick pet or take a pic. There were a few kids petting him, so I snapped a photo. He was very calm and good with the kids.

  7. A lot of the uber-wealthy could do a lot to help with healthcare.  Simple things like getting fresh foods and vegetables to food deserts.   Preventative, but it’s still healthcare.

    Although I’m on board with the Mars mission, space tourism seems like a really selfish way to spend your personal wealth, both in the building and the taking part in it. Von Braun Station. The name, too. (sigh)

    https://www.cnn.com/travel/amp/voyager-station-space-hotel-scn/index.html

    Plus, they could help with voting, as I mentioned the other day.

    Iowa has gone down the voter suppression hole.

    https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/08/politics/kim-reynolds-voting-iowa/index.html

  8. Is Cuban ever going to run for something. Not that I want him to, but always assumed he was headed that way. And is Beto going to run for gov next year?

  9. a hint that mitch may soon leave?

    from courier journal a couple of days ago in article covering KY legislature now in session:

    Senate Bill 228 would change how Kentucky fills any potential U.S. Senate vacancy, with the governor no longer having sole authority to appoint his or her own replacement.
    Under SB 228 — which is supported by Sen. Mitch McConnell — the political party of the senator leaving the office due to resignation or death would nominate three potential candidates to fulfill the vacancy, with the governor having to appoint one of those nominees within 21 days of receiving the names.
    The bill passed through the Senate by a 28-8 vote Tuesday, with all but one Republican voting ‘yes’ and every Democrat voting ‘no,’ with the latter members suggesting it was a partisan move being made only because both current senators — McConnell and Sen. Rand Paul — are Republicans and the governor is not.
    With Mitch McConnell’s backing, Kentucky’s senate president seeks to change vacancy rules
    After the appointment of a new senator to fill the vacancy, in most cases there would be a special election with an open and bipartisan process — often referred to as a “jungle primary” — in which a candidate with more than 50% of the vote wins, but the top two vote getters would go on to a runoff election if no one eclipsed that 50% mark.
    When SB 228 cleared committee, Stivers assured legislators “there is nothing wrong with Senator Paul. There’s nothing wrong with Senator McConnell.”

    BTW, ky legislature is veto-proof republican . even when/if andy the gov vetoes the above when/if it passes, they’ll override him.   soooo goody-bye good riddance mcmyrtle but unfortunately & probably hello new u.s. sen.  daniel cameron (current AG and long time  former mitch staffer) when/if this becomes reality there surely will be an appeal  by andy 1st to work thru .

    as of 3/6 SB 228 as amended passed KY senate and is in committees in KY house

  11. Craig…  Cuban is a businessman and entrepreneur …  and he hates fake businessman Donald Trump.
    Why would he want to run for office and have to divest himself of all that’s he’s worked so hard to build.  If you’ve ever watched him on Shark Tank… it’s obvious that he loves what he does.
     
    Good on Cuban for taking on the drug companies!

  12. Do we still hate “Big Pharma” after they just saved civilization, if not the entire species?

  13. LSD, that was about the strongest drug I ever did – acid. I don’t know if you’ve ever done acid, but… When I was young, they would tell me, “You have got to be careful with that acid, on account of you can do it,” and then you have a flashback. Like, ten years could pass, 20 years could pass, “and then you get a flashback.” So I thought, “Well, that sounds like a good deal,” …Sadly, 30 years have passed. And still… no flash… What a gyp that turned out to be. I… Just more horseshit by the big acid companies if you ask me.

    -Norm MacDonald

  14. Bink, we, or at least I, don’t hate big pharma for their discoveries.  We, I, hate them for their price gouging in the US.

  16. Bink true but I suspect we pay more than our share for the honor.
    My insulin costs $750 a month, in Mexico $70
    Jack

  17. Bink, you notice I said in the US.  Jack’s comment is pertinent, as is this from Pharmacychecker.com
    I have absolutely nothing against drug manufacturers making a profit, btw, but I do object to them making an obscene profit here when they aren’t charging similar prices in other countries.
    Example – Atorvastatin (Lipitor) locally $11.85 per tablet. International Pharmacy – $1.85 per tab, generic (locally or international – $.28 per tab.

  19. Those high prices aren’t just for R&D.  Big payouts to CEOs to keep shareholders happy, enormous advertising budgets, and keeping politicians in their pocket costs money.

  20. Cuban has floated the idea of running before, but his logic may override his ego. 

    I would love for Beto or MJ Hegar to be Gov. of TX.

    Greg’s Gotta Go

  25. So, i’m fresh-off an argument with an acquaintance in which i had to rely on the information garnered from my consumption of news-media to refute his uninformed conspiracy theories concerning “government” and “big pharma” which he posited as a defense for his personal aversion to the COVID vaccine.  After about 15 minutes of meticulous dissection of his protests, he finally admitted that he just suffered from an irrational fear of needles.  All the other stuff he said was bullshit to avoid admitting that.

  26. I’ve always thought a lot of these corporations with big plants or industrial parks should run day care and schools at least through elementary for their employees.  Just consider it a perk to encourage attendance.  

  27. That’s a good idea.  Private daycare costs their employees a lot, so it would be a nice benefit that might actually draw employees to a business. 

    Craig – Is that the same window they used a couple of years ago? They need to learn to “build back better.”

    https://reasonstobecheerful.world/the-age-of-the-wood-skyscraper-is-arriving/

    Isn’t pre-fab lumber made with a lot of chemicals and glue? Maybe they just mean cut to size for easy assembly on site.

  28. BID, you’re talking about cross-laminated wood products.  Yes, they are held together with glue (well, construction grade adhesives).  Compared to concrete and steel their contribution to CO2 and other compounds in the atmosphere are probably negligible – unless you ask the concrete and steel lobbies.

  29. out of the dog house into the big house

    wapo:

    The Biden’s two dogs will return to the White House from Delaware, the White House press secretary said Tuesday after confirming that the younger dog, Major, had caused a “minor injury” to an “unfamiliar person.”

    “Champ and Major, the president and first lady’s dogs, are members of the family and still getting acclimated and accustomed to their new surroundings and new people,” Jen Psaki said during a briefing for reporters. “And on Monday, the first family’s younger dog, Major, was surprised by an unfamiliar person and reacted in a way that resulted in a minor injury to the individual, which was handled by the White House medical unit with no further treatment needed.”

    She added that plans had already been in place for the dogs to be cared for by family friends as the first lady travels on the West Coast this week.

    “She has a three-day trip this week, and the dogs will return to the White House soon,” Psaki said.

    Asked by a reporter if Major could be euthanized as a result of the episode, Psaki said that would not be the case.

    “Major Biden is a member of the family, so I can assure you of that,” Psaki said.

  34. Wood high-rises probably won’t fly in tornado alley, either, because they might actually fly.    They aren’t talking about building them here, though. It sounds like forestry is more well-controlled in Europe, too. Lessons to be learned.

  35. “On this broadcast, we have seen violence made glamorous,” Mr. Mudd said, “expensive weapons advertised as if they were automobiles, biased opinions presented as straight facts . . . This propaganda barrage is the creation of a runaway bureaucracy that frustrates attempts to control it.”
     
    From Craig’s link.  Speaking truth to power.  

  38. In the distant past I dabbled with a thing or two……a podium-like thing for a restaurant and maybe a table or two….

  43. More information about Major and his punishment.  He nipped at, did not break skin, the hand of a Secret Service agent.  I can only guess how they would handle my cats playing with me.  You have to be tough to have cats.  With no fear of blood and able to with stand severe pain.  And a very tough stomach to deal with the daily hairball hack.  Also, no problem with their friends or pets, living or dead, to deal with mice, birds, voles and whatever else survived or did not.

  44. German Shepherds are scary.

    This may be a good opportunity for Biden to promote law-enforcement by hiring a police dog-trainer and exploiting the resulting publicity. If he doesn’t, that dog is going to be a headache because Joe and Jill don’t have the time to train it properly.

  45. caption:

    umm umm, secret service sauce.  perfect to go with that old big mac burger i found stashed in the oval office.

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