Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Rand Paul Files Late Disclosure Of Wife's Gilead Investment In Early Outbreak Days
The Washington Post: Rand Paul Discloses 16 Months Late That His Wife Bought Stock In Company Behind Covid Treatment
Sen. Rand Paul revealed Wednesday that his wife bought stock in Gilead Sciences — which makes an antiviral drug used to treat covid-19 — on Feb. 26, 2020, before the threat from the coronavirus was fully understood by the public and before it was classified as a pandemic by the World Health Organization. The disclosure, in a filing with the Senate, came 16 months after the 45-day reporting deadline set forth in the Stock Act, which is designed to combat insider trading. Experts in corporate and securities law said the investment, and especially the delayed reporting of it, undermined trust in government and raised questions about whether the Kentucky Republican’s family had sought to profit from nonpublic information about the looming health emergency and plans by the U.S. government to combat it. (Stanley-Becker, 8/11)
CNN: Rand Paul Reveals Wife Bought Stock In Company Behind Remdesivir In Late Financial Disclosure
Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky revealed Wednesday that his wife in February 2020 purchased up to $15,000 in stock in Gilead Sciences, the maker of the antiviral drug remdesivir. Remdesivir later became the first drug to be approved for treating Covid-19. Paul’s filing with the Senate shows that between $1,000 and $15,000 of Gilead stock was purchased. The STOCK Act – which was enacted in 2012 to outlaw congressional insider trading, or the use of nonpublic information for one’s financial benefit – requires trade disclosures within 45 days. Paul’s reporting came 16 months late. (Fox and LeBlanc, 8/11)
In case you missed it —
MarketWatch: Sales Of Gilead’s COVID-19 Drug Top $800 Million
Gilead Sciences Inc. late Thursday swung to a quarterly profit and reported rising sales thanks to its COVID-19 drug, but a revenue drop from two of its HIV drugs and ongoing concerns about the pandemic dragged the stock lower. ... The drug maker said its revenue rose 21% to $6.2 billion, mostly on Veklury, the brand name of remdesivir, which is used in the treatment of COVID-19, as well as “higher demand” for drugs treating HIV and hepatitis. (7/29)
In other news about Republican Sen. Rand Paul —
Reuters: Fact Check: Photo Does Not Show Sen. Rand Paul Getting COVID-19 Vaccine
A photograph from 2015, of U.S Republican Senator Rand Paul getting a Hepatitis A booster shot has been mislabeled online to say it shows him being vaccinated against COVID-19. ... Contacted by Reuters, Sen. Paul confirmed that he is choosing not to be vaccinated against COVID-19 at this time and stated that he keeps “an open mind and will continue to monitor the reinfection data.” (8/9) On May 23, 2021, Paul publicly stated that he didn’t plan to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
Salon.Com: Rand Paul Calls For Civil Disobedience Over Vaccines: "They Can't Arrest All Of Us"
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., created a stir on Sunday when he encouraged sympathetic Americans to "resist" the Centers for Disease Control's public health guidance amid a recent surge in COVID-19 cases – even in his own home state. "No-one should follow the CDC's anti-science mask mandates," Paul pleaded in a video posted to Twitter. "They can't arrest all of us. They can't keep all of your kids home from school. They can't keep every government building closed – although I've got a long list of ones they might keep closed, or might oughta (sic) keep closed." (Skolnik, 8/10)
PolitiFact: Examining The False Claims That Got Rand Paul, Marjorie Taylor Greene Suspended On YouTube, Twitter
In the video, which remains on alternative platforms, [Rand] Paul said, "Most of the masks you get over the counter don’t work. They don’t prevent infection." He later claimed "cloth masks don’t work." The Republican lawmakers responded by criticizing the platforms for taking action against their posts, with Paul calling his ban a "badge of honor." But public health experts told PolitiFact that the claims that earned them their respective suspensions strayed far from the truth. University of Minnesota Medical School’s Dr. Mark Schleiss told PolitiFact Greene and Paul were "promoting dangerous behaviors that will cost lives." (McCarthy, 8/11)
