CivicActions

This is a nice story about the benevolant World Bank - now being led by our former Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz.

The story goes "...the World Bank will reveal its proposed $1 billion package, half of which it aims to provide through its grants or interest-free loans and half through a trust fund financed by donors."

How nice of the World Bank to take care of the "developing countries" by providing them loans to pay big pharma. As summarized in Wikipedia, the World Bank "...has been accused of being a US or western tool for imposing economic policies that support western interests." No...Really?

I can just imagine Wolfowitz talking to his buddy Franz B. Humer, the head of Roche:

Wolfi "Franzi, did you hear that Robert is calling for you to give away bird flu medicine to the third world? So much for those patents... That's going to kill you P/E ratio, and it also sets a dangerous precident for the whole global plan for world domination through 'intellectual property rights' in medicine."

Franzi "I've been worried about this socialist trend in medicine... You know Brazil threatened to disregard patents on AIDS treatments...are we next?"

Wolfi "Hey, I've got an idea. Perhaps we can just raise a billion dollars from our investors... and loan it to these poor bastards so they can buy your product? That might keep them from rioting and nationalizing... Hey, then we all win!"

Rummi "Good Idea Wolfi"

Franzi "Wolfi...it's nice having friends at the Bank!"

References:
World Bank seeks $1 billion war chest for bird flu
Public Health Advocates Challenge Drug Firms on Bird-flu Profiteering
Flu panic has got out of hand, says Roche
Donald Rumsfeld to Profit Millions from Bush Spending on Avian Bird Flu Pandemic