Washington Post – 8/25/20
“The HHS Office of Inspector General, responding to a complaint by the advocacy groups Public Citizen and Lower Drug Prices Now, said in July that Slaoui would be in his post for longer than 130 days, which did not qualify him as a “special government employee,” a designation that would have required him to make financial disclosures and follow conflict-of-interest rules.”
Bloomberg – 8/6/20
Meanwhile, two consumer groups yesterday filed complaints with a federal government watchdog questioning the role of the White House’s Covid-19 vaccine czar. Public Citizen and Lower Drug Prices Now filed two complaints with the HHS Office of the Inspector General asking about Moncef Slaoui’s role guiding vaccine development and whether he may be subject to the same conflict of interest requirements as government employees. Slaoui was the head of GlaxoSmithKline’s vaccines department and maintains millions of dollars in company stock.
Salon – 8/5
“These Executive Orders are not about policy, they’re about politics,” Margarida Jorge, the campaign director for Lower Drug Prices Now, told the Post. “The only reason for President Trump’s rekindled interest in lowering drug prices is his dwindling poll numbers, and realization that our country’s senior citizens are abandoning him thanks to his bungled handling of the coronavirus crisis.”
Wall Street Journal – 8/3/20
Politico – 7/31/20
Executives with pharma ties are exempt from disclosing conflicts.
The Trump administration is hiring consultants with drug industry ties to steer its effort to find a coronavirus vaccine under a contract that allows them to avoid disclosing potential conflicts of interest.
Washington Post – 7/24/20
One advocacy group pushing lower drug prices panned the orders as an empty political gesture shortly after Trump’s signing ceremony.
“These Executive Orders are not about policy, they’re about politics,” said Margarida Jorge, campaign director for Lower Drug Prices Now. “The only reason for President Trump’s rekindled interest in lowering drug prices is his dwindling poll numbers, and realization that our country’s senior citizens are abandoning him thanks to his bungled handling of the coronavirus crisis.”
The Independent – 7/18/20
“The basic idea that he’s in a really privileged position with lots of resources to command and that he has a personal financial stake in the industry is really challenging,” Margarida Jorge, the campaign director for Lower Drug Prices Now, the second watchdog, told The Times.
“Everyone can appreciate that Dr Slaoui has expertise in the development of vaccines, but expertise and ethics should not be mutually exclusive.”
