“Cry “Havoc,” and let slip the dogs of war”
William Shakespeare
There have been many questions regarding the Ebola outbreak and the attempt to have it contained around the world. In light of an article by the WSJ, Tekmira Pharmaceuticals has been placed on the fast track to increase production of their experimental drugs and to expedite clinical trials on infected patients. But, what is the connection between the U.S. government and Tekmira Pharmaceuticals?
If we look back to October 2009, the United States government applied for a patent on Ebola. The patent actually pertains to all variants of Ebola. The patent also seeks ownership over any and all Ebola viruses that are weakened or killed, giving the US government ownership over all Ebola vaccines. This patent monopoly would give the US government the legal right to block all non-vaccine Ebola treatments, cures, or research.
In 2010, the Tekmira Pharmaceutical company signed a $140 million contact with the Department of Defense to advance an RNAI therapeutic to treat the Ebola virus infection. In March of 2014, Tekmira was granted a Fast Tract designation from the FDA for the anti-Ebola viral RNAi therapeutic, which allows for the quick review of the drug in order to get it our to patients more quickly.
