Topic: Roche

The hosts read donations from executive producers, including a notable contribution from "Mike Roch." They discuss the validity of No Agenda credits on resumes and LinkedIn. A brief mention is made of Topo Chico mineral water and the return of Kirkland Bordeaux at Costco.

Mike Roch is officially knighted and awarded a PhD in Media Deconstruction. The ceremony includes the traditional reading of the "backroom festivities" list. The hosts emphasize that the show remains 100% listener-supported with no paywalls or premium content.

An anonymous lab researcher reports that antibodies purchased from Beijing-based Sino Biological, a company funded by Bill Gates, were faulty and caused false positives in ELISA assays. The segment links these findings to reports from Roche's CEO regarding the poor quality of many COVID-19 antibody tests currently on the market. The hosts suggest the testing market is being manipulated with substandard Chinese products.

Dr. Deborah Birx explained that the transition from low-throughput platforms to high-speed private sector testing will cause a dramatic spike in diagnosed cases. This increase is attributed to clearing a backlog of specimens rather than a sudden surge in new infections. Birx warned that the media might use this statistical "slope of the curve" to falsely claim the U.S. situation is worse than Italy's.

President Trump addressed the transition from an "obsolete" CDC-led testing system to a high-volume commercial system involving companies like Roche. The administration faced criticism over professional athletes and celebrities receiving tests while symptomatic citizens waited in line. Trump argued the inherited system was never designed for the scale of testing currently being demanded by the public and media.

Dr. Deborah Birx, the State Department Ambassador at Large, detailed a new private-sector partnership to overhaul the American COVID-19 testing system. The strategy involves high-throughput testing platforms from companies like Roche, LabCorp, and Quest, alongside a screening website facilitated by Google to direct symptomatic individuals to drive-through testing sites. Birx emphasized that the speed of this mobilization was informed by lessons learned during the HIV/AIDS crisis of the 1980s.

ABC News aired a segment heavily promoting Tamiflu as a prophylactic and effective treatment even 48 hours after symptoms appear, which the hosts characterized as a potential emergency media buy by Roche. This contrasts with previous reports and a 2009 BBC study suggesting Tamiflu may do more harm than good in children. The discussion highlighted the absence of flu shot recommendations in the recent ABC report in favor of antiviral medication.

A listener using the pseudonym "Mike Roche" donates in memory of his father, "Santa Dave," who recently passed away. The hosts offer condolences and "love and light" to the donor. They discuss the use of humorous pseudonyms in the show's donation segments.

The FDA has approved a new HPV test from Roche that may eventually replace the traditional Pap smear as the primary screen for cervical cancer. Critics argue the Gardasil vaccine and these new testing protocols are part of a "big scam" driven by pharmaceutical profits rather than public health.

Producers reporting from a hearing in College Park, Maryland, claim to have overheard Roche executives bragging about their "collusion" with the FDA. The report alleges that statistical analysis in clinical trials was manipulated to produce the results desired by the agency to ensure the test's approval.

A pharmacist from New York City reports a massive surge in Tamiflu sales following the announcement of a potential swine flu pandemic. The report claims that current Tamiflu supplies are "short-dated" and likely represent old stockpiles from the previous avian flu scare that Roche needed to liquidate. The pharmacist notes that many patients seeking the drug actually have seasonal allergies rather than the flu.

Gilead Sciences, the developer of Tamiflu, reportedly terminated its agreement with Roche regarding marketing rights. The hosts also discuss blog reports claiming the swine flu virus shows signs of being engineered. They draw a parallel between biological viruses and the computer antivirus industry, suggesting companies may create problems to sell solutions.

The hosts discuss the financial benefits for pharmaceutical companies like Roche following the swine flu outbreak, noting that George W. Bush had previously stockpiled billions of dollars worth of Tamiflu. They suggest the CDC is using various spokespeople to test which "persona"—from doctors to military-style officials—is most effective in public focus groups.