I was hoping this WAS an urban legend

circuitous route, but he profits nonetheless.

http://www.snopes.com/politics/medical/tamiflu.asp

Extract taken from the 18th edition of the Magazine, HEALTH, [April 2006]

- written by Jose Antonio Campoy.

Did you know that the avian flu virus was discovered 9 years ago in
Vietnam?

Did you know that in all these years the number of people who have died
>From it has scarcely reached the 100 mark?

Did you know that it was the Americans who signalled the effectiveness of
Tamiflu as a prophylactic measure ?

Did you know that Tamiflu is scarcely capable of relieving some symptoms
of common influenza ?

Did you know that its effectiveness has been questioned by the majority of
the scientific community ?

Did you know that Tamiflu is hardly capable of countering any illness
related to an ALLEGED mutant virus like H55NI?

Did you know that, as at today's date, avian flu only affects birds ?

Do you know who marketed TAMIFLU?

The ROCHE Labs.

Do you know from whom ROCHE bought the patent for TAMIFLU in 1996 ?

GILEAD SCIENCES INC.

Do you know who was the Chairman of GILEAD SCIENCES INC and is still its
main shareholder today ?

DONALD RUMSFELD, the present USA Defence Secretary.

Did you know that the basic ingredient of TAMIFLU is Star Anise ?

Do you know who is left with 90%of the world production of this ?

ROCHE.

Did you know that the sales of TAMIFLU exceeded 254 million in 2004 and more
than 1000 million in 2005?

Do you know how many more millions ROCHE stands to gain if it continues
with this fear campaign ?

In short, it is fair to say the following : Bush's friends decide that a
product like TAMIFLU is the solution for a pandemic which has not yet
happened and which has caused to date only 100 deaths worldwide.

This drug doesn't even cure common influenza. The virus does not affect man
in normal conditions.

RUMSFELD sells the TAMIFLU patent to Roche who pay him a fortune. ROCHE
acquire 90% of the production of star anise, the basis of the antivirus.

The world's governments threaten a pandemic and buy industrial quantities
Of the product from ROCHE.

We end up paying for the medication and Rumsfeld, Cheney and Bush do the
business............