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Woody Harrelson Tears Apart Anthony Fauci in Extraordinary Joe Rogan Chat
Woody Harrelson accused Dr. Anthony Fauci of doing some ‘extraordinarily evil s**t’ during his time as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. The Cheers actor, 63, joined podcaster Joe Rogan on his show the Joe Rogan Experience on Saturday as the pair talked about their hopes for the country’s future in health.
Harrelson described Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services — as ‘heroic,’ and a ‘man who cares deeply,’ just before comparing his views with Fauci’s. Fauci, 84, who also served as former President Joe Biden’s chief medical advisor, has long been under fire for his views on vaccines — specifically when it came to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Hunger Games star brought up the disgraced doctor’s push for the AZT or azidothymidine vaccine back in the 1980’s during the AIDS crisis.
U.S. Joins WHO-Led Flu Vaccine Meeting, Despite Planned Withdrawal From Agency
Two U.S. government agencies that are key players in the World Health Organization-led (WHO-led) process to select the flu viruses for next winter’s influenza vaccines are participating in a meeting to discuss the issue, despite the Trump administration’s plans to withdraw from the global health agency, sources told STAT.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) did not announce its plans to participate in advance but confirmed its role Monday in an email response to STAT.
“CDC will be actively participating virtually at the WHO vaccine consultation meeting for the recommendation of viruses for 2025-26 Northern Hemisphere vaccine this week,” CDC spokesperson Benjamin Haynes said.
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla inflicts Injury on His Company — and All of Pharma
It’s only February, but my pick for the Worst Biopharma CEO of 2025 has already been decided: Albert Bourla of Pfizer.
Pfizer’s decision to hire Patrizia Cavazzoni, a former top drug regulator at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), as its new chief medical officer is one of the dumbest, most damaging corporate screwups since the rollout of New Coke.
For months, the Make America Healthy Again movement and its titular leader, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — who also happens to now run the Department of Health and Human Services — have castigated the pharma sector for its all-too-cozy relationship with the FDA, including its penchant for hiring former top FDA officials into lucrative executive positions once they leave government service.
Washington County Passes Anti-Vaccination Resolution
BioProcess International reported:
The effects of a Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.-led Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) are already being felt in Franklin County, Washington. County officials Stephen Bauman, Rocky Mullen, and Clint Didier — all Republicans — heard testimony from a group of anti-vaccination campaigners who, it appears, have won a victory in the region.
“What’s been done to the citizens of our country, it’s unacceptable,” Mullen said as the hearing ended. “It’s horrendous.” “We’re making a statement of our belief in freedom,” Bauman declared. “This resolution in front of us today is very long and has information with words and descriptions that are over my head.”
He and the other commissioners voted unanimously in favor of the resolution, which advises against the administration of “gene therapy vaccines” to children and adults in any context.
During Pandemic, Ivermectin Use Rose 10-Fold, Hydroxychloroquine Use Doubled, Study Reveals
U.S. outpatient prescriptions for hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin, two unproven treatments touted as COVID-19 treatments during the pandemic, doubled and increased by 10-fold, respectively, from Jan. 30, 2020, to June 30, 2023, according to a new study in Health Affairs.
The three million prescriptions for the drugs resulted in $272 million estimated spending, and older adults were more likely to take these treatments, the study authors said.
“Our findings underscore the urgent need for policy reforms to combat misinformation and mistrust in scientific institutions,” said John Mafi, M.D., MPH, the senior study author, in a press release from the University of California Los Angeles.
“Eliminating undue industry influence in government, enhancing transparency around scientific uncertainty, and earmarking public funding for clinical trials of new drugs are good places to start.”
New Bat Coronavirus Discovered in China Sparks Pandemic Concerns
The discovery of a new bat coronavirus in China has sparked concerns about another pandemic. The virus, named HKU5-CoV-2, is similar to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in that it targets the same human receptor, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE2), according to a report in the South China Morning Post.
HKU5-CoV-2 could potentially lead to human-to-human or even cross-species transmission, the researchers found. The research team was led by Zheng-Li Shi at Guangzhou Laboratory in Guangdong, China.
Shi, who is known as the “batwoman,” worked at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China, which came under fire as the potential source of COVID-19. “This study reveals a distinct lineage of HKU5-CoVs in bats that efficiently use human ACE2 and underscores their potential zoonotic risk,” the researchers wrote in the study, which was published in the scientific journal Cell on Feb. 18.
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Confirms US$ 500 Million Commitment to Global Polio Eradication Effort
Global Polio Eradication Initiative reported:
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia today reaffirmed its U.S. $500 million pledge to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) in a signing event during the fourth Riyadh International Humanitarian Forum.
H.E. Dr. Abdullah al Rabeeah, Supervisor General of King Salman Relief and Humanitarian Centre, was joined by Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization; Catherine Russell, Executive Director of UNICEF; Dr. Sania Nishtar, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance; Dr. Chris Elias, President of Global Development at the Gates Foundation and Chair of the Polio Oversight Board; and Aziz Memon, Pakistan Polio Plus Chair, Rotary International, to sign an agreement that will help the GPEI and its partners to reach 370 million children with polio vaccines each year and stop transmission of the virus for good.
The funds were initially pledged in April 2024 at the first-ever World Economic Forum Special Meeting hosted in Riyadh. “The world is on the path to eradicating polio once and for all, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is proud to be part of this global initiative,” said H.E. Dr. Abdullah al Rabeeah. “The Kingdom’s contribution will go toward the important work of protecting the most vulnerable children of today so that the generations of tomorrow can live free from this preventable disease.”
