Showing posts with label COVID-19. Show all posts
Showing posts with label COVID-19. Show all posts

Friday 11 September 2020

Trump knew how dangerous the COVID-19 pandemic was in January 2020 and did nothing to stop the spread throughout America


In a series of interviews with Bob Woodward, US President Donald Trump revealed that he had a level of detail about the threat of the SARS-CoV-2 virus earlier than previously known.


7 FEBRUARY 2020 – no COVID-19 deaths in USA

TRUMP: “We've got a little bit of an interesting setback with the virus going in China.”......

WOODWARD: “And so, what was President Xi saying yesterday?”

TRUMP: “Oh, we were talking mostly about the uh, the virus. And I think he’s going to have it in good shape, but you know, it’s a very tricky situation. It’s –“

WOODWARD: “Indeed it is.”

TRUMP: “It goes through air, Bob. That’s always tougher than the touch. You know, the touch, you don’t have to touch things. Right? But the air, you just breathe the air and that’s how it’s passed.
And so, that’s a very tricky one. That’s a very delicate one. It’s also more deadly than your – you know, your, even your strenuous flus. You know, people don’t realize, we lose 25,000, 30,000 people a year here. Who would ever think that, right?”

WOODWARD: “I know. It’s much forgotten.”

TRUMP: “Pretty amazing. And then I say, well, is that the same thing-”

WOODWARD: “What are you able to do for –“

TRUMP: “This is more deadly. This is five per- you know, this is five percent versus one percent and less than one percent. You know? So, this is deadly stuff.”

19 March 2020 – 52 COVID-19 deaths in USA

TRUMP: “Now it’s turning out it’s not just old people, Bob. Just today and yesterday, some startling facts came out. It’s not just old- older.”

WOODWARD: “Yeah, exactly.”

TRUMP: “Young people too, plenty of young people.”

WOODWARD: “So, give me-”

TRUMP: “So what’s going on-

WOODWARD: “-a moment of talking to somebody, going through this with Fauci or somebody who kind of, it caused a pivot in your mind. Because it’s clear, just from what’s on the public record that you went through a pivot on this to, ‘oh my god, the gravity is almost inexplicable and unexplainable.’”

TRUMP: “Well I think, Bob, really, to be honest with you-”

WOODWARD: “Sure, I want you to be.”

TRUMP: “I wanted to- I wanted to always play it down. I still like playing it down, because I don’t want to create a panic.”


May 2020 – by 1 May there were 1,795 COVID-19 deaths in USA

WOODWARD: “So now, I understand-”

TRUMP: “-it was too early.”

WOODWARD: “Your new national security adviser, O’Brien, said to you January 28, “Mr. President, this is going- this virus is going to be the biggest national security threat to your presidency.” Do you remember that?”

TRUMP: “No, no. No, I don’t. No, I don’t. I’m sure if he said it – you know, I’m sure he said it. Nice guy.”

By 9 September 2020 the number who had died from COVID-19 infection in the USA exceeded 170,000 people, according to a Reuters report and “The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had forecast last month that the U.S. death toll will reach 200,000 to 211,000 by Sept. 26” while “The University of Washington’s health institute last week forecasted that the U.S. deaths from the coronavirus will reach 410,000 by the end of the year.”

Throughout 2020 Donald Trump continues to hold large public "Keep America Great" rallies without social distancing or face masks being required. 

On 20 March 2020 Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison was quoted as saying that "The country which has actually been responsible for a large amount of these (coronavirus cases) [in Australia] has actually been the United States". However in March he was still refusing to ban travel from the U.S. to Australia.

By 20 March Australia had 846 confirmed COVID-19 cases with 41.7% of these occurring in New South Wales

In April 2020 Morrison chose to focus on economic recovery when he discussed the global pandemic with Donald Trump - rather than the impact in Australia of infections arriving from the U.S.



Since then community infection has taken hold in Australia and at least 788 people have died to date.

As late as July 2020 airline passengers carrying the COVID-19 infection were arriving in New South Wales from the United States. With the pandemic clearly out of control out of control in America passenger flights from the U.S. to Sydney still continue to arrive.

Thursday 10 September 2020

A conga line of #COVIDIOTS - Part 5


The Daily Telegraph, 9 September 2020:
A Victorian man and woman who tried to sneak into NSW via taxi have been fined for not possessing valid permits and escorted back across state borders.
NSW Police, News, 7-9 September 2020:
* Officers from Orana Mid-Western Police District yesterday (Tuesday 8 September 2020) issued the licensee of a hotel on Montefiores Street, Wellington, with a $1000 PIN after receiving prior warnings for breaches including overcrowding, patrons not being seated and not practising physical distancing.
* Two people have been issued PINs following an altercation at a hotel in Albury. The man and woman were with family members at the hotel on Dean Street yesterday (Tuesday 8 September 2020), when police were called about an altercation between the group. Checks revealed the pair, from Victoria, had a permit to be in NSW; however, the permit stated they should minimise contact with others for two weeks. Both were issued a $1000 PIN.
* Police have charged a man after he allegedly produced false documentation to leave hotel quarantine in Sydney.
On Friday 4 September 2020, a 30-year-old Victorian man arrived at Sydney Airport without an exemption.
The man was taken into hotel quarantine; however, the following morning he provided what he claimed to be a valid exemption document stating he was in NSW to visit his terminally ill grandfather in hospital.
The man was subsequently released from the hotel.
Following inquiries, police determined the documentation he provided was false. Further checks revealed the man’s grandfather was not in hospital.
Yesterday (Monday 7 September 2020), police attended a home on Rodley Avenue at Penrith where they arrested the man.
He was charged with fail to comply with noticed direction in relation to 7/8/9 -COVID 19, and produce false or misleading application.
He was given bail to appear in Penrith Local Court on 12 October 2020.
The man was returned to hotel quarantine.
* A man will face court today charged with allegedly attempting to enter NSW from Victoria on numerous occasions without a valid permit.
About 1am today (Monday 7 September 2020), a 27-year-old man attempted to enter NSW at the Saddle Flaps Road border checkpoint at Rockton.
The man, who did not possess a valid permit, was denied entry and returned to Victoria.
About 2.45am the same day, the man allegedly attempted to enter NSW via the Princess Highway at Timbillica, south of Eden.
Inquiries revealed the man’s permit was invalid and he was directed to return to Victoria.
It’s alleged the man failed to comply and began verbally abusing officers at the checkpoint, before exiting his vehicle.
As police attempted to arrest him, he allegedly assaulted a male senior constable. The senior constable did not sustain any physical injuries.
The Western Australian man was arrested and taken to Eden Police Station, where he was charged with not comply with noticed direction re section 7/8/9 COVID, offensive language, assault officer in execution of duty and resist officer in execution of duty.
The man was refused bail and is due to appear in Batemans Bay Local Court today (Monday 7 September 2020).
Anyone who has information regarding individuals or businesses in contravention of a COVID-19-related ministerial direction is urged to contact Crime Stoppers: https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au. Information is treated in strict confidence. The public is reminded not to report crime via NSW Police social media pages.

Queensland Police, News, 4- 9 September 2020:
* Police have charged a man after he allegedly breached the state border police checkpoint at Goondiwindi on the weekend.
Police will allege at 4.30pm on Sunday, September 6, a 26-year-old New South Wales man was refused entry into Queensland as he did not have a valid border declaration pass.
At 5.45pm, the man and his vehicle were captured on CCTV gaining entry into Queensland at Talwood Boonanga Road in South Talwood.
Local police and investigators from Task Force Sierra Linnet commenced investigations and the man was taken into custody at a Toogoom address yesterday (September 8).
He was transported to hospital for testing and returned a negative COVID-19 result.
He was later charged with wilful damage and fail to comply with the COVID-19 Border Direction. He is due to appear in Hervey Bay Magistrates Court today (September 9).
Darling Downs District Officer Superintendent Mark Kelly said the Queensland Police Service was committed to ensuring everyone complied with public health directions.
Officers in the Darling Downs District will continue to ensure everyone crossing the border is doing so legally and not putting the local community at risk by failing to comply with public health directions,” Superintendent Kelly said.
Providing false information on the Queensland Border Declaration or entering Queensland unlawfully could result in a $4,003 infringement or criminal charges.”
* The Queensland Police Service (QPS) has issued a 64-year-old man with a Notice to Appear (NTA) in court following investigations into a vessel which travelled from Victoria to Queensland last month.
The manager of the vessel was today issued with the NTA with police alleging the man breached the Public Health Act by providing false information to an emergency officer. 

NSW Police are also investigating.

Wednesday 9 September 2020

Are you sick & tired of the misinformation being aired by the Morrison Government and numerous COVID-19 conspiracy theorists? Well it seems the Australian Medical Association just might be


Australian Medical Association, media release, 6 September 2020:

AMA President Dr Omar Khorshid said extending COVID-19 restrictions across Victoria will help that State and the nation ultimately recover from the pandemic sooner. 

In response to Premier Daniel Andrew’s extension today of Victoria’s physical isolation measures, Dr Khorshid said the extended restrictions will also help quicken the path to economic recovery. 

“The Victorian Government has made necessary decisions based on sound medical advice, in the best interests of the nation’s health and the nation’s economy,” Dr Khorshid said. 

“The Victorian Government modelling shows what doctors already knew. If restrictions were lifted this week, the State would see infections rise again. 

“Some business leaders campaigning against isolation measures are ignoring medical evidence that easing restrictions too soon risks a third wave surge in further infections. 

“The fall in daily infections in Victoria proves current restrictions are working. Extending these restrictions best positions the economy for a sustainable long-term recovery. 


“Every Australian wants to see Victoria succeed in halting COVID-19, both for the health of us all and the long-term recovery of our economy. 

“The Premier has also flagged some changes to the curfew and extending the ability for outdoor exercise. These modest changes are sensible, but recognise the needs of social interaction for people living alone.” 

Dr Khorshid welcomed the further decline in infection of Victorian health care workers, and the benefit the extended restrictions will have in preventing health care worker infections. 

“Front line doctors, nurses, and aged carers have been working to keep Victorians alive as the pandemic has reached across the State,” Dr Khorshid said. 

“The extended restrictions will both help prevent further illness, and also take pressure off the strained Victorian hospital and aged care system,” Dr Khorshid concluded.

Tuesday 8 September 2020

Brooms Head Bowling Club makes decision to implement COVID-19 restrictions on entry into the club


Brooms Head Bowling & Recreation Club
IMAGE: Byron and Beyond - Steve Otton

Clarence Valley Independent, 1 September 2020:

In an effort to protect the elderly residents of their small village, the Brooms Head Bowling Club have made the decision to implement restrictions on entry to the club. 

Brooms Head is a popular tourist destination and the small village attracts visitors from around the state and interstate staying at the caravan park, Airbnbs, National Park camping grounds and other holiday rentals. With the closure of the Victorian border and clusters of COVID-19 cases on the rise around Sydney, the Bowling Club said that they are committed in doing their best to keep the club COVID-19 safe during this time. 

Office manager Robyn Mehrten said that they have had a lot of visitors to the club that they have had to turn away, due to having come from or reside in a COVID hot spot. 

“Most people are pretty good, but some haven’t been and the reason we’ve done it is because we want to protect our community and our elderly patrons who come here,” Robyn said. 

“It was a decision made by the management and board as well as the staff, to look after our community. 

“We come under Clubs NSW and the board are entitled to determine who can or can’t enter the club. Members are allowed to come in as long as they haven’t been to a (COVID) hot spot......

Monday 7 September 2020

Last Friday Scott Morrison pushed state and territory leaders to urgently ease border restrictions. He had mixed success.


This was Australian Prime Minster & Liberal MP for Cook Scott Morrison on his feet in the House of Representatives on Thursday, 3 September 2020:

“Australia was not meant to be closed. Australia was meant to be open. Australians want to see Australia become open, as the founding members of this place ensured it was from the outset, and Australia must become whole again. This is the way—that's what success looks like…...We need to ensure that we are clear with Australians that we will seek to make Australia whole again by Christmas this year” [Hansard, 3 September 2020, p.6]

The very next day he pushed state and territory leaders to urgently ease border restrictions. 

He had mixed success. West Australia refused to march to Morrison's drum, Tasmania said it would go its own way and the other states and territories agreed to consider coming to an agreement at some time in the coming months. None would consider opening their borders quickly. Nor have they yet agreed with Morrison's national definition of a COVID-19 "hot spot".

When it came to easing restrictions on cross-border travel for agricultural workers, Queensland, West Australia & Tasmania refused to participate in the model Morrison put forward, but agreed to observe how matters play out in the three other states to date which will have committed to participating in that scheme.

In response to the refusal to open borders quickly and refusal to agree to containment of affected populations within a state/territory based on area lockdowns instead of state/territory borders, Morrison informed the premiers and chief ministers that the National Cabinet would no longer be a consensus forum.

This is reportedly being interpreted by the states that he intends to change how the national cabinet operates. A case of 'I'm changing the rules so I don't get rolled' and giving himself permission to publicly attack those states or territories which disagree with him during national cabinet meetings.

Revising recent history, Morrison then told the world that there have been times during this pandemic he feared Australia would "break apart". Perhaps intending to raise fear levels in order to drive the national electorate towards agreement with whatever he has planned in the next few months.

Easing border restrictions is important to 'Scotty From Marketing' because he needs to brag about future increases in trade and consumption ahead of the October budget announcement in order to buttress his claim he has found a way out of the first recession in 29 years.


Because as it now stands the national figures below indicate October budget projections will likely be dismal.

Australian Bureau of Statistics, Australian National Accounts: National Income, Expenditure and Product, Jun 2020, Contribution to GDP growth, seasonally adjusted:

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has suffered its worst fall on record, household consumption, private capital formation exports are down, along with a terms of trade increase best described as slight.

While general government consumption is not looking that healthy either and appears an inadequate response in the current situation and, workers share of the national income is at a 61 year low.

The June Quarter 2020 GDP breakdown is:

Graph: ABC News, Stephen Letts







Interestingly, from March 2020 to June 2020 the states and territories showing the smallest falls in seasonally adjusted state final demand (combined consumption expenditure, public & private gross fixed capital formation) were those with the strongest border restrictions.

In other words, community confidence appears relatively higher in those populations behind strong borders.

For some reason Morrison appears to believe that if he bullies state premiers and territory chief ministers into opening borders before community transmission is contained, that any ensuing drawn-out increase in the national number of COVID-19 infections and deaths won't hold the Australian economy back.

He can't make it any clearer that he is willing to sacrifice lives in the mistaken belief that this will improve his own government's 2020 budget projections.

Even though government economic experts in Treasury and the Reserve Bank have on more than one occasion pointed out that stronger economic recovery is possible if faster progress in controlling the virus is achieved in the near term

It is only after faster progress is made in suppressing or eliminating the virus that a faster unwinding of activity restrictions and greater confidence will potentially lead to a faster recovery in consumption, investment and employment. 

A proposition that Morrison seems to find politically unpalatable - he prefers to  trample over the bodies of the coronavirus dead in his pursuit of another term as prime minister.

UPDATE

The verbal attack on Labor states begins on 5 & 6 September 2020 with the Initial Commonwealth response to Victorian Roadmap media release



Friday 4 September 2020

Mobile respiratory clinic heading to Maclean during the week beginning 7 September 2020 - bookings required for COVID-19 testing


Clarence Valley Independent, 2 August 2020:

The mobile respiratory clinic heading to Maclean during the week beginning September 7. 

The clinic will take place at the Maclean RSL Sub Branch at 38 River Street. 

For bookings, phone 1800 856 325 or visit www.bit.ly/casino-rc

Bookings for the Maclean clinic will be open from Thursday September 3. 

Anyone who develops who flu-like symptoms should not delay getting tested at one of the multiple testing clinics already established throughout the region. 

More information about this initiative can be found on our website at: https://nnswlhd.health.nsw.gov.au/blog/2020/07/03/testing-times-mobile-respiratory-clinic-hits-the-road/

Friday 28 August 2020

As if the NSW Northern Rivers doesn't have enough on its plate, here's Pete!



IMAGE: realestate.com.au
TV chef and wannabe social media 'influencer' Pete Evans has his two-level Malabar home (left) on the market again.

Word is that he is making his ten hectare Round Mountain Farm, near Pottsville, home base as he prepares to open a healing clinic in Byron Bay now that Channel 7 has apparently tired of his antics.

That's right readers, your eyes didn't deceive you, the man who peddled glorified light shows as preventatives against COVID-19 and was fined more than $25,000 by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) over false claims he made about the "BioCharger", wants to run an alternative healing business in The Habitat, Byron’s new commercial precinct which has reportedly attracted health and beauty outlets.

The same man who without any scientific or medical training gave alarmingly bad advice to osteoporosis sufferers and was publicly slammed by the Australian Medical Association.

Who promotes 'anti-vaxxer' sites as well as the debunked "Plandemic: Indoctrination" conspiracy film on social media and, suggests putting doTERRA essential oils in your chicken broth - regardless of the fact that these oils are rarely advised to be taken internally.

Finally, this is the man who thinks 'fat shaming' a woman is a fun thing to do on Facebook.

It seems that Evans may have sensed a vacancy, since former tennis coach and "esoteric healer" Serge Benhayon removed himself from the local spotlight after he spectacularly lost a defamation case in 2018 to the tune of an estimated $1.2 million payout to the respondent and then Universal Medicine was stripped of its Lismore Business Awards after a review by the Lismore Chamber of Commerce.

Wednesday 26 August 2020

I am one Yamba resident who is really incensed that these wealthy, self-entitled #COVIDIOTS placed my community at risk


I suspect that I am not the only Clarence Valley resident disturbed by this breach of COVID-19 public health orders.

Like others I am wondering why the Port Of Yamba, a first point of entry for vessels and certain goods, as determined under subsection 229(1) of the Biosecurity Act 2015 (Cth), a) did not restrict the "Lady Pamela" to an overnight only mooring within the formal limits of the port and prohibit crew or passengers from leaving the confines of the yacht or b) if mooring was for longer than overnight did not require passengers & crew to be tested for the virus.

The Sydney Morning Herald, 25 August 2020:

Melbourne millionaire Mark Simonds and his family face a two-week stay in hotel lockdown after the Queensland government revoked a quarantine exemption for their super-yacht Lady Pamela. 

The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald, in a joint investigation with A Current Affair, revealed the 30-metre vessel docked on the Gold Coast on Monday morning after slipping out of Melbourne on August 9 and stopping on at least five occasions as it sailed up the east coast. 

Mr Simonds, executive director of the ASX-listed Simonds Group, was joined on his 15-day jaunt by his wife, Cheryl, his youngest son Vallence and Hannah Fox, daughter of Linfox executive chairman Peter Fox. 

The Queensland government granted an exemption to the Lady Pamela on Sunday night to enter the state but on Tuesday afternoon that exemption was revoked after Queensland Health said it had received new information. 

"All seven people are now required to quarantine in a government-approved hotel for 14 days at their own expense," a Queensland Health spokesperson said. 

"Attempting to bypass or manipulate Queensland's border direction is unacceptable." Queensland Police had been provided with video evidence by A Current Affair, which revealed passengers and crew disembarking from the Lady Pamela in Yamba on August 21, which is understood to have breached the conditions of their exemption. 

The group, which also includes several crew members, were removed from the Lady Pamela by members of Queensland Police just before 7pm on Tuesday evening, before they boarded a mini-van.....

Since last Wednesday, the boat had been moored in an inlet in Yamba, on the NSW north coast, where the Simonds family were seen swimming in the Clarence River and drinking on deck, while a crew member was dispatched to bring supplies.


Marine Traffic, 26 August 2020:

Where is the ship?
Pleasure Craft LADY PAMELA is currently located at EAUS - East Australia at position 27° 51' 48.564" S, 153° 20' 20.76" E as reported by MarineTraffic Terrestrial Automatic Identification System on 2020-08-25 21:25 UTC (58 minutes ago)
The wind in this area at that time blows from North direction at force 0 Beaufort.

Where is this vessel going to?
The vessel is currently at port HOPE ISLAND, AU after a voyage of 2 days, 22 hours originating from port YAMBA, AU.

What kind of ship is this?
LADY PAMELA (MMSI: 503009200) is a Pleasure Craft and is sailing under the flag of Australia.
Her length overall (LOA) is 29 meters and her width is 7 meters.


Sunday 23 August 2020

How can you tell when Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison is spinning voters a line? He opens his mouth and speaks. How do you know when his decision is flawed? He announces it with a flourish.


It's hard to understand why Scott Morrison chooses to lie so often when he must know how easily he is caught out.

It is easier to understand why he is so frequently attracted to dubious characters - he is the type of overly confident self-important man who is often identified by such individuals as an easy 'mark'.

On the morning of Wednesday 19 August 2020……

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, media release, 19 August 2020:

Australians will be among the first in the world to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, if it proves successful, through an agreement between the Australian Government and UK-based drug company AstraZeneca.

Under the deal, every single Australian will be able to receive the University of Oxford COVID-19 vaccine for free, should trials prove successful, safe and effective…..

Scotty From Marketing played dress-ups to make his vaccine announcement
Mask & full lab coat
IMAGE: ABC News, 20 August 2020

ABCNews
, 19 August 2020:

Australians are a step closer to accessing a coronavirus vaccine for free, after the Federal Government secured a major international deal to produce a vaccine frontrunner locally, should trials succeed.

Amid rising pressure to lock in supply of a coronavirus vaccine, the Government has signed an agreement with UK-based drug company AstraZeneca to secure the potential COVID-19 vaccine developed by Oxford University, if its trials prove successful.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said if the vaccine succeeded, the Government would manufacture it immediately and make it free for all Australians.

"The Oxford vaccine is one of the most advanced and promising in the world, and under this deal we have secured early access for every Australian," he said……

In the evening of Wednesday 19 August 2020….

The Daily Telegraph, 19 August 2020: 

"Drug company AstraZeneca says Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s claim he has reached a deal to secure 25 million doses of the Oxford University vaccine is not true."

Then there is the pharmaceutical company Morrison named....

Corporate Research Project, 4 February 2017:

London-based pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca is the result of the 1999 merger of Britain’s Zeneca, a spinoff of the old Imperial Chemical Industries specializing in cancer medications, and Sweden’s Astra AB, which was best known for the ulcer and heartburn medication Prilosec. Since that deal, the combined company has been embroiled in numerous controversies over illegal marketing, product safety, anticompetitive behavior and tax avoidance. 

Advertising and Marketing Controversies 

In 2003 federal officials announced that AstraZeneca had pleaded guilty to criminal and civil charges relating to the illegal marketing of the prostate cancer drug Zoladex. The company agreed to pay $355 million, consisting of $64 million in criminal fines, a $266 million settlement of civil False Claims Act charges, and a $25 million settlement of fraud charges relating to state Medicaid programs. AstraZeneca, which agreed to enter into a corporate integrity agreement with the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, had been accused of giving illegal financial inducements such as grants and honoraria to physicians.

In 2004 a coalition of consumer groups filed suit against AstraZeneca in a California state court, arguing that advertising for the company’s acid reflux drug Nexium misled consumers into thinking that it was superior to AstraZeneca’s Prilosec. The company had introduced Nexium to replace Prilosec as the latter drug was losing its patent protection. The case, along with a related one filed in Massachusetts, is pending

Also in 2004, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found that AstraZeneca’s full-page newspaper advertisements defending the safety of its Crestor cholesterol medication were “false and misleading.” The warning letter sent by the agency to AstraZeneca took issue not only with what the company said about the drug but also the way it represented the FDA’s position on Crestor. 

In 2010 the U.S. Justice Department announced that AstraZeneca would pay $520 million to resolve allegations that it illegally marketed its anti-psychotic drug Seroquel for uses not approved as safe and effective by the FDA. Under the terms of the settlement, $302 million of the total was to go to the federal government and $218 million to state Medicaid programs. Among other things, the company was accused of having paid doctors to give speeches and publish articles (ghostwritten by the company) promoting those unapproved uses. AstraZeneca agreed to sign a corporate integrity agreement regarding its future behavior. In 2011 AstraZeneca settled a related Seroquel case brought by state governments by agreeing to pay another $69 million. 

Product Safety 

In 2002 AstraZeneca said it would put a more conspicuous warning label on its lung cancer drug Iressa after several patients in Japan suffered pneumonia and some died. 

In 2003 researchers at the University of Illinois-Chicago released the results of research concluding that AstraZeneca’s Seroquel and two other schizophrenia drugs made by other companies created an elevated risk for diabetes. Subsequently, more than 25,000 lawsuits were filed against the company. In 2010 the company said it would pay a total of $198 million to settle those cases. That same year, the UK’s Prescription Medicines Code of Practice Authority found that AstraZeneca had failed to adequately describe the risks of Seroquel in an advertisement for the drug in a medical journal. 

In 2004 the watchdog group Public Citizen urged the federal government to ban AstraZeneca’s new cholesterol drug Crestor because of evidence linking it to the life-threatening muscle condition rhabdomyolysis. Noting that the company had not submitted timely reports to the FDA on some two dozen serious adverse reactions to Crestor, Public Citizen also called for a criminal investigation of the company. A 2005 study performed at Tufts University found that Crestor users had more serious side effects than those taking other cholesterol drugs. 

Also in 2004, an FDA review of AstraZeneca’s new blood thinner Exanta questioned the safety and effectiveness of the drug.

Pricing and Anticompetitive Behavior

......In 2003 the European Commission accused AstraZeneca of misusing patent rules to shield its ulcer drug Losec (Prilosec in the United States) from generic competitors. The company was charged with having misstated the year the drug was introduced in order to make it eligible for an extension of its exclusivity rights. In 2005 the commission fined AstraZeneca 60 million euros, a penalty which was upheld by the European Court of Justice in 2012.

In 2007 a federal judge ruled in a national class action case that AstraZeneca and two other companies had to pay damages in connection with overcharging Medicare and private insurance companies. The judge singled out AstraZeneca for acting “unfairly and deceptively” in its pricing of prostate cancer drug Zoladex. AstraZeneca was later hit with a $12.9 million judgment. In 2010 AstraZeneca agreed to pay $103 million to settle a national lawsuit accusing the company of overcharging for Zoladex and Pulmicort Respules asthma medication.

In 2009 AstraZeneca was one of four drug companies that entered into a settlement agreement under which they agreed to pay a total of $124 million to settle charges that they violated the federal False Claims Act by failing to provide required rebates to state Medicaid programs. AstraZeneca’s share of the total settlement amount was $2.6 million.....

Read the full history of this company's behaviour here.