Rand Paul to target ‘COVID cover-up’ as head of Senate Homeland Security committee

Sen. Rand Paul will take over the chairmanship of the upper chamber’s Homeland Security Committee starting in January after two years as the panel’s top Republican — and he’s told The Post he wants to uncover the truth about the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I chose to chair this committee over another because I believe that, for the health of our republic, Congress must stand up once again for its constitutional role,” Paul (R-Ky.) said in an exclusive interview Wednesday. “This committee’s mission of oversight and investigations is critical to Congress reasserting itself.”

“I think we’re on the cusp of, really, the beginning of uncovering what happened with COVID,” the 61-year-old added.

After years of subpoenaing government agencies about research grants and funding related to the origins of the coronavirus, Paul believes his newfound power — coupled with a sympathetic president in the White House come Jan. 20 — will help promote transparency.

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Paul is attempting to pump the brakes on risky gain-of-function research.FeatureChina

“We are going to, hopefully, have a friendlier administration, and we’re hoping that there will be a friendly person at [the Department of Health and Human Services], and we’re hoping they’ll be friendly at [the National Institutes of Health],” he said.

Paul is also spearheading an effort to pass the Risky Research Review Act, which would pump the brakes on dangerous scientific work — like the gain-of-function research many believe created the virus which caused the worst global outbreak in a century.

“The biggest item of the COVID coverup is that for years, we’ve known there is this dangerous research,” said Paul, who added that he wants to ensure Americans are free to discuss such topics without fear of suppression by the government in tandem with social media companies.

Paul recalled being censored on YouTube for saying cloth masks don’t work against COVID-19 and Twitter’s censorship of The Post’s reporting on Hunter Biden’s laptop ahead of the 2020 election as examples of abuse of power by both the government and Big Tech.

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Senator Rand Paul is prioritizing free speech and immigration in his new role.MediaNews Group via Getty Images
“The idea that the government would pre-emptively be telling people not to publish things, to me, is horrendous,” he said. 

Paul’s next priority is overseeing border security and he has joined calls for President-elect Donald Trump to target convicted criminals already in the US illegally for an initial wave of deportations once he takes office Jan. 20.

The Kentuckian also wants Trump to reinstate his “Remain in Mexico” policy, which ordered asylum seekers to await the outcome of their cases south of the Rio Grande.

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Paul says that more transparency is needed in the government.Getty Images

“Most people don’t understand, myself included, why, if you’re illegally coming across a river in a boat or walking, you’re not just deposited back on the other side?” he asked rhetorically. “You’re breaking the law.”

Paul’s ultimate goal over the next two years is promoting openness in places that have been most resistant to it.

“We’re just scratching at the tip of the iceberg,” he told The Post. “Most of the [documents] we’ve been trying to get so far are non-classified. You can imagine what may be happening in our government or other governments.”

https://nypost.com/2024/11/14/us-news/rand-paul-to-target-covid-cover-up-as-head-of-senate-homeland-security-committee/

Trump can make America healthy again with these five agenda items

 The left is hysterical at the prospect of a Trump administration in charge of the nation’s health policy.

But life expectancy in the United States peaked in 2014 and has been shrinking nearly every year since then, an indicator that Americans’ health is declining — despite the trillions spent covering the uninsured.

Expanding insurance is not the panacea it was promised to be. 

Our health policy needs a shake-up.

Here’s what should be on the Trump agenda.

Focus on healthy eating to combat chronic disease. 

Trump’s controversial health adviser Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is targeting unhealthy eating, particularly processed foods.

He’s on to something. 

Findings in the journal “Nature/Food” suggest that switching from an unhealthy diet to a healthy one can add 8.9 years to a 40-year-old man’s life expectancy, and 8.6 years to a 40-year-old woman’s.

Anti-smoking campaigns reduced tobacco use from 40% of the adult population in 1969 to 11%.

The same can probably be done to change the dire American diet.

End mission confusion at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

That’s the advice of Trump’s inner health circle, including Drs. Scott Gottlieb and Joel Zinberg.

The CDC now makes woke issues its top priority. 

Meanwhile, it flubbed its response to the biggest disease threat of our lifetimes, COVID-19, as I documented in my book “The Next Pandemic.”

The CDC’s unscientific guidelines on masking, social distancing and vaccines were the basis for draconian assaults on people’s right to assemble and to keep their businesses open. 

Americans should be relieved to hear RFK Jr. swear it “will never happen again.”

CDC must act to reduce hospital infections. 

This stealth threat kills more Americans each year than breast cancer — 75,000  annually.  

If a previous occupant of a hospital bed had an infection, the risk that the next patient gets it soars 583%, Columbia School of Nursing researchers found. Inadequate cleaning is the reason.

Yet instead of imposing rigorous cleaning standards, the CDC helps hospitals hide outbreaks from the public.

You don’t want to be in a hospital overrun with a deadly germ, but CDC reports will only refer to it with a term like “hospital A,” preventing you from knowing. Outrageous. 

It’s an example of the cozy relationship between health companies and the government that RFK Jr. says he wants to clean up.

Make health insurance affordable. 

The price of health coverage — $25,500 for a family of four — is one of the public’s top worries, according to Pew Research. 

The expansion of Medicaid to 80 million recipients during the last decade is partly to blame.

Medicaid shortchanges hospitals, paying them 88 cents for every dollar of care delivered.  

Hospitals keep profits up by shifting unpaid Medicaid costs onto patients who get coverage through a job or buy it themselves. 

The bigger Medicaid gets, the higher premiums go. Something lefties will never tell you.

Republicans intend to rein in Medicaid enrollment, which will help everyone who pays for health insurance.

Close the border and tighten security at ports of entry. 

It’s the one reform that will yield the fastest health results — by halting the influx of contagious diseases, alleviating the crush of migrants in emergency rooms and interrupting the flow of fentanyl.

Drug deaths alone have cut overall US life expectancy by two-thirds of a year.

When a young addict is arrested or overdoses, desperate family members often fork over their life savings to unscrupulous addiction “recovery” outfits.

RFK Jr. has proposed a network of public “healing farms” where addicts can try to cure themselves and obtain skills for a sober life.

Any family who’s gone through this agony will say “what have we got to lose?”

Finally, concerns about RFK Jr.’s vaccine views are likely overblown. 

His vaccine skepticism has the public worried, for good reason: Mandated vaccinations have enabled the US to defeat polio, measles and other diseases.

Kennedy said this week, “We’re not going to take vaccines away from anybody.”

But you don’t have to take his word: Neither he nor Trump will have the power to eliminate childhood vaccinations.

The US Supreme Court ruled in 1905 that states have the authority to require vaccinations or not. Each state has its own vaccine mandates. 

During COVID, the court affirmed that precedent, striking down Biden’s proposed national vaccine mandate on employees of large companies. 

All in all, the left is frantically defending a public health status quo that gives us $25,000 premiums for family health coverage, declining lifespans, unfettered junk food, cover-ups of hospital dangers, and unpreparedness for the next germ threat.  

Trump’s health advisers insist we can do better.

I agree.

Betsy McCaughey is a former lieutenant governor of New York and co-founder of the Committee to Save Our City.

https://nypost.com/2024/11/13/opinion/trump-can-make-america-healthy-again-with-a-5-point-agenda/

OptimizeRx misses views on DTC busimness

 

• OptimizeRx Corp (NASDAQ:OPRX) reported a 30% year-over-year increase in revenue, reaching $21.3 million for the third quarter.

• The company achieved significant cost savings and operational efficiencies following the integration of acquired businesses.

• Strong growth was observed in the legacy HCP business, contributing positively to the company's bottom line and cash flow.

• The company's micro-neighborhood targeting solution is experiencing strong growth, with increased customer engagements.

• OptimizeRx Corp (NASDAQ:OPRX) has expanded its AI capabilities, enhancing its ability to integrate point-of-care and digital media solutions, which positions it well for future market share capture.

Negative Points

• Despite revenue growth, the company fell short of its expectations for the quarter due to a shortfall in the DTC side of the business.

• The transition from managed services to a self-service model in the DTC business has not yet offset the decline in managed services revenue.

• The acquisition of MediHealth posed challenges in capturing customer wallet share during the sales cycle.

• The company reported a net loss of $9.1 million for the quarter, impacted by a $7.5 million goodwill impairment charge.

• There is a reliance on the annual RFP cycle for the DTC business, which can lead to disruptions and dependency on successful cycles.

Q & A Highlights

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Q: Given the weakness in the Medex business during the quarter, are there any go-to-market changes being made specific to that asset? Also, are you shifting more management or sales focus to the legacy core business?A: (William Febbo, CEO) We have enhanced the Medex sales team to address the shift to a self-service model and coordinated marketing efforts to communicate this change. We believe that combining DTC and HCP will allow for more agile marketing decisions. The core business continues to receive investment, and we are seeing strong cross-sell efforts between the two segments.

 The sales pipeline appears strong with new DAP contracts and significant client engagements. Does this provide over $40 million in visibility for 2025? What type of growth would you be satisfied with for 2025?A: (William Febbo, CEO) Yes, the visibility is strong, and we have multiple enterprise-level discussions ongoing. We are not ready to provide specific 2025 guidance yet, but the visibility and pipeline growth are encouraging.

Q: Can you provide more details on the four clients expected to generate over $10 million each next year? How do these contracts perform from a margin perspective, and are there upfront costs?A: (Steve Silvestro, President) These are client-level spends, not single contracts, with the majority being HCP business. They involve upfront costs similar to our DAP model, with a shift towards more subscription-based components to smooth revenue and make it more predictable.

Q: With the shift to a self-service model in the DTC business, should we expect headwinds in revenue growth for 2025? How will this impact margins?A: (William Febbo, CEO) The self-service model offers better margins than managed services, though it may not fully offset the decline in managed services in the short term. We believe this is a better business model, especially as DTC and HCP converge, and we are well-positioned for future growth.

Q: Regarding the self-service model, who are you competing against, and do you need to invest further to scale this business?A: (William Febbo, CEO) We have already made the necessary investments in team and technology. Our focus is on execution. We stand out with dynamic, compliant audiences and the integration of DTC and HCP, which gives us a competitive edge.

For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/optimizerx-corp-oprx-q3-2024-071520637.html

Medicare to adjust disputed Star Ratings measure: Bloomberg News

 Biden administration plans to adjust Medicare Star Ratings System, so as to lower the impact of call center scores amid lawsuits by managed care companies.

https://seekingalpha.com/news/4289550-medicare-to-adjust-disputed-star-rating-measure

Moleculin Accelerates Readout for Phase 3 R/R Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) Pivotal Trial

 Amended protocol accelerates unblinding of preliminary primary efficacy data (CR) and safety/tolerability of the three arms at first 45 subjects

Company remains on track for first subject treated in pivotal, adaptive Phase 3 clinical trial (the "MIRACLE" trial) in the first quarter of 2025

Company releases Virtual Investor "What This Means" segment discussing the amended protocol; Available here

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/moleculin-accelerates-planned-unblinded-data-readout-for-miracle-phase-3-rr-acute-myeloid-leukemia-aml-pivotal-trial-to-h2-2025-302305597.html

Banks to Pitch Roughly €11 Billion Buyout Debt Deal for Grifols

 Banks are getting ready to submit final offers to Brookfield Asset Management for a debt package of about €11 billion ($11.6 billion) to back the take-private of Spanish pharmaceutical producer Grifols SA.

Lenders are preparing to send final proposals next week, with the expectation that a bank group will be appointed by the end of the month, according to several people familiar with the process, who asked not to be named because the matter is private.

The final debt package will include leveraged loans and high yield bonds, denominated in euros and dollars in order to tap into as much liquidity as possible. There will also be an undrawn revolving credit facility, the people said.

While it’s normal for a certain amount of back-and-forth to take place before banks are appointed, the Grifols deal has taken an unusually long time to complete. Lenders have grown frustrated by the number of proposals and Brookfield’s due diligence process, the people said. It’s now likely that financing will be agreed to this year and sold on to investors next year if the deal goes ahead.

Strong Competition

Including debt, the deal will likely rank as the biggest takeover of a publicly traded European company since at least 2022, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. It’s expected to attract strong competition among banks due to a recent dearth of M&A financings. A massive 22 banks got involved in an €8.65 billion debt financing backing a stake purchase in drugmaker Sanofi, which is likely to come to market next year.

Brookfield said earlier this year that it, along with the founding family which owns more than a third of the firm, was interested in taking the Spanish drugmaker private.

Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs are sellside advisers in the Grifols deal, the people said, while Lazard is advising Brookfield and the founding family. Spokespeople at Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, Lazard, Brookfield and Grifols declined to comment.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/banks-pitch-roughly-11-billion-083639441.html