Small Pox
Ronald Owen Perelman (born January 1, 1943) is an American businessman. Through his company MacAndrews & Forbes Holdings Inc. , he has invested in various companies in grocery, cigar, licorice, makeup, car, photography, television, camping, security, lottery, jewelry, banks, and the American comic book industry. Mr.
Ronald Perelman
Tecovirimat ( ST-246 ) is an antiviral with activity against orthopoxviruses such as smallpox and is currently undergoing clinical trials. It was previously owned by Viropharma and discovered in collaboration with scientists at USAMRIID . It is currently owned and is synthesized by SIGA Technologies, a drug development company in the biodefense arena. It works by blocking cellular transmission of the virus, thus preventing the disease.
Tecovirimat - Wikipedia
U.S. government health officials involved in negotiating a contract for a smallpox antiviral were taken aback by the high drug price sought by a pharmaceutical company whose leading shareholder has links to the Democratic Party and the Obama administration, CNN reported on Friday (see GSN, Nov. 28). SIGA Technologies in May received a single-bid $443 million contract to manufacture 1.7 million doses of the smallpox drug ST-246 for inclusion in the Strategic National Stockpile. The New York-based pharmaceutical firm's top shareholder is Ronald Perelman, a wealthy fundraiser for the Democratic Party and supporter of President Obama.
Firm Sought "Overwhelming" Profit For Smallpox Drug