Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

How an Online Pharmacy Sold Millions Worth Of Dubious COVID-19 Drugs — While Patients Paid the Price
Time ^ | 13 October 2021 | VERA BERGENGRUEN

Posted on 10/15/2021 1:31:00 AM PDT by blueplum

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the network of pharmacies run by businessmen Alpesh and Manish Patel was struggling...One top executive had previously been convicted for his role in running a national opioid pill mill; two others, including Manish Patel himself, were barred from doing business with federal health-care programs due to allegations ranging from racketeering to conspiracy to paying illegal kickbacks.

But then the pandemic presented an opportunity: loosened rules for telehealth and long-distance prescription writing combined with massive demand for unproven COVID-19 treatments could mean big money. And the Patels soon capitalized.

First, they were able to take advantage of an influx of cash from the federal government. Between the start of the pandemic in March 2020 and April 2021, companies registered to the Patels received at least $7 million in loans from the federal government’s Paycheck Protection Program...

Ravkoo often charged patients exorbitant prices for these COVID-19 “wonder drugs."...hundreds of patients were left in the lurch...Sometimes the medication never arrived. Many people reported desperately trying to reach Ravkoo as they or their family members grew sicker waiting for the medication rather than going to a doctor. ...

... “The pharmacist said that the dosage they requested [21 mg] was high enough to kill me” based on guidelines for his body weight, Matthews told TIME....

(Excerpt) Read more at time.com ...


TOPICS: Chit/Chat; Health/Medicine
KEYWORDS: afld; brandonsnewspuppets; corsi; covid; dirtypharmacies; ivermectin; ivermectin2; ivermectinaswell; ivermectinscam; letsgobrandon; mailordermeds; manishpatel; pandemicprofiteers; ravkoo; scamartists; slime; slimemagazine; time; timemagazine; verabergengruen; waronivermectin
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-49 next last
how does someone banned from doing business with the fed govt get $7 million in PPP loans?

Why did AFLD associate themselves with Patel?

why did Jerome Corsi associate himself with Patel?

who got kickbacks? and how much?

what was the extent of the overcharging? and what are the penalties for pricegouging prescription medications?

how many people were prescribed the wrong strength?

how many people's conditions worsened waiting for a return call as to where their ordered medication was?

1 posted on 10/15/2021 1:31:00 AM PDT by blueplum
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

>> Dubious COVID-19 drugs

... the GOAT of ambiguity.


2 posted on 10/15/2021 1:36:56 AM PDT by Gene Eric (Don't be a statist!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Gene Eric

an authors use of descriptives, doesn’t negate the facts of the article, which do not paint a very pretty picture of this particular mail order death merchant, to add my own descriptive

Scamming a 20yo who doesn’t need a drug is just opportunistic theft. On the level of pick pocketing. But scamming a 50yo or 60yo who has been led to believe in a certain drug over and above vaccination (or monoclonals), and who delays treatment waiting on a prescription that never comes or that is too expensive to fill, or that arrives too late in the disease process to matter, is plain sadistic.


3 posted on 10/15/2021 1:53:14 AM PDT by blueplum ("...this moment is your moment: it belongs to you... " President Donald J. Trump, Jan 20, 2017) )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: blueplum; Gene Eric
And with the help of a $173,733 PPP loan, it would soon become a key player in a booming industry that fills telemedicine prescriptions for bogus COVID-19 treatments like ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine through a partnership with America’s Frontline Doctors (AFLD), a controversial right-wing political group.
As I suspected.

This article is utter and complete bullshit!
4 posted on 10/15/2021 1:54:46 AM PDT by SoConPubbie (Mitt and Obama: They're the same poison, just a different potency)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Gene Eric

When I read dubious COVID-19 drug, I just assumed this was about remdesivir. The sad part is that remdesivir is much more expensive than the “dubious drugs” that work and remdesivir doesn’t help with CoVID and kills many that it is given to,


5 posted on 10/15/2021 1:56:51 AM PDT by Marcell
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: SoConPubbie
This article is utter and complete (Brandon)!

As predictable as the sun rising in the east, especially considering the source.

6 posted on 10/15/2021 2:12:25 AM PDT by Fresh Wind (You are not a horse, you are not a cow. Seriously, y'all. Stop it.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: blueplum
But scamming a 50yo or 60yo who has been led to believe in a certain drug over and above vaccination (or monoclonals), and who delays treatment waiting on a prescription that never comes or that is too expensive to fill, or that arrives too late in the disease process to matter, is plain sadistic.

——————————————-
It would be nice if we lived in a world where most physicians were not denying early,safe and effective early treatment. That denial of early treatment has killed hundreds of thousands of Americans, the most significant mass murder event in US history.
Don't save all your outrage for a pharmacy profiteering off of it.
You think Gilead,Pfizer.Moderna,J&J are not profiteering.

I wish they would mail the pills at at cost,
I also wish all pharmacists would do the right thing and fill doctors prescriptions.

My personal experience was my prescription arrived timely, but it was more expensive than Walgreens.

No one should delay monoclonal antibody treatment if they can get it waiting on a mail in prescription.

7 posted on 10/15/2021 2:17:22 AM PDT by Marcell
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: SoConPubbie; Jane Long

Ping. We should have seen this coming.


8 posted on 10/15/2021 2:18:03 AM PDT by FreedomPoster (Islam delenda est)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: Marcell

wait..is remdisiver on the ‘naughty list’?

It looked pretty good in phase 3 - 87% recovery in high risk if given early (that’s better than Regeneron monoclonals btw) and 5 days off recovery if given late

https://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/data-shows-remdesivir-reduces-risk-of-covid-19-hospitalization-gilead-sciences-says

https://www.gilead.com/news-and-press/press-room/press-releases/2021/9/veklury-remdesivir-significantly-reduced-risk-of-hospitalization-in-highrisk-patients-with-covid19


9 posted on 10/15/2021 2:27:08 AM PDT by blueplum ("...this moment is your moment: it belongs to you... " President Donald J. Trump, Jan 20, 2017) )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: blueplum

Keep in mind, if you have symptoms. Do not delay early treatment waiting on the mail unless you have exhausted all alternatives. There are online doctors that will electronically submit your prescription to a local pharmacy.
This virus is a killer. Early treatment is essential.
So essential, having the early treatment medications also prescribed for prevention in your medicine cabinet before you have symptoms would be a wise choice. Still get the monoclonal antibodies if available.


10 posted on 10/15/2021 2:33:34 AM PDT by Marcell
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Marcell

I agree. Pills at cost or a nominal 10% or 15% add-on even, is reasonable and people wouldn’t question it. But during a pandemic it should be the same as selling water in a earthquake - no price gouging and no funny business.

That’s why I like J&J vaccine because it’s $10 which seems a more honest price than Pfitzer’s $27. And why I like monoclonals because for now they’re free and they keep most people out of the hospital. And that’s great for everyone since ins. companies are starting to charge again.


11 posted on 10/15/2021 2:36:16 AM PDT by blueplum ("...this moment is your moment: it belongs to you... " President Donald J. Trump, Jan 20, 2017) )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: blueplum

Remdesivir has killed more people than it has helped.


12 posted on 10/15/2021 2:38:07 AM PDT by Marcell
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: SoConPubbie
This article is utter and complete bullshit!

So is anything in the article truthful or correct?

13 posted on 10/15/2021 2:46:46 AM PDT by Fury
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: Gene Eric

And the propaganda goes on...

Zinc supplements and hydroxychloroquine are effective, as is ivermectin. Not “dubious” in the least. But considering the prices charged for the “approved” drugs, this is providing a virtual black market for these other treatments, which are, for the most part, available through back channels from a number of sources, for self-treatment and administration. The true evil lies in not having access to these treatments and prophylaxis through normal channels, in order to justify Emergency Use Authorization for the mRNA COVID-19 Wuhan virus vaccines, and remdesivir, an antiviral drug that has so far proven LESS effective than ivermectin, yet is vastly more expensive for treatment.

There is a strong movement to SHORTEN average life spans of a goodly portion of the world population, in an attempt to make something of an impact on total world population. Considering the really serious side effects of the mRNA vaccines no available, the death toll from the treatment is more pernicious than simple death tools from the COVID-19 virus infections.

Combining the death tool from COVID-19 virus with other comorbidities is just a trick of bad bookkeeping, claiming that people died from the COVID-19 virus rather than from the comorbidity. Most of these people died WITH the virus, but not directly because of it. That and delaying any treatment until the infection had become very deep-seated in the lung tissue, and the resulting inflammation provided the necessary margin for death.

Monoclonal antibodies, hydroxychloroquine-zinc-azithromycin protocols, and ivermectin work very well, IF they are provided in a timely manner, before the disease has progressed to its later stages. Early treatment is the key for those instances where the disease is about to precipitate a deadly lung infection, but most people recover with little more than bed rest and a mild analgesic like aspirin, in a matter of two or three days. Some might not even realize they HAD the infection.

The only real test is to analyze blood serum for presence of the COVID-19 antibodies. This nasal swab method is almost totally ineffective and irrelevant in detecting the presence or absence of the COVID-19 virus, with its many false positives, and inability to detect differences between the various specific coronavirus particles.


14 posted on 10/15/2021 2:50:14 AM PDT by alloysteel ("Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity." - Hanlon's Razor)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: blueplum

This article is a vague attack on the cheap & easy cures for Covid.


15 posted on 10/15/2021 3:18:38 AM PDT by UnwashedPeasant (The pandemic we suffer from is not COVID. It is Marxist Democrat Leftism.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: alloysteel

“There is a strong movement to SHORTEN average life spans of a goodly portion of the world population, in an attempt to make something of an impact on total world population.”

___________

A fully justified conclusion based on the totality of the relevant information since March 2020.

Reading this sentence you wrote and considering the truth of it, and the ramifications arising out of this situation, one’s mind boggles at the brazen cruelty of it all.


16 posted on 10/15/2021 3:22:40 AM PDT by one guy in new jersey
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: SoConPubbie

ever ask yourself, self, if they had 7 million in PPP loans, why did they need such a specific number as $173,733 to ‘partnership’ with AFLD??

It’s little odd things like that which get my spidey senses going. And I really don’t like the idea this dude’s shell companies were pimping opiods, scamming TriCare and ripping off medicare patients, either. Doesn’t matter what he’s selling, a scammer doesn’t change his spots. I’ll be right in front applauding when they finally put this clown behind bars where he belongs.

If you get sick and can’t get what you need from a local pharmacy, don’t wait on a mailman. Be proactive about your own well being and health. Grab a good book and carry your self to the nearest monoclonal center and relax.


17 posted on 10/15/2021 3:58:22 AM PDT by blueplum ("...this moment is your moment: it belongs to you... " President Donald J. Trump, Jan 20, 2017) )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: blueplum

I am not an idiot.

Monoclonals work. Remdisavir does not. Invermectin has strong prophylactic effects and mitigates the disease to a degree. An ionophore like hydroxy and supplemental zinc along with boosted vitamin D also seem to mitigate the disease but with less certainty.

The vaxes are leaky and encourage the spread of vax evading mutations. Vaxes do not slow, but rather speed the spread because viral loads between vaxed and unvaxed are similar, and someone not feeling ill with high viral load is the definition of super spreader. In addition the vax immunity effects wane in less than 6 months. The jury is still out on ADE for the vax, but there is some concerning data.

There is no long term data on what the spike protein does to the body, and short term the data points to clotting issues and heart inflammation.

Natural immunity is vastly superior to vax immunity because it is not just a particular variant of the spike protein immunity the body produces, rather every part of the virus, its protein coat and the spike and natural processes regulate the immunity which have evolved over billions of years since the inception of life.

Those are the facts.


18 posted on 10/15/2021 5:05:01 AM PDT by LesbianThespianGymnasticMidget
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]

To: Marcell

I just found out that Costco will fill ivermectin scripts - from a co-worker who filled his script there. Not on insurance - and a bit pricey.

Wonder what Costco would say if someone mentioned that that price might be price-gouging? TEXAS takes a dim view of that...


19 posted on 10/15/2021 5:05:46 AM PDT by RebelTXRose (Our Lady of Fatima, Pray for us! PRAY THE ROSARY!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: SoConPubbie

And with the help of a $173,733 PPP loan, it would soon become a key player in a booming industry that fills telemedicine prescriptions for bogus COVID-19 treatments like ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine through a partnership with America’s Frontline Doctors (AFLD), a controversial right-wing political group.

As I suspected.

Bingo. This is a hit piece by the corporate establishment against a pharmacy that fulfilled orders for Ivermectin.

The elites want to cut off all possibility of alternative treatment for Covid except the shots.


20 posted on 10/15/2021 5:08:23 AM PDT by Flick Lives (The future is a quiet world)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-49 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson