Taxpayers Paid Millions to Design a Low-Cost Ventilator for a Pandemic. Instead,
the Company Is Selling Versions of It Overseas.
Capitalism -- nothing personal, just business. Sometimes a bloody business.
But hey, what capitalists ever said they give a fuck about you?
Five years ago, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services tried to plug a crucial hole in its preparations for a global pandemic, signing a $13.8 million contract with a Pennsylvania manufacturer to create a low-cost, portable, easy-to-use ventilator that could be stockpiled for emergencies.
This past September, with the design of the new Trilogy Evo Universal finally cleared by the Food and Drug Administration, HHS ordered 10,000 of the ventilators for the Strategic National Stockpile at a cost of $3,280 each.
But as the pandemic continues to spread across the globe, there is still not a single Trilogy Evo Universal in the stockpile.
There isnt a single one of Trilogy Evo Universals ventilators in the US stockpile.
Last Friday, President Donald Trump invoked the Defense Production Act to compel General Motors to begin mass-producing another companys ventilator under a federal contract. But neither Trump nor other senior officials made any mention of the Trilogy Evo Universal. Nor did HHS officials explain why they did not force Philips to accelerate delivery of these ventilators earlier this year, when it became clear that the virus was overwhelming medical facilities around the world.
An HHS spokeswoman told ProPublica that Philips had agreed to make the Trilogy Evo Universal ventilator as soon as possible. However, a Philips spokesman said the company has no plan to even begin production anytime this year.
Another "fuck you got mine" American corporation. Add their name to the list.
https://www.motherjones.com/coronavirus-updates/2020/04/taxpayers-paid-millions-to-design-a-low-cost-ventilator-for-a-pandemic-instead-the-company-is-selling-versions-of-it-overseas/?fbclid=IwAR0zxhkrrFW3YDFJ7mMnBB-s7UYITt4RsljGjTMUojN1IdQllYOQ_aKuohA