There is no doubt that the Government has used fear in its campaign both to garner votes and now to pay for those votes. Here's an even better list to consider: let's compare the money spent on new weapons development such as F-22 Raptor, missile defence, etc., with Federal dollars spent on alternative energy research. I'll wager the ratio will be staggering.

"I love one of the words it uses: bavituximab. What the....?"

The writer looked to Wikipedia for research on the topic. Reminds me of forth grade when I began my papers with "Websters dictionary defines xxxx as ...."
Enterprising minds may want to look further than just Wikipedia. Try here for a step up on a forth grader. http://www.peregrineinc.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=30&Itemid=46.

What Bavituximab does is it binds to the type of phospholipid membrane that is normally only found on the inner part of the membrane.

This means that any disturbed cells, like cancer cells, and any enveloped virus (lassa fever, ebola, HIV, CMV, Rift, etc) will be targeted and tagged by the Bavituximab antibody.

Bavituximab is currently in a number of trials on different viruses. It's been investigated for at least 4 years as an antiviral drug. This grant from the DTRA shows high confidence by the US governmnent in this antibody.

It's also in trials against cancer-- breast cancer, small-cell lung cancer and others, if I remember correctly. The fact that it binds to abnormal cell membranes means that it can be paired with conventional chemo agents to wipe out metastases, among other things.

Bavituximab has also been shown to have very few side effects, even in massive doses.

No matter what you think of our dear Gov, and the Bush administration in particular, emerging viruses are something that we should be spending resources in order to fight. Keep in mind the possible benefits to humanity, and then contrast this grant with the TRILLION DOLLARS we will have spent by the end of this bloody, futile war in Iraq.

Last poster may be an insider - NCB could stand for Nuclear and Chemical and Biological Defense Programs and is DTRA's parent organization at the OSD level. They are also the folks that provide policy guidance for programs to DTRA. Full disclosure is a wonderful thing.

I vote we isolate the whole White House organized crime mob and use them to test these drugs. For free. Evil Dick Cheney goes first.

Can I hear an AMEN?

From inside the medical profession, the developing relations between pharmaceutical companies and government agencies has a slightly different, though no less sinister cast. Emphasis on the business aspects of drug production and the associated slight of service-to-humanity aspects, raises even further the suspicions of almost everything Pharma says and does. Using the obscenely naive (or is it just stupid) idea that a simple military approach to the highly complex social processes that produced terrorism and its offshoot pseudophilosophies for reducing costs of testing and even generating profits for a drug company looks like one of those strange occurances of a tiny bit of good unleashed by a flight of evil.
And, by the way, you did know that we go to medical school for four long years primarily to learn how to pronounce all those weird words, like bavituximab, didn't you?

Bizarro World of Superman comics fame was saner than what we have on this planet because it is no measure of mental health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society. Anybody know of a way off this planet other than dying? Has anyone ever been to Roswell, NM and met a real, live space alien with a flying saucer who would be willing to take me to another solar system (one way)in exchange for a car stereo eight track tape player, in excellent working condition, that i purchased recently at a flea market? comes with a dozen tapes; Montovani, Mitch Miller, Henry Miller, The Mills Brothers, Roger Wiliams, Andy Williams, Ted Williams, "Mork" Williams, the college "Williams", and i'll throw in a vintage campaign button that says; "Win with Wilkie".

Compare RX costs in US vs.tremendous lower costs in Canada. One example cited here,
Quinine costing $418.00 a month vs. $65.00
for a 3 and 1/3 months supply of Quinine from Canada. Shocking isn't it? Not only are US oil profits runaway so are our Pharmacy costs.

Most of what is said here as a response and including the article are basically ignorant of the scientific facts. The science is 'amazing'!!!! But, because it could be the next SOC, the competition is nervous!!! First learn the truth of the facts before expressing an opinion. This science really does have a break through!

I dearly hope bavituximab is available 'if' I should ever need it. As well for those I love who didn't have it's availability... we can only hope for the future. And that the greed will not have permission to prevent it.

Today and going forward, we should be veeerryy suspicious of anything our government does. History has proven that things are run only for the benefit of the elite--global corporations and bankers. This could be just another ruse for big pharma (elite corporations) profit or it could have some medical value, but who knows if it will benefit citizens in general. The benefits may be kept just for the elite.