Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the final moment when he remarkably survived a Senate Finance Committee vote on the confirmation of a doctor, Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) secretary for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Flip to support. The billionaires were enthusiastic. “Yay!!! Healthcare transformation is beginning,” Dr. Patrick wrote to Dr. Soon-Shiong on X. “The state needed this on behalf of the patients.”
It says he met Kennedy a few months ago and was fascinated by his views on the health system. Dozens of posts on Soon-Shiong social media promote Kennedy. Even in December, he marvels at his pull-up skills. “My 70-year-old couldn’t do that!” the doctor squeals.
Soon-Shiong also owns the Los Angeles Times, and like many media moguls these days, he has used the platform to use something that feels comfortable with the Trump administration, including articles that are critical of Trump. did. In December, he blocked an editorial denounced Trump’s cabinet choice. Last week, the newspaper was accused of “distorting” the typical critical criticism of Kennedy by adding positive headlines and cutting out some of the more negative commentary. (The full OP-ED can be read here.) SOON-SHIONG promoted OP-ED as if it were in favor of Kennedy, and later commissioned a wide-positive new OP-ED about the candidates. I did.
More on David Dayen
Dr. Soon-Shiong argues that he simply supports evidence-based healthcare and improved health outcomes for all Americans. However, he has a clear economic interest in wanting allies in key health policy-making positions.
Immunitybio, a biotechnology company founded by Soon-Shiong, has three drug uses before the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Billionaire scientists may think fostering relationships with the next HHS secretary will smooth out the path to approving high-cost cancer treatments for use in the US .
In its first term, the Trump administration showed a willingness to politicize decision-making across government, especially when media figures were involved. Soon-Shiong appears to be trying to avoid that potential barrier to his outstanding FDA approval by boosting Kennedy.
No contact information for Immunitybio and The Los Angeles Times, nor requests to interview Dr. Soon-Shiong were returned.
On January 15th, ImmunityBio announced “significant advancements” in its ongoing discussion with the FDA on 2025 clinical development. The biotechnology company will submit a supplemental biology license application for immunotherapy treatments for bladder cancer. The FDA approved the Anktiva Plus Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) in April last year after previously rejecting it. However, supplementary licenses add signs of nipples and increase the number of patients who can use treatment.
Additionally, the company will jointly submit regulatory submissions with the Serum Institute of India to expand the availability of BCGs, which is lacking in Immunobio State. The drug is manufactured in India separately from the existing processes of Immunobio, which requires additional FDA approval. Finally, Immunitybio hopes to submit an Anktiva biology license application as a second-line treatment for patients with non-small cell lung cancer taking a checkpoint inhibitor, a type of immunotherapy. ImmunityBio is conducting ongoing phase 3 trials for Anktiva and these checkpoint inhibitors.
Listed as Immunobio’s Executive Chairman and Global Chief Medical and Scientific Director, Dr. Soon-Shiong, cited in the publication, “prolonging overall survival without the toxicity of immunotherapy,” and “great possibilities…” I did.
The combination of FDA approvals that Soon-Shiong’s company is sought by places from a different perspective on his vocal support for Kennedy and the use of the newspapers he owns in his efforts. Eric Reinhart, author of critical Kennedy Op-Ed, changed by the LA Times, told me he considers pending approval a factor in his situation. “I strongly doubt – I can’t prove it, but even if the editors of the LA Times wrote to me to apologize for what happened, I was surprised by the changes that were not approved for them either. “I said it was soon changed to my Open and his conflict of interest was a major factor,” Reinhart told prospects.
Dr. Soon-Shiong admits to speaking personally with Kennedy, but it is unclear whether FDA approval came up in the conversation. It would be a cynical development when you consider how Kennedy is making his voice out of his pharma company over vaccines and other treatments.
During Trump’s first term, the media owner, who oversaw important coverage at the outlet, was targeted in a rather brave way. Two examples are the administration’s challenge to the merger of AT&T and Time Warner (CNN’s parent company) and the denial of a military cloud agreement with Amazon, where founder Jeff Bezos owns the Washington Post. In both cases, evidence of Trump’s personal involvement was revealed. He particularly asked then Economic Council Director Gary Cohn to block the AT&T Time Warner contract and instructed the Secretary of Defense to review the cloud contract after Amazon appears to receive it. I did.
Media owners have been taught that tilting coverage to the president is a good way to get away from his cross. Dr. Soon-Shiong’s support for Kennedy fits this pattern by intervening in reporting LA Times’ opinions to overturn Anti-Trump messaging.
The Times says that Reinhart Op-Ed adhered to the usual process of obtaining permission from the author for editing the work to the body of the work. However, Reinhart argues that the headline is at odds with his intended meaning, with a reduction in stronger passages of opposition.
“If RFK Jr. has his way, we’re literally struggling with the consequences that generations will come in both the US and the world,” says Reinhart. “However, despite Pat’s perception of this reality, money, and the power and attention it brings, he is unable to satisfy himself, particularly regardless of how many deaths it causes in the process. A strong motivation for a billionaire. For Pat, that may be all that matters.”
