Curses! You vile SHKRELI! An Improved Epithet

 

 The range of human kindness can be demonstrated by consideration of Jonas Salk on one end of the range and Martin Shkreli on the other.  Salk discovered the polio vaccine and chose not to patent it or seek any profit from it.  This maximized its global distribution.  He gave it away free. 

 

Shkreli made millions of dollars in a hedge fund by cheating his investors; took the money, bought a drug company, and promptly raised the price of its life saving product by a factor of 15.  He did a similar thing with two other drugs he obtained the rights to.  He was convicted of securities fraud (ripping off sick people is one thing, but stealing money from rich people is serious). 

He is currently in prison.  There is also a “Shkreli award”.  It is bestowed annually on the worst, asshole, jerk rip-off artist that can be found.

 

The Shkreli Awards, named for the infamous “pharma bro” Martin Shkreli, are awarded by the Lown Institute each year to perpetrators of the ten most egregious examples of profiteering and dysfunction in health care. “Winners” are judged by a panel of clinicians, health policy experts, journalists, and patient advocates.   Jim Baker (formerly of the religious scam: Praise the Lord) is a current “winner”.

Have you been "BAKERD lately?