In a striking revelation, New York Attorney General Leticia James was made aware of a conspiracy to stifle life-saving pharmaceutical treatments back in 2019, yet she opted to disregard credible warnings from whistleblower Patrick Girondi in favor of pursuing her politically charged case against Donald Trump.
Girondi, a long-time advocate for a beta thalassemia cure, began his fight after his two-year-old son, Rocco, was diagnosed with this debilitating disease, which severely impacts hemoglobin production.
A pioneer in gene therapy, Girondi has worked on treatments not only for beta thalassemia but also for sickle-cell anemia, a condition that disproportionately affects the Black community.
Despite presenting compelling evidence to James regarding the suppression of these crucial treatments, she chose to divert her focus toward building a case against Trump, turning a blind eye to the corporate corruption that prevents access to essential medications for vulnerable populations across New York.
THE BACKSTORY
Girondi’s journey began when his son Rocco was diagnosed with beta thalassemia, a condition that came with a grim prognosis of not living beyond 14 years old.
Today, Rocco requires blood transfusions every 18 days and takes a daily regimen of ten pills to prevent toxic iron accumulation in his blood and organs, all while the potential cure remains suppressed from him and countless others in need.
After his son’s diagnosis, Girondi unexpectedly emerged as a trailblazer in gene therapy—a field once dismissed as “science fiction” during the 1990s and early 2000s.
His remarkable advancements captured the attention of industry giants, leading to a protracted legal battle with Bluebird Bio and the Sloan Kettering Institute (SKI), both of which sought to stifle his groundbreaking work.
Girondi’s firm, Errant Gene Therapeutics, has claimed in court filings that they were coerced into revealing crucial details about a promising treatment to SKI, only to have their work overshadowed by Bluebird Bio’s more lucrative option.
In 2010, Girondi provided SKI with an important vector under the assumption it would expedite the treatment’s progress to clinical trials. Instead, SKI buried his research in favor of a more expensive therapy offered by Bluebird Bio, leading Girondi to suspect that the appointment of a new CEO at SKI with financial ties to Bluebird marked the beginning of his troubles.
Dr. Craig B. Thompson presided over SKI from 2010 to 2022 and had significant connections to Third Rock Ventures, the venture capital group backing Bluebird. Court proceedings have repeatedly sided with Girondi, who was disparaged as delusional by corporate insiders.
Bluebird itself admitted in a 2010 presentation that partnering with SKI effectively “eliminates the most threatening competitor.”
Further emails revealed a concerning narrative of a “need to shut… down” Girondi’s work. Here, greed paints the picture: Bluebird Bio escalated the treatment price from $750,000-$800,000, the amount proposed by Girondi’s firm, to an eye-watering $3.1 million per patient.
As Girondi’s therapy was suppressed, Bluebird Bio was able to accrue immense profits at the expense of patients who are left to suffer or face financial ruin. Girondi has labeled the corporate executives he encountered as “criminal insider traders,” encapsulating a familiar tale in today’s era of corporate dominance over regulatory bodies.
In an environment riddled with convoluted regulations, innovation is stifled, while Big Pharma’s profit margins swell, leaving little recourse for those wronged within the system.
“Overall, [the pharmaceutical industry] operates like a criminal organization. There’s a financial incentive for the industry to target vulnerable populations, including those needing expensive hormone treatments, which can cost between $3,500 and $10,000 monthly,” Girondi noted.
LETICIA JAMES’ FAILURE
This disheartening context has contributed to a disturbing narrative surrounding figures like Luigi Mangione, the alleged assassin linked to the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on a busy New York City street.
When Girondi approached Leticia James with documented evidence of this systemic corruption, she had a unique opportunity to champion the cause of Black lives, confronting corporate wrongdoing with tangible action.
“In 2019, I approached Leticia James. I said, ‘You have criminals here. I have all the evidence; they’re endangering the lives of sickle cell patients. You must pursue them,’” Girondi recounted.
“I held numerous meetings with her office… They claimed they lacked resources. The most vulnerable lives are those suffering from sickle cell disease. Shouldn’t we prioritize them over pursuing Trump?” Girondi emphasized.
Unfortunately, James was too enthralled by her political ambitions, believing her pursuit of Trump would solidify her career. Yet, her overreaching legal strategies have ultimately backfired, drawing attention to the spurious nature of her claims and enhancing Trump’s standing among voters, setting the stage for a potential political resurgence in 2024.
James squandered her opportunity to be a true advocate for the underprivileged by failing to pursue Girondi’s corporate corruption claims. Now, she faces potential legal repercussions and risks being remembered as one of the most corrupt officials in U.S. history.
In a turn of events, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has vowed to prioritize gene therapy for sickle cell disease, hinting at a chance for the Trump administration to rectify the issues Leticia James has exacerbated.
