Last Updated on April 24, 2020
The controversial “Pharma Bro” Martin Shkreli has announced that he is engaged through his attorneys.
Shkreli’s attorneys made the announcement of his engagement to a woman, whose name was redacted, in a compassionate release request, according to the New York Post.
In the request, Shkreli would be to spend the remainder of his imprisonment at his fiancee’s Manhattan apartment, working on a cure for the deadly COVID-19 which has been the cause of the current global pandemic.
The Pharma Bro’s attorneys claimed that their client had been working on a potential cure involving molecules that could inhibit a coronavirus protein.
As the coronavirus tears through some prisons, part of the case Shkreli’s attorneys make is to prevent the formerly high-flying inmate from catching the coronavirus.
According to the New York Post, the request to Brooklyn federal Judge Kiyo Matsumoto states: “Mr. Shkreli has spent countless hours while incarcerated researching disease treatments and possible cures for COVID-19. His current project has been well received.”
“One company is prepared to begin working on clinical trials of Mr. Shkreli’s work within weeks,” it added
Earlier this month, Shkreli wanted a 3-month furlough from his 7-year sentence at a minimum security Pennsylvania prison.
National File reported:
Martin Shkreli, the controversial former pharmaceutical executive who was convicted of securities fraud, has asked the federal government for a three month furlough so he can contribute to the race to find viable treatments for coronavirus.
According to his statement in a new scientific paper released by Prospero Pharma, which describes itself as “a biotechnology company developing therapies for unmet medical needs in orphan diseases,” Shkreli is asking for the furlough so he can join the company in finding successful coronavirus treatments.
As noted by Cassandra Fairbanks in The Gateway Pundit, “Shkreli is currently serving seven years in a federal penitentiary in Pennsylvania for securities fraud, but has a unique history of experience developing new drugs,” and the former biotech entrepreneur believes that he is uniquely suited to tackle coronavirus.
In the paper, Shkreli writes, “The industry response to COVID-19 is inadequate. All biopharmaceutical companies should be responding with all resources to combat this health emergency.”
“Donations from these very valuable companies do not go far enough,” Shkreli continues. “The biopharmaceutical industry has a large brain trust of talent that is not working on this problem as companies have deprioritized or even abandoned infectious disease research.”
In the request for the furlough, Shkreli stated:
“I am asking for a brief furlough (3 months) to assist in research work on COVID-19. Being released to the post-COVID world is no solace to even the incarcerated,” wrote Shkreli.
“As a successful two-time biopharma entrepreneur, having purchased multiple companies, invented multiple new drug candidates, filed numerous INDs and clinical trial applications, I am one of the few executives experienced in ALL aspects of drug development from molecule creation and hypothesis generation, to preclinical assessments and clinical trial design/target engagement demonstration, and manufacturing/synthesis and global logistics and deployment of medicines.”
However, earlier this month, the warden at FCI Allenwood–where the Pharma Bro is serving his sentence–denied his request for compassionate release to work on a cure.
Shkreli is scheduled to be released by September 2023.
