[Crowbob]

Originally Posted by 74-911

This perhaps explains part of the problem with the ventilator shortage:

Thirteen years ago, a group of U.S. public health officials came up with a plan to address what they regarded as one of the medical system’s crucial vulnerabilities: a shortage of ventilators.....

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/the-u-s-tried-to-build-a-new-fleet-of-ventilators-the-mission-failed/ar-BB11RHeI?ocid=msedgdhp

From the link:

'Government officials and executives at rival ventilator companies said they suspected that Covidien had acquired Newport to prevent it from building a cheaper product that would undermine Covidien’s profits from its existing ventilator business.'