Pharma CEOs Made 4X CDC Pandemic Budget In 2019

Axios reports:

The CEOs of 179 health care companies took home almost $2.5 billion in 2019, a majority of which came from cashing out stock, according to an Axios analysis of financial filings.

The big picture: That amount is four times what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had to study and prepare for all “emerging and zoonotic infectious diseases” last year, right before the novel coronavirus outbreak turned into a global pandemic.

By the numbers: The median pay of a health care CEO in 2019 was roughly $8 million, similar to 2018. Seventeen CEOs made more than $30 million each.

Leading the pack in 2019 was Abiomed’s Michael Minogue [photo], who made $123 million.