Vivek Ramaswamy told reporters Monday that Democrats had defamed his mother, Dr Geetha Ramaswamy, in the course of their attack on him during the Senate race. He insisted that the accusations began with the release of a press statement on August 12 by rival candidate Amy Acton, which branded him a "billionaire scammer" and alleged that his mother had manipulated data to inflate a failed Alzheimer’s drug.
The allegations trace back to 2015, when Ramaswamy’s company Axovant went public with a $1.4 billion IPO, the largest biotech IPO at that time. Critics said Dr Geetha, who lacked a research background, had re‑interpreted clinical trial data to make the drug appear more promising, a claim that critics say was used to raise $315 million during the IPO.
Ramaswamy has repeatedly called the allegations debunked, noting that no evidence exists that he knowingly ran a pump‑and‑dump scheme. "There is no proof that I engaged in any wrongdoing," he said, adding that the claims are part of a broader political attack. The company’s board declined to comment on the specifics.
Acton’s press release also criticized Ramaswamy’s campaign tactics, accusing him of using his mother’s name to manipulate voters. In a heated exchange, campaign staffers released a video featuring a former campaign adviser, calling Acton a liar and accusing her of lying about her past. The exchange has drawn sharp criticism from civil‑rights groups.
Behind the headlines, Dr Geetha Ramaswamy is a 60‑year‑old neurologist who has worked at the company for over a decade. She says the defamation has taken a personal toll, causing her to withdraw from public engagements and leading to a spike in personal emails from concerned donors. "It feels like a storm that never ends," she told a local news outlet.
Ramaswamy said he will continue to fight the defamation in the days leading up to the August 12 primaries, promising to present evidence that the allegations are false. He plans to address the issue in a town‑hall meeting scheduled for next week and has asked his legal team to prepare a formal response to the media allegations. Its outcome could shape the narrative for the remainder of the campaign.