Chapter 1308
: Sustained-Release Capsules Successfully Developed; One Set of Machinery Exchanged for
Early in the morning, Li Aiguo got up very early and arrived at the Qianmen Locomotive Depot workshop.
As usual, a morning meeting is held to plan out the work for the whole day.
The studio is much quieter now than it was a while ago.
After completing the preliminary work on manufacturing precision instruments, Chief Engineer Qi, Zong Xianfeng, Zhou Gaoyuan, and others have been transferred back to the wind tunnel room.
The wind tunnel is now fully in the testing phase, and the chief engineers from the aircraft factory are living and working there.
The morning meeting had just ended when Chen Baiya strode in.
"Master, there's been some progress on the matter you asked me to inquire about a couple of days ago."
There are indeed places in China that produce capsules, but... it was a small workshop, and it was recently shut down.
Chen Baiya is no longer a train driver.
As the studio grew larger, so did the amount of miscellaneous tasks.
He volunteered to take charge of overall planning and logistical work in the office.
In modern terms, it's like an office director.
Upon hearing this, Li Aiguo raised an eyebrow slightly.
Ibuprofen production is now fully underway in pharmaceutical factories, with production capacity steadily increasing.
However, currently, most of the tablets being manufactured are sustained-release tablets.
Li Aiguo knew that developing capsules was imperative. But developing capsules would definitely require specialized personnel and technology.
However, the major pharmaceutical companies in China do not pay much attention to the development of capsules. Li Aiguo asked around but could not find suitable technical personnel.
Chen Baiya comes from a family of doctors and has a wide network of connections.
This time, it was only through an old friend of Chen's father that they managed to obtain this clue.
Li Aiguo took the materials from Chen Baiya and looked them over.
It's clearly stated in the materials.
The person who manufactured the capsules was named Pan Ming.
Before liberation, Pan Ming worked in an American-owned pharmaceutical factory in Shanghai, where he learned the technology of manufacturing empty capsules.
Later, as times changed, he returned to his hometown of Xinchang and started his own industrial company, specializing in the research and production of capsules.
However, in the past two years, as the external winds have blown stronger, these privately owned industrial companies have been directly shut down and banned.
This is happening more and more often.
Li Aiguo couldn't manage it all, nor did he intend to. He simply continued to do what needed to be done.
Li Aiguo, holding the materials, turned around and knocked on the door of Section Chief Xing's office.
"Aiguo, do you have any new goods again?" Section Chief Xing was delighted to see Li Aiguo.
"Section Chief, we don't have any new stock. However, I need to find someone this time." Li Aiguo handed the materials to Section Chief Xing.
After reading it, Section Chief Xing frowned and muttered that those people had gone too far.
"Patriotism, this is a bit tricky."
Getting this guy to our locomotive depot won't be easy.
Section Chief Xing was somewhat worried.
In Beijing, Section Chief Xing still has influence, but now that it involves local matters, the procedures are not only cumbersome, but it's also easy to cause trouble.
"Section Chief, the formal transfer channels are definitely not an option."
However, haven't we always been short of doctors on our railways?
I think this Pan Ming used to work in a pharmaceutical factory; he must have some medical knowledge from that experience, right?
Li Aiguo smiled and pulled up a chair to sit down.
Section Chief Xing was taken aback for a moment, then suddenly slapped his thigh and pointed at Li Aiguo, bursting into laughter.
"Hey! You little rascal, that's a good idea! A feint to one side while secretly advancing to the other!"
Section Chief Xing quickly reviewed the network of relationships in his mind and immediately came up with an idea.
"Xinchang is under the jurisdiction of the Shanghai Railway Bureau, specifically the Jinhua Locomotive Depot."
What a coincidence! I used to train with Section Chief Liu from the Jinhua section at the ministry years ago; we even slept in bunk beds together!
That's how the railway system works. Although it spans the entire country, it's essentially a huge, close-knit community.
There are mentors and apprentices everywhere, classmates and fellow villagers everywhere. As long as you find the right person, things are very easy to get done.
Section Chief Xing picked up the phone, shook it a few times, and connected to the Jinhua Locomotive Depot.
"Old Xing! What brings you here today? Is your ibuprofen ready? When are you going to send some over to your brother?"
"What's the rush? You'll get your share! I need your help with something today."
The real reason why Section Chief Xing did not transfer Pan Ming over.
I just said that we need a doctor here.
Section Chief Liu of the Jinhua Locomotive Depot readily agreed.
"Hey, I thought it was something important! It's just a temporary worker! Since you, Old Xing, have asked, we have to give you face! I'll send someone to contact him right away and get him to Beijing as soon as possible!"
"Okay, thanks a lot. I'll take care of the ibuprofen!"
After hanging up the phone, Section Chief Xing gave Li Aiguo a "done" gesture.
After leaving Section Chief Xing's office, Li Aiguo went to the wind tunnel and worked there until evening. Satisfied, he rode his mountain bike back to the courtyard house.
Meanwhile, thousands of miles away in Xinchang, a water town in southern China.
Pan Ming slumped to the ground, looking at the empty room with a face full of sorrow.
"Now all the molds, all the aluminum cans, all the molten gel, are gone... How am I supposed to make capsules now?"
"Old Pan, why are you still thinking about making capsules?" Pan Ming's wife said with some concern.
“But…” Pan Ming was also unconvinced.
Currently, pharmaceutical companies do not prioritize the development and production of capsules.
Pan Ming knew perfectly well that capsules were much more than just convenient to take!
It can perfectly protect unstable drug components and greatly extend the shelf life of medicines.
It can achieve absolutely precise dosage.
More importantly, capsules are absorbed faster in the human body and have higher bioavailability, allowing the drug to exert its maximum effect!
The reason he opened a workshop after leaving the pharmaceutical factory was to explore capsule technology while producing products.
But now it's all over.
“So, starting tomorrow, we’ll close this place down and go back to our hometown,” Pan Ming’s wife said.
"Alright then." Pan Ming nodded with difficulty.
Just then, footsteps could be heard outside.
"Excuse me, is this Comrade Pan Ming's home?"
Pan Ming was startled and quickly opened the door. He relaxed when he saw that the other person was wearing a railway uniform.
"Is there...something you need?"
The railway official in charge was very polite and took out a document with a red seal from his briefcase and handed it over.
"That's right, we are from Jinhua Locomotive Depot."
This is our letter of introduction.
Our locomotive depot is currently short of a doctor. We've heard that Comrade Pan Ming is a skilled doctor, so we've come specifically to invite you to be our doctor.
"Go to the capital."
"A doctor?!" Pan Ming was stunned, his face full of astonishment.
He did work in a pharmaceutical factory for many years and has some knowledge of pharmacology.
However... pharmaceutical technology is not the same as medical skill!
He can't even cure a common cold or fever, how can he be a doctor?
Let's go to the capital!
Pan Ming's wife was a bit smarter; seeing that Pan Ming was still in a daze, she quickly nudged his arm.
"Old Pan, are you crazy? They're asking you to be a doctor, just say yes! It's a secure job on the railway!"
Pan Ming was jolted awake by his wife's push and quickly accepted the letter of appointment with both hands.
When the comrades from Jinhua Locomotive Depot saw that he had accepted the letter of appointment, they smiled and made an appointment with him for the departure time. Then they handed him a train ticket and turned to leave.
Pan Ming held the train ticket to Beijing.
It has an address and a name written on it:
Li Aiguo, Qianmen Locomotive Depot.
Pan Ming and his wife arrived in Beijing more than ten days later.
Li Aiguo's first impression of Pan Ming was that this man was not a technician, but a researcher.
He was thin, wore black-rimmed glasses, and had a refined and gentle demeanor.
At the same time, Pan Ming was also secretly observing Li Aiguo.
Although I had heard of this national model worker from the Qianmen Locomotive Depot before I came here.
But when he actually saw the person in person, he couldn't help but mutter to himself.
He's so young! Much younger than he imagined!
"Comrade Patriot, I am Pan Ming."
"Comrade Pan, hello, please have a seat."
Li Aiguo has never been one for small talk or endless chatter.
As soon as the two sat down, he got straight to the point, turned around and took out a thick document from the drawer, placing it directly on the table in front of Pan Ming.
This material was naturally obtained by Li Aiguo from the system.
However, since later generations adopted precise controlled-release capsule technology, China simply does not have the corresponding production conditions in this day and age.
Therefore, he made special simplifications to adapt to the current industrial base.
Pan Ming was still a bit confused at this point, not knowing what Li Aiguo was up to.
When he picked up the materials and glanced at the technical parameters and process flow, his eyes widened instantly, and he finally understood.
"You invited me here just to manufacture capsules?" Pan Ming's voice carried a hint of disbelief.
"No, you've misunderstood. It's not about manufacturing capsules, it's about developing our own capsule technology!"
Upon hearing this, Pan Ming was startled and immediately understood.
I've finally found my true comrades!
When Director Zhang of the Pharmaceutical Institute heard that Li Aiguo was going to work on capsule technology, he welcomed him with open arms and brought Wang Cheng over that very day.
This is perhaps the star effect of later generations.
In fact, capsule technology itself is not extremely complex. The core difficulties lie in fully automated filling, soft capsule molding, and the preparation of sustained-release microspheres.
Pan Ming had secretly conducted countless experiments on these technical challenges beforehand, accumulating a wealth of experience.
Now, with the key technology blueprints provided by Li Aiguo, the research progress is advancing by leaps and bounds.
Not to mention, the Qianmen Locomotive Depot workshop now possesses extremely strong equipment manufacturing capabilities.
In addition, there's the incredibly powerful equipment manufacturing capability of the Qianmen Locomotive Depot workshop.
Fluidized bed coating, precision temperature and humidity control system, micro-particle classification and screening... one technical hurdle after another was quickly overcome.
Just one week later.
The first sample of domestically produced sustained-release ibuprofen capsules, along with a stack of detailed clinical and technical materials, was delivered to the desk of Director Qin of the Pharmaceutical Administration Department of the Ministry of Health.
Director Qin looked at the materials, remembered his promise to Li Aiguo, scratched his head helplessly, and picked up his pen.
Two weeks later, sustained-release ibuprofen capsules officially appeared in hospital pharmacies across the country.
Compared to traditional sustained-release ibuprofen tablets, sustained-release ibuprofen capsules offer overwhelming advantages.
The blood drug curve shows small waves and no sharp peaks, indicating a more stable and longer-lasting drug effect.
It significantly reduces gastrointestinal irritation, greatly alleviating patient suffering.
Extremely suitable for children!
With its uniform dosage and minimal irritation, sustained-release ibuprofen capsules are a godsend for pediatricians. Thanks to these impeccable advantages, they were quickly and enthusiastically received by patients and doctors upon their release, selling out almost immediately.
As for the employees and train drivers of the Qianmen Locomotive Depot, each of them can receive several boxes for free.
Li Aiguo also prepared several boxes of ibuprofen capsules and kept them in his small medicine box at home. He also gave a few boxes to Aunt Liu and the tailor shop.
As evening fell, the aroma of meals from each household wafted through the courtyard.
Li Aiguo and Chen Xueru were sitting at the eight-immortal table in the room, eating dinner.
Just then, a light footstep sound came from outside the door, and then Yu Li walked in somewhat awkwardly.
"Brother Aiguo, Xueru, are you eating?" Yu Li forced a smile and greeted them.
Chen Xueru looked up and saw Yu Li. She quickly put down her chopsticks and greeted her warmly, "Oh, Yu Li is here! Come on, sit down and have a bite to eat. There's still some hot food in the pot."
"No, no, Xue Ru, you guys eat, I'm not hungry."
Yu Li waved her hands repeatedly, her expression revealing a hint of embarrassment.
"Brother Aiguo, um... do you still have ibuprofen? You know, the new sustained-release capsules. Could... could you lend me some? I'll pay you back next month when I get my order."
Upon hearing this, Li Aiguo felt somewhat puzzled. He put down his chopsticks and looked at Yu Li with a questioning gaze: "Yu Li, why did you borrow ibuprofen? Are you feeling unwell?"
"My stomach hurts," Yu Li said, her face turning red.
Seeing her like this, Li Aiguo suddenly realized what was going on.
Ibuprofen has been discovered by many women to have "hidden uses".
That's used to relieve menstrual cramps!
As a woman, Chen Xueru naturally understood these intricacies better than Li Aiguo.
Upon seeing Yu Li's posture of clutching her stomach and her embarrassed expression, she immediately understood.
"Hey, it's no big deal, is it even worth lending?"
Chen Xueru readily stood up, walked to the cabinet next to her, took out a whole box of ibuprofen sustained-release capsules, and stuffed it directly into Yu Li's hand.
"Take it and use it, this medicine is very effective."
Chen Xueru said with a smile, then asked with some puzzlement, "By the way, Yu Li, I remember you worked in a factory under the railway, didn't you?"
Your son, Jiecheng, is also a formal employee of our locomotive depot.
Logically speaking, since ibuprofen is an employee benefit, you two should have both received some, right? Why isn't it enough?
Upon hearing this, Yu Li's face turned awkward: "I did make money... but my father-in-law took it all and sold it."
Li Aiguo: "."
Chen Xueru: "."
Li Aiguo smiled.
The third uncle is consistently performing well!
September arrived before we knew it, and the weather in Beijing gradually became hot.
Hextech has already registered patents related to ibuprofen and capsule technology overseas.
With all the work on track, Li Aiguo finally had some rare free time.
The National Day holiday is just around the corner, and the entire Qianmen Locomotive Depot has begun preparations for it, with lanterns and decorations everywhere.
The staff in the education office and the publicity department were extremely busy.
From next Wednesday to Sunday, the section will organize group rehearsals and celebratory activities such as a large chorus.
Therefore, the Qianmen Locomotive Depot has issued a special notice to adjust the schedule, requiring administrative staff to continue working on Saturdays and Sundays, and the duty roster has also been adjusted accordingly.
The Qianmen Locomotive Depot's workshop is considered an administrative unit in terms of staffing. This is the first time Li Aiguo has experienced the legendary "time off in lieu" since he traveled to this era.
With anticipation of a five-day holiday, Li Aiguo was exceptionally enthusiastic about his work.
That morning, he was sitting in his office reading the newspaper when the phone on his desk suddenly rang urgently.
It was the Ministry of Health calling, and they sounded very anxious, telling him to come over immediately for a meeting.
When Li Aiguo and others arrived at the meeting venue, they realized that today's meeting was unusual.
There was only one agenda item for the meeting.
Discussion regarding whether to export capsule equipment to the Big Brother company.
This story begins with the nationwide promotion of capsule technology.
The Ministry of Health, in collaboration with several large pharmaceutical companies, used new technologies to manufacture capsule versions of various drugs, which became very popular in the market.
These drugs also quietly entered the eldest brother's home through certain special channels.
It's freezing cold where my older brother is, and there are a lot of cardiovascular patients there.
For medications used to treat cardiovascular diseases, precise drug delivery is crucial.
This is precisely the biggest advantage of sustained-release capsules!
The delegation was very impressive, including leaders from the foreign affairs department, heads of foreign trade departments, and several leaders from the Ministry of Health.
Although sustained-release capsules are nominally a civilian technology, once something gets involved with Big Brother's company, it's definitely not a trivial matter and must be handled with utmost caution.
Director Liu and Wang Cheng from the Pharmaceutical Research Institute were also there; they were there to provide technical support.
Inside the meeting room.
The head of the foreign affairs department briefly explained the request from the pharmaceutical factory owned by the elder brother, then looked around and concluded:
"Distinguished leaders and comrades, this is the current situation."
The reason I've invited everyone here today is to discuss and confirm whether or not we should export the equipment used to manufacture sustained-release capsules.
The head of the foreign trade department pondered for a moment. If this deal could be done, they could earn a lot of foreign exchange.
Although the eldest brother's family is now impoverished, even a starved camel is bigger than a horse.
In recent years, China has been exporting more and more goods to its big brother, so naturally, people are inclined to facilitate this matter.
Therefore, the leaders of the foreign trade department first expressed their opinions, which were only for reference, but also to show their attitude.
"From an economic perspective, we prefer to sell. As you all know, our development speed is getting faster and faster, and we need more and more resources. And the Big Brother family has no shortage of resources."
Upon hearing this, the leader in charge of foreign affairs was also somewhat tempted: "Hmm, what the comrade from the Ministry of Foreign Trade said makes sense, but whether this product can be sold depends on its technological sensitivity."
After saying that, he looked toward the Ministry of Health.
The leaders of the Ministry of Health remained silent.
He was aware of the advanced technology of the entire system, which was manufactured by the Qianmen Locomotive Depot, but he couldn't say exactly how sensitive it was.
The Ministry of Health leader looked at Director Zhang and Wang Chenglai: "Gentlemen, do you have any comments?"
Director Zhang was starting to regret his decision; he hadn't even considered that this would be the topic of discussion at today's meeting.
“Sir, we do understand sustained-release capsules, but we’re not experts in the equipment. Should we ask Comrade Li Aiguo?” Wang Cheng noticed Director Zhang’s embarrassment and offered his help.
The Ministry of Health leadership turned their attention to Li Aiguo.
Seeing everyone looking at him, Li Aiguo thought for a moment and said, "Sustained-release capsules do have advantages over regular tablets, but they are mainly effective for specific types of drugs."
Furthermore, I can say with certainty that this equipment does not involve any cutting-edge military technology; it is purely civilian technology.
Everyone understood that, technically speaking, there was no sensitivity involved.
But there's still a problem.
"What if the older brother buys it and then copies it himself?" After saying this, the leader of the foreign affairs department couldn't help but feel a pang of regret.
There was a time when we always followed in the footsteps of our big brother, copying his products.
Now, things have gotten worse; they're worried about being copied by the Big Brother. What kind of situation is this? It's true what they say, fortunes change every thirty years.
However, when it comes to the collective interest, we still need to be concerned.
Li Aiguo continued, "The issue of counterfeiting is indeed something we should be concerned about."
However, the complete set of sustained-release capsule equipment uses a professional computer control system manufactured by our Red Star Computer Research Institute.
In addition to hardware, there is also dedicated software.
"As long as we lock down the hardware and software, even if Big Brother replicates all the components one-to-one, it still won't be able to boot up and use it."
Li Aiguo is extremely experienced in preventing technology leaks and equipment counterfeiting.
In later generations, the high-end precision machine tools we imported were all equipped with anti-disassembly and anti-moving devices.
If you dare to disassemble the casing or move it without permission, the system will lock up immediately, turning it into a pile of scrap metal.
Upon hearing this, the leader of the foreign affairs department nodded in deep agreement: "If anti-counterfeiting and anti-hacking measures can be so rigorous, then there shouldn't be much of a problem with exports."
Upon hearing this, the leaders of the foreign trade department immediately beamed with joy: "If we can really export, that would be wonderful!"
Seeing the eagerness of the pharmaceutical factory representatives from our big brother's company, this equipment can definitely be exchanged for a lot of minerals that we desperately need!
The leader of the foreign affairs department also remarked, "Indeed, the more primitive and low-level the product, the more it is subject to others."
Now that we have high-tech equipment, the initiative is in our own hands.
The Ministry of Health then raised a new question: "The question now is, what price should we offer them?"
The export of this complete set of equipment is also related to the Ministry of Health and can be included in the year-end summary.
Upon hearing this, the leaders of several ministries were somewhat perplexed, as they had never exported such things before.
"Comrade Aiguo, you've dealt with the older brother's side before and are quite familiar with their situation. What are your thoughts?" The leader from the Ministry of Health turned his attention to Li Aiguo.
Li Aiguo pondered for a moment and said, "I think each set of sustained-release capsule equipment could be exchanged for at least half a mine."
Li Aiguo's statement is not an exorbitant demand, but rather has ample historical basis.
In the early 1950s, when our elder brother helped build the penicillin production line at our North China Pharmaceutical Factory, we contributed a large amount of precious minerals, totaling tens of thousands of tons!
The production line for this sustained-release capsule far surpasses that of ordinary antibiotic factories in terms of technical difficulty, technological content, and strategic value.
Upon hearing this, the leaders of the foreign trade department also became excited.
Even if the big brother's side haggles, if we can get a third of the mine in the end, that would be a huge profit!
You know, in the past, we had to tighten our belts and save millions of tons of agricultural products to exchange for these high-value goods.
After the meeting, Li Aiguo immediately returned to the workshop of the Qianmen Locomotive Depot and began preparing to install anti-disassembly and anti-hacking equipment.
As for the negotiations, let the professionals handle them.
While Li Aiguo was busy in the workshop, the leaders of the foreign trade department met with Kumejin, the representative of the elder brother's family.
With a smile, the head of the foreign trade department handed Kumekin a long list.
The list is full of strategic minerals that China urgently needs.
Moreover, at the behest of the foreign trade leaders, they added another 20% to the amount proposed by Li Aiguo without any hesitation.
In business negotiations, this is called asking for the moon and settling for less.
After a heated exchange, the two sides finally reached an agreement.
Each set of sustained-release capsule equipment can be exchanged for 1 tons of tungsten concentrate, 8000 tons of tin ore, 3000 tons of molybdenum concentrate, 1000 tons of antimony ore, and an additional 1000 tons of high-purity lithium ore!
The total amount reached an astonishing 45,000 tons! Converted to rubles, that's worth a staggering 30 million!
Kumekin signed his name on the agreement, put down his pen, and shook his head with a wry smile.
“I remember when I brought my team here, we signed a similar agreement.”
However, back then, we traded our equipment for your mineral resources.
I never imagined that we would have to exchange our mineral resources for your equipment.
To use an old Chinese saying, this is called "fortune's wheel keeps turning!"
"No, no, no, Comrade Kumekin, you've misunderstood. This isn't a simple transaction; it's mutual assistance between comrades, a mutually beneficial arrangement!" the foreign trade department leader corrected.
Kumekin paused for a moment, then understood, laughed twice, and extended his hand: "Yes, mutual help and mutual benefit!"
The agreement was delivered to a study in the capital city in the evening.
The higher-level leaders had just met with the leaders of the aviation department and listened to the latest report on the wind tunnel laboratory.
At that moment, when he saw the numbers on the agreement, he was very excited and slapped the table repeatedly in approval.
"This patriotic comrade is truly remarkable! One set of equipment has actually brought back 45,000 tons of minerals for the country!"
"And they are all strategic minerals that we urgently need!"
Take these tungsten mines, for example; they're enough to make armor-piercing shells for 1000 heavy artillery pieces and 500 tanks!
Tin ore can make electronic components for two thousand fighter jets!
As for the molybdenum ore, we plan to ship it directly to the Jiangnan Shipyard. The new frigates are currently under construction and we're in dire need of it!
The leaders of the foreign trade department reported excitedly.
The foreign affairs department leader also said with deep emotion: "The more important historical significance of this transaction is that we have finally gotten back some of the mineral resources that we lost in exchange for technology many years ago!"
Although it's only a small part right now, it's definitely a start!
"It seems Comrade Aiguo has once again made a tremendous contribution! Ibuprofen, first aid, sustained-release capsules... Comrade Aiguo is simply a medical master!"
The superior leader looked on with admiration and turned to the leader of the Ministry of Health next to him: "I heard that your health department is about to hold this year's National Medical and Health Technology Experience Exchange Conference and will also be holding an awards ceremony."
Comrade Aiguo has made such a great contribution; you should seriously consider recruiting talent without being bound by conventional standards!
The leaders of the Ministry of Health were originally worried about how to properly reward Li Aiguo for his many earth-shattering achievements.
Upon hearing the instructions from his superior, he immediately nodded and said, "Sir, I understand!"
(End of this chapter)