Chapter 1316
Double-blind testing standards; Li Aiguo launches satellites abroad and collects intere
Inside the conference hall of the Medical Association.
As Li Aiguo finished speaking, the scene fell silent.
The expressions on the faces of those medical professors and experts kept changing, first surprise, then thoughtfulness, and finally excitement.
What are doctors who work on the front lines of clinical practice year after year worried about the most?
Isn't it just that the medicine is ineffective, or even has too many side effects, causing the patient to die?
In fact, there have been previous proposals within the medical community to conduct double-blind trials and grouped experiments to determine drug efficacy.
However, the resistance was simply too great! So great that it was despair-inducing!
Those well-funded pharmaceutical companies can now develop a new drug without undergoing any rigorous clinical trials.
By spending a lot of money on advertising, exaggerating its merits in newspapers, and securing procurement channels from major hospitals, one can directly list and sell their products, making a fortune.
If we really conduct a double-blind trial, and the trial fails, wouldn't all the massive R&D costs be wasted?
How could capitalists allow such a thing to happen!
Therefore, pharmaceutical companies have been trying their best to suppress this voice all along.
But now, it's surprising to see someone actually break through this barrier at such a high-level international medical conference.
Those medical professors who had long suffered from the stigma of pharmaceutical factories, of course, welcomed it with open arms!
"I believe a double-blind trial should definitely be conducted! This is the right thing to do for the patients!"
"Professor Li Aiguo's suggestion makes a lot of sense. Medicine is a rigorous science and should not be allowed to be manipulated by capital!"
"It should have been done a long time ago!"
Amidst the heated discussion, the faces of the Bayer pharmaceutical representative sitting in the front row, along with representatives from several other international pharmaceutical giants, instantly turned as black as the bottom of a pot.
They can brazenly sell heroin to coughing children as a panacea.
It is possible to mix highly toxic industrial diethylene glycol into sulfanilamide elixirs and sell them as oral liquids to patients with colds.
They could even come up with something called "radium supplements," where people would drink radioactive elements to improve their health!
What does it rely on?
It's all due to a lack of oversight!
The problem stems from the lack of a unified, mandatory drug review standard!
Li Aiguo's proposal was tantamount to cutting off their lifeline.
The representative from Bayer Pharmaceuticals immediately gave Professor Morris a meaningful look.
After all, as a representative of the pharmaceutical company, if he directly stood up to oppose it, it would be too unseemly and could easily arouse public anger.
Professor Morris was now in a difficult position.
To everyone's surprise, in order to verify the effectiveness of that cephalosporin, Li Aiguo went so far as to unleash the deadly weapon of a "double-blind trial"!
At this point, we can only bite the bullet and nitpick.
"Ahem... Professor Li, your suggestion does make some sense."
Allowing ineffective or even harmful drugs to enter the market could indeed lead to tragedy.
But how can you be sure that double-blind testing will definitely solve this problem?
Furthermore, how can the fairness of the test be guaranteed? What if someone cheats during the test?
“Professor Morris has a good question. In fact, I have developed a complete and rigorous set of standards to support the double-blind trial.”
Li Aiguo smiled faintly: "In short, it means setting up a control group."
Compare people who don't use medication, people who use old medications, and people who use new medications.
We can introduce the concept of a 'placebo,' which is a sugar pill that looks like the real medicine but has no medicinal effect.
During the trial, neither the doctors nor the patients knew who was taking the real drug and who was taking a placebo.
Until the experiment concludes and the data is declassified, everything will be judged by the final statistical results!
Li Aiguo was extremely familiar with the mature Phase III clinical trial system of later generations, as well as the principles of double-blind, randomized, and controlled trials.
They quickly developed a complete system.
The logic is rigorous and the steps are interconnected.
Fair and just, impeccable.
The medical professors in the audience listened intently, taking notes and nodding along.
"A brilliant idea! This method is fantastic; it truly considers all possible deviations!"
“There is no room for human intervention; everything is based on data. I think Professor Li Aiguo’s method can be used as a globally unified standard for drug review!”
As the saying goes, doctors all over the world have suffered under the wrath of the five major pharmaceutical companies for too long!
Now, Li Aiguo has not only sounded the battle horn against capitalism, but has even thoughtfully handed them a submachine gun loaded with bullets!
The medical professors could no longer contain themselves and stood up, responding loudly.
For a time, what was originally just an academic conference about cephalosporins was actually a meeting.
It was transformed into a massive "Global Conference on Drug Review Mechanism Reform".
After all, compared to a single antibiotic, establishing a standardized review mechanism for the entire pharmaceutical industry is clearly much more important!
Professor Fu had only one feeling in his mind right now.
Comrade Li Aiguo really made a huge splash while he was abroad this time!
If this works, it will be a name that will be remembered in medical history!
"Ladies and gentlemen! Today's presentation has now come to a successful conclusion!"
Seeing the lively atmosphere at the scene.
Richard, the editor-in-chief, seized the opportunity and stood up, making a loud concluding statement: "Once the conference officially begins, we will include Professor Li Aiguo's proposal in the core agenda and hold a formal vote on 'making double-blind testing the global standard for drug approval'!"
Richard's decisive statement essentially set the tone for the matter.
In this way, even if the five major pharmaceutical companies wanted to do something behind the scenes to oppose it, it would be too late.
The tide has turned!
Furthermore, changing the drug review mechanism is a major issue concerning global healthcare and the lives of billions of people.
It's impossible to make a decision just by discussing it briefly at a report meeting; it must go through extensive reporting and discussion.
Li Aiguo didn't care.
It's only a matter of time before double-blind testing becomes the standard.
If I remember correctly, historically it would have been around this year or next year.
The legislation was enacted because of a major disaster caused by a notorious drug.
The time is now fully ripe, and Li Aiguo is simply going with the flow and bringing it up ahead of schedule.
Things unfolded exactly as Li Aiguo had predicted.
The media quickly disseminated the events of the briefing through newspapers, radio, and television.
Shocking! Eastern scholars propose new drug review standards, targeting pharmaceutical giants!
Double-blind trials: The ultimate weapon to end ineffective drugs?
A Revolution in Medicine: Professor Li Aiguo and His Placebo!
The news broke.
The global medical community was immediately in an uproar.
After all, no one wants to give their patients substandard drugs that haven't been rigorously tested and could even be fatal.
After understanding the significance of the double-blind trial, the public welcomed it with open arms!
Nobody wants to be treated just for a common stomachache.
As a result, you might take the wrong medicine and become a radiation-infected person, or give birth to a deformed child!
The various health institutions were initially hesitant, given their connections with the pharmaceutical companies, but seeing the current situation, they dared not delay any longer.
The French were the first to express their support.
"We fully support Professor Li Aiguo's proposal to make double-blind testing a mandatory standard for drug approval!"
Following closely behind were not the Western camp, but Big Brother and JEC, who also wanted to establish drug approval standards.
Even Xiao Yi's family expressed their support.
Old Sa personally published an article in the newspaper, vehemently denouncing the harm he suffered from Xiao Mei's family's substandard medicines back then.
Inside a luxury villa in Paris.
Representatives from the five major pharmaceutical companies gathered together, and the atmosphere was very solemn.
"What do we do now? Should we try to persuade them again? Send some dollars to those council members, or arrange a few 'special' parties, like some kind of Lolita Island?"
"It's too late. I already contacted them, but they're not answering the phone at all."
It makes sense; the current establishment of new drug standards is what everyone wants.
Anyone who stands up to oppose this at this time is essentially rejecting the vote.
Those politicians are too shrewd to risk their political future for a few dollars.
“This is a blatant conspiracy, a naked conspiracy.” The representative from Bayer Pharmaceuticals sighed helplessly.
The pharmaceutical company representatives had by then accepted reality; they had no choice but to accept the new drug standards.
At this moment, one of the representatives suddenly said in a low voice, "Does everyone still remember why we've gotten to this point?"
Upon hearing this, the faces of the pharmaceutical company representatives changed.
They were the first to act in order to target ibuprofen, thinking they had it in the bag.
The results of it.
Now, not only are they facing a class-action lawsuit, but they are also forced to accept new drug standards.
What does it mean to try to steal a chicken but end up losing the rice instead? This is it!
Not only was the rice gone, but the rice container was also smashed to pieces.
"It seems we can't afford to offend these Easterners."
The following day, the International Medical Association Congress officially convened.
This conference became the most grand one since the association was founded.
The reason for this is that at the conference, a vote will be held to decide whether to use the double-blind test proposed by Li Aiguo as the standard for drug approval.
Li Aiguo, sitting in the front row, seemed completely unconcerned, chatting casually with Professor Wang beside him.
Things unfolded exactly as he had predicted; the tide had turned and there was no stopping it.
At the conference, after Professor Richard fully explained the double-blind testing criteria, he said, "Now, please vote."
The voting proceeded quickly and without any delays.
In just over ten minutes, representatives from dozens of medical associations around the world solemnly pressed the voting button and completed their votes.
The vote count was conducted personally by Editor-in-Chief Richard, who announced shortly afterward: "There are a total of thirty representatives attending this conference, and the number of votes cast in favor is... thirty! It passes unanimously!"
"I now announce that the double-blind testing standard proposed by Mr. Li Aiguo has officially become the drug review standard of the International Medical Association!"
As soon as he finished speaking, thunderous applause erupted in the hall and lasted for a long time.
Medical associations are, after all, non-governmental organizations and do not have direct administrative enforcement power.
However, everyone knows that the medical professors and experts participating in the association are leading figures and authorities in the medical field in various countries.
The standards they endorse will inevitably become the consensus and standard of various medical institutions and regulatory authorities very quickly.
Subsequently, the conference organizers seized the opportunity to draft the core standard document, the "Declaration of the World Medical Association".
Its full name is "World Medical Association Declaration – Ethical Principles for Medical Research Involving Human Subjects".
Li Aiguo's name was prominently included in the declaration, making him one of the main drafters of the declaration.
The Chinese Medical Association was the initiator and a key promoter of the declaration.
It subsequently secured a crucial seat on an ethics committee that would oversee drug testing globally.
The list of drugs to be included in the first batch of double-blind trials was also released, including: cephalosporins, ibuprofen, and... aspirin.
Hextech would certainly welcome double-blind testing.
However, the five major pharmaceutical companies were somewhat hesitant and flustered.
In double-blind trials, it is not only necessary to test the therapeutic effect of the drug, but also to monitor various indicators such as liver damage, kidney damage, myocardial damage, and ototoxicity throughout the process.
If aspirin causes serious side effects, their class-action lawsuit will certainly lose.
"Gentlemen, others have already dug a huge pit for us. Do you think we have any other choice?" the representative from Bayer Pharmaceuticals said with a wry smile.
"Yes, the FDA has already hinted that it's considering making double-blind testing the official standard. If we don't accept it, we'll definitely be kicked out of the market and won't even get a taste of the benefits."
"Gentlemen, we have not yet reached the point of despair!"
I believe there's nothing wrong with our aspirin; it's a classic drug that has stood the test of time!
"The aspirin issue can be put aside for now. The key is that once cephalosporins pass the double-blind test, they will inevitably become the best-selling antibiotics, which is a huge piece of the pie."
The representative from Bayer Pharmaceuticals made a significant statement.
Upon hearing this, the representatives of the pharmaceutical giants exchanged knowing glances.
The flames of greed rekindled in his previously dejected eyes.
The double-blind test was conducted at several key households, including the John Bull family, the Little American family, and the Gallic family, and was overseen and supervised by the ethics committee.
This is a very tedious task.
To ensure fairness and impartiality, both the selected hospitals and patients must remain anonymous throughout the process.
Furthermore, trusted experts and professors should be assigned to supervise the process.
With the tasks assigned, the organizing committee was finally able to free up its resources to begin selecting this year's Montillo Medical Prize winner.
There are two main candidates: Professor Montagnier and Professor Howard.
Both are highly respected professors, so it's normal for either of them to win the award.
At the conference, just as the professors and experts were about to vote, Editor-in-Chief Richard raised his hand.
"Gentlemen, please allow me to take up a little of your time."
I propose adding a new candidate: Professor Li Aiguo from the East!
Upon hearing this, the professors and scholars present were stunned.
Editor-in-Chief Richard slowly began, “I know this is somewhat unconventional.”
However, let's set aside the amazing efficacy of cephalosporins for now.
Just consider Professor Li Aiguo's new theory of drug resistance presented at this conference.
And the 'double-blind testing standard' that he spearheaded.
Either of these achievements would be enough to earn him this award!
Editor-in-Chief Richard paused, his tone becoming increasingly agitated.
"In my personal opinion, awarding the Montjuïc Medical Prize to Professor Li Aiguo is not an honor for Professor Li, but rather a source of pride for the Montjuïc Medical Prize!"
After saying that, Editor-in-Chief Richard did not say anything more and directly announced the start of the vote.
"I support Professor Li Aiguo winning the award."
I agree.
"Count me in."
This was not an anonymous vote; the professors and experts all stood up and expressed their opinions.
Editor-in-Chief Richard nodded: "I now declare it a unanimous vote! The awards ceremony will be held next Wednesday. Please be on time!"
After the meeting, Editor-in-Chief Richard contacted President Fu of the Chinese Medical Association by phone to inform him of the award recipients.
"Professor Li won an award?" Chairman Fu was also excited when he heard the news.
"Yes, it passed unanimously, without any controversy! However... I just tried to contact Professor Li, but no one answered the phone in his room. I'll have to trouble Chairman Fu to pass on this good news."
"No problem, no problem! I'll send someone to fetch him right away!"
After hanging up the phone.
Chairman Fu sent someone to Li Aiguo's room, but there was no one there, and the old cat had also disappeared.
At this moment, Zhang Lianlian quickly walked into Chairman Fu's room and reported the situation.
"President, Professor Li went out with Old Cat to take care of some business. He said he'll be back in a few days, so we don't need to worry."
Although Chairman Fu didn't know anything about the pharmaceutical factory, he didn't pay attention when he heard that Old Cat was following.
"But where exactly did Li Aiguo go?"
Where is Li Aiguo?
At that moment, he was on a train heading to North London, his destination being the long-established pharmaceutical company of the John Bull family, Maker's Pharmaceuticals.
Sitting opposite him was Scarlett, a blonde with blue eyes and a hot figure.
The representative from Meck Pharmaceuticals had investigated Li Aiguo's background and knew that he had once worked as a train driver.
To please him, they deliberately didn't arrange a car, but instead chose to take the train, saying they wanted to show him the unique railway experience of the John Bull family.
Although John Bull's railroad had completely replaced its locomotives with diesel locomotives, these old Class 40 diesel locomotives still made a clanging and rattling sound when they ran.
Its speed is even slower than those well-maintained old steam locomotives in China, and its only advantage is that it no longer emits black smoke.
Old Cat, on the other hand, seemed quite interested in internal combustion engines, looking around with a puzzled expression.
He really couldn't understand why Li Aiguo would so readily accept the invitation from the Meke Pharmaceutical Factory and rashly go to visit this foreign land in the north.
This story begins the night after the conference ended.
That day, Professor Wang brought Scarlett, a representative from Meck Pharmaceuticals, to the hotel to act as a go-between for Li Aiguo.
Scarlett offered a very tempting reason.
Professor Francis Crick, the renowned physician from the John Bull family and Nobel laureate who discovered the double helix structure of DNA, has recently made a significant new discovery in molecular biology.
Professor Francis learned that Li Aiguo had conducted research in the field of biomedicine and hoped to have a face-to-face exchange with him.
Faced with the invitation from the Nobel laureate, Li Aiguo accepted without hesitation.
But the old cat is no pushover.
He immediately used his comrades in London to thoroughly investigate the details of the Meck Pharmaceutical Factory.
This is a long-established pharmaceutical company owned by the John Bull family. Before the liberation, their products even entered the domestic market in large quantities.
However, times have changed, and this long-established pharmaceutical company has now declined and is now controlled by Xiaomei's capital.
Behind it all, the shadows of five major pharmaceutical companies are faintly visible.
The invitation from Meck Pharmaceuticals this time is probably for some ulterior motive.
With all the necessary documents prepared, the Pharmacy successfully boarded a plane, arrived in London, and then took a train.
They arrived at the Meck Pharmaceutical Factory, but did not find Professor Frasis.
According to staff at the pharmaceutical company, Francis went to a laboratory in the north and will not be back for a few days.
Scarlett was very apologetic, but Li Aiguo felt it was no big deal and suggested that they visit the long-established pharmaceutical factory together.
Scarlett seemed to have been prepared, and handed over her visitor pass. The three of them then toured the pharmaceutical factory.
Although the Meck Pharmaceutical Factory has declined somewhat, the century-old factory still has a profound heritage.
Advanced experimental equipment and researchers in white coats are enough to demonstrate that this pharmaceutical company's strength should not be underestimated.
As Scarlett walked around, she enthusiastically introduced the various areas of the pharmaceutical factory.
"Li, I heard that medical conditions are quite difficult where you are?"
Li Aiguo nodded and said, "Miss Scarlett, you are right."
Our area is in dire need of reconstruction; everything is just beginning.
In many remote areas, hospitals are severely lacking in medicine. When people get sick, they can only tough it out for minor illnesses and endure the pain for serious illnesses...
My biggest wish in this life is only one.
That is the hope that all the poorest people in the world can afford a life-saving medicine when they are sick and desperate.
In your parlance, it should be, "May God love the world forever."
At this moment, Li Aiguo, a staunch atheist, seemed to transform into an extremely devout follower of God.
Scarlett looked at the Eastern man in front of her, who radiated humanity, and her lips moved slightly.
He seemed to want to say something, but the words stuck in his throat and he swallowed them back.
Her eyes were filled with admiration: "Li, you are truly a noble and great person."
Li Aiguo shook his head with a wry smile: "It's nothing great, I'm just doing what I should do."
Miss Scarlett, you know what our area was like before liberation.
It's harder than climbing to heaven for ordinary people to buy medicine to cure diseases and save lives, but those harmful opium dens are everywhere!
There is also a continuous stream of opium imported from abroad, poisoning countless one of our compatriots!
If we want to change this backward and vulnerable situation, the only thing we can do is work hard.
I'm just an ordinary person. I also have selfish desires; I hope my children can enjoy better medical care in the future and won't have to suffer the hardships we went through.
Upon hearing the word "opium," Scarlett's face instantly turned somewhat embarrassed, and her eyes began to dart away.
As a high-ranking executive at Meck Pharmaceuticals, how could she not know about this sordid history?
Before the First Opium War, opium tincture, opium powder, compound opium powder, morphine injection, and codeine manufactured by the Meck factory had already entered the country.
Although the entry was legal, everyone knew what these things were actually used for and what kind of profound disaster they had brought to that ancient family!
When Scarlett was a little girl, she often heard her grandfather tell stories about it with great enthusiasm.
Every year, how much silver can they earn from that ignorant East, relying on these "miraculous potions"?
Looking back now, is this kind of behavior of making a fortune by sucking the blood of others really something that God's children should do?
Scarlett was suddenly overwhelmed with a strong sense of guilt.
He even regretted obeying his father's orders and accepting the task of trying to win over Li Aiguo.
"Miss Scarlett, this is the pharmaceutical workshop, right? May I go in for a look?"
Just as Scarlett was feeling uneasy, Li Aiguo suddenly stopped and pointed to a workshop ahead, asking a question.
"Huh? Oh... Of course." For some reason, Scarlett nodded and agreed without thinking.
"Thank you."
Watching Li Aiguo walk into the workshop, Scarlett suddenly came to her senses and was filled with regret.
Damn it! We invited Li Aiguo all this way just to sound him out and discuss the cephalosporin patent licensing.
As a result, he was completely fooled by what he just said and couldn't keep quiet. Now, he has unwittingly entered the pharmaceutical factory's production workshop!
However, Scarlett thought about it again and wasn't too worried.
The production process of every modern drug is extremely complicated and intricate.
It involves countless core data such as temperature, pressure, and catalyst ratio.
If you don't even bring paper and pen and don't make detailed records, even if a person has two heads and is extremely intelligent, it is absolutely impossible for them to memorize so many complicated steps.
Li Aiguo did not take notes, but he quickly combined his pharmaceutical technology with the somewhat outdated but still rigorous process flow before him.
After just a few glances, I instantly understood what the core production process was all about.
To be fair, in terms of hardware and process management in drug production, Meck Pharmaceuticals has indeed reached the pinnacle of its time.
But this is also a very unscrupulous company, especially in China.
Let's leave aside the dirty deeds we did before liberation for now.
Later, after Meck merged into the five major pharmaceutical companies, the drugs it produced for treating cancer were sold at exorbitant prices by some people colluding with them.
Most importantly, the results were not good.
They lured those Chinese who still held a glimmer of hope to buy their drugs.
It has caused countless families to be broken and lives lost!
If the person is not cured in the end, not only will the family's wealth be depleted, but the surviving family members will also be burdened with huge debts.
Later, the company's behavior became so unethical that even its own employees couldn't stand it anymore and were severely punished.
Li Aiguo's real purpose in coming here was to collect some interest.
(End of this chapter)