Chapter 1323
National Day, Scapegoats for the Five Major Pharmaceutical Companies, $1 Billion in Com
After sending the accessories for Master Liu and General Xu and the others onto the special train, Li Aiguo drove his large SUV back to the courtyard house.
The streets were decorated with lanterns and banners.
Li Aiguo then realized that tomorrow was National Day.
We entered the courtyard.
Xu Damao, Yan Jiecheng, Liu Haizhong, and Uncle San were discussing going to the square tomorrow to see Li Aiguo and ask him questions.
Li Aiguo naturally went along.
National Day is arguably the grandest holiday of this era.
Chen Xueru was already waiting at home. As soon as she saw Li Aiguo, she put down the spatula in her hand and walked over with a smile.
"Brother Aiguo, our neighborhood committee gave us a half-day off tomorrow, shall we go to the square together?"
"It just so happens that Second Uncle and Third Uncle are also going, let's go together."
Now Li Aiguo is no longer responsible for train operation and doesn't have to work shifts like a regular train driver; he can take a day off.
In fact, Li Aiguo has been in this era for quite some time.
But he still couldn't fully understand the heartfelt passion that people had for National Day in that era.
It was a pure sentiment, untainted by any impurities.
Men, women, and children from the compound all went together.
At the Qianmen Locomotive Depot, Cao Wenzhi, Liu Qingquan, Train Chief Bai, Zhang Yazhi, and others also took advantage of a little free time to arrive.
The square was already packed with people, red flags were waving, and drums were beating loudly.
later.
Li Aiguo heard that a total of 150 million people participated in the celebration that day, a scale comparable to the population of a large city.
Looking at the red flag fluttering in the wind on the city wall and listening to the overwhelming cheers around him, Li Aiguo couldn't help but feel a strong sense of pride and honor.
In this passionate era, being able to witness the prosperity of our motherland alongside millions of compatriots is an immense happiness in itself.
Just as Li Aiguo was attending the National Day celebrations.
The headquarters of the International Medical Association in Paris, thousands of miles away.
The president received the first batch of reports from the drug's clinical trials.
This Phase III clinical trial is unprecedented in scale.
The ethical guidelines of the Good Clinical Practice for Drug Clinical Trials and the Declaration of the World Medical Association were strictly followed.
All experimental protocols underwent rigorous review and approval by the ethics committees of the participating centers.
All participants also signed informed consent forms.
The trial employed a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, parallel-controlled design.
A total of 12860 participants from around the world were included.
The president opened the first report, which clearly stated the test results for cephalosporins:
"Cephalosporin antibiotics...have significant clinical efficacy...and the incidence of adverse reactions is 1.7%."
All cases were mild to moderate, with no serious adverse reactions or deaths.
In pediatric subjects, the incidence of adverse reactions was 1.9%.
The main adverse reactions were mild skin rash and gastrointestinal discomfort; there were no particularly serious adverse reactions, and the product was well tolerated.
Upon seeing this, the president nodded slightly.
The cephalosporin's performance has been near perfect, which will undoubtedly be a great boon to the medical community.
Then, he turned to the second report about ibuprofen:
"Ibuprofen...has significant clinical efficacy...and the incidence of adverse reactions is 2.2%."
The adverse reactions were mainly mild, with no serious adverse reactions or deaths reported…
The data for ibuprofen are equally encouraging, demonstrating its safety as a novel antipyretic and analgesic.
However, when the president opened the third report on aspirin, his expression instantly turned serious.
"Aspirin...has significant clinical efficacy...but the incidence of adverse reactions is as high as 7.3%..."
In particular, the incidence of adverse reactions among pediatric subjects reached an astonishing 41.7%!
Among them, 38 cases experienced serious adverse reactions...
After confirmation by a panel of experts, these children were found to have Lee's syndrome due to taking aspirin.
The report also included detailed analytical conclusions at the end.
Further analysis shows that the younger the child, the higher the incidence and severity of adverse reactions.
A strong warning: Aspirin should be strictly prohibited for use in young children!
Although this clinical trial was conducted under safe and controlled conditions
The children who experienced severe adverse reactions have been given emergency treatment and are now safe and sound.
However, the crisis hidden behind these data sent chills down his spine.
Countless children outside are being unknowingly given aspirin by doctors or parents.
If this situation continues, the consequences will be unimaginable!
Without any hesitation, the president picked up the phone and contacted Editor-in-Chief Richard.
"Richard, the results of the drug's clinical trial are in. I think you'll be very interested in this report."
Li Aiguo received the latest issue of The Lancet a few days later at a meeting at the pharmaceutical institute.
This issue of The Lancet is different from previous issues; the cover features three large titles.
Ibuprofen successfully passed Phase III clinical trials!
Ibuprofen successfully passed Phase III clinical trials!
Aspirin has been shown to potentially cause Lee's syndrome!
Looking at these three titles, the atmosphere in the meeting room became somewhat strange.
Logically speaking, it should be a cause for celebration that two of their new drugs have not only graced the cover of The Lancet but have also successfully passed Phase III clinical trials.
But Wang Chenglai, sitting opposite him, showed no joy at all. Instead, he slammed his hand heavily on the table.
"These five major pharmaceutical companies are despicable! They know their drugs have such serious side effects, yet they deliberately conceal it!"
I wonder how many innocent children have suffered because of their medication over the years!
Director Liu said, "Old Wang, calm down."
These five major pharmaceutical companies... probably didn't know about these side effects all along, right?
After all, medicine is a field where problems are discovered as it develops.
"Director Liu, you are just a pure scientific researcher. You think too highly of those capitalists from the five major pharmaceutical companies."
Wang Chenglai shook his head and turned to look at Li Aiguo, "Aiguo, you're quick-witted. Tell me, how could they not know?"
Li Aiguo smiled and shook his head: "Aspirin is an old drug that has been on the market since 1899."
Over the years, the number of children taking aspirin for fever has been countless.
To say that the five major pharmaceutical companies were completely unaware of such serious side effects... that might fool a three-year-old, but anyone who believes that is a fool.
These big capitalists, in their eyes, human lives are just numbers on a report.
For money and profit, they can disregard everything.
"As long as the profit margin is high enough, they'll even package poison as a magic pill and sell it."
After listening, Director Liu sighed deeply: "Sigh, we pharmaceutical people are similar to doctors; we're in the business of healing and saving lives. How could we do such a heartless thing..."
"Alright, Director, let's not count on the capitalists' conscience. Let's discuss our own mass production instead," Wang Chenglai decisively changed the subject.
According to the original plan, the production of both ibuprofen and cephalosporins, two miracle drugs, was to be handled by the pharmaceutical company.
But the plans couldn't keep up with the changes.
The demand for ibuprofen and cephalosporins is so high that they need to be supplied both domestically and overseas.
Even with the workers working in three shifts, they were already overwhelmed and simply couldn't handle such a huge order.
"How about we expand our operations?" Director Liu said to Wang Cheng, but his eyes were fixed on Li Aiguo.
There was no other way; the Qianmen Locomotive Depot had expanded its scale several times recently, and Li Aiguo was an experienced operator.
"Ahem, I think we should definitely expand production!" Li Aiguo naturally welcomed this with both hands.
In the future, we will need to produce other drugs, so the larger the pharmaceutical plant, the better.
Director Liu submitted application reports to the railway department and the health department, and the reports were approved quickly.
The pharmaceutical research institute here is busy expanding its production capacity.
Meanwhile, Li Aiguo received a long-distance call from Yang Jizong, who was far away in the port city, in his office.
"It's a hit! It's patriotic! Sales are booming!"
"what happened?"
"Ever since the latest issue of The Lancet was published, distributors and hospitals around the world have gone crazy, scrambling to buy our ibuprofen and cephalosporins! In just a few days, we received orders for one million boxes!"
As he spoke, Yang Jizong looked as if he had seen a mountain of gold.
It's worth noting that these two drugs are not considered expensive on the international market.
Converted to US dollars, ibuprofen costs five dollars a box, and cephalosporins cost ten dollars a box.
However, our costs are low!
With the production cost of mainland pharmaceutical companies plus a reasonable profit, the ex-factory price of a box is only a few cents!
Selling them overseas can generate a profit of a hundred times the cost!
Even robbery wouldn't be this fast!
“Now that all the companies are starting to review the drugs, we should also make some preparations,” Li Aiguo reminded.
Although countries have implemented new drug approval systems, they have also provided a certain time window, allowing drugs to be sold while the approval process is underway.
"Don't worry, our two drugs have already passed the French approval process. Next up are the American and John Bull families."
By the way, the five major pharmaceutical companies are in big trouble this time; a class-action lawsuit has been restarted.
"Uh, how's the situation?" Li Aiguo was also concerned about this matter.
After all, this was something he had pushed forward, and he had long anticipated the outcome. He still wanted to see if the five major pharmaceutical companies could come up with something new.
You don't know yet, do you?
Yang Jizong recounted the recent international events, and Li Aiguo could only admire the shamelessness of the five major pharmaceutical companies after listening.
The trigger for this incident was, of course, the clinical trial report of those three drugs published in The Lancet.
The report immediately caused a huge uproar around the world upon its release.
"The five major pharmaceutical companies concealed serious side effects; this is tantamount to murder!"
"They even conspired to frame others for using ibuprofen and cephalosporins. This is utterly shameless, like a thief crying 'stop thief!'"
"I think they should be fined to the bone and these bloodsucking companies should be completely bankrupted!"
If the media is merely creating hype, then health authorities across the country have already begun taking concrete actions.
Under the organization of various localities.
More and more parents of children suspected of developing Lee's syndrome from taking aspirin are joining the class-action lawsuit.
In just a few days, the number of plaintiffs soared to several thousand, and the amount of damages claimed skyrocketed to a staggering $10 billion!
"The lawyer we secretly hired, Saul, is now taking on cases like crazy."
This guy is indeed a good lawyer; he's adept at stirring up emotions and gathering evidence.
Now that the evidence is irrefutable and public sentiment is outraged, I think the five major pharmaceutical companies are completely finished this time!
Yang Jizong was filled with emotion on the phone, feeling that justice was finally about to be served.
After listening, Li Aiguo simply smiled faintly and said, "Old Yang, you're oversimplifying things."
"What, the five major pharmaceutical companies still have a chance to survive?" Yang Jizong didn't believe it.
"Just wait and see."
Li Aiguo didn't explain further, just said one sentence and hung up the phone.
Yang Jizong, far away in the port city, looked at the phone after it was hung up, curled his lip, and didn't believe Li Aiguo's words at all.
You know, they killed so many people. If these pharmaceutical factories don't go bankrupt, it would be an absolute injustice!
However, what happened next left Yang Jizong so shocked that his jaw dropped to the ground.
At the highly anticipated court hearing, the lawyers representing the five major pharmaceutical companies, dressed in suits, calmly presented a series of "detailed" pieces of evidence.
This evidence "perfectly" confirms the claim.
The five major pharmaceutical companies have long outsourced their aspirin production to some unknown third-party factories.
Unfortunately, the equity structures of those third-party factories were extremely complex, like a tangled mess.
Even more coincidentally, on the eve of the trial, the warehouses where the factory stored relevant financial and production documents suddenly caught fire overnight and were completely burned down.
As for the issue of aspirin's drug safety review, the five major pharmaceutical companies have shirked responsibility quite easily.
They placed all the blame on Professor Everett of the American Medical Association's Committee on Pharmacology and Therapeutics.
In court, the once highly respected Professor Everett surprisingly broke down in tears and admitted to the affair.
The five major pharmaceutical companies have commissioned him several times to investigate the safety of aspirin.
However, it was all due to his serious negligence and dereliction of duty that he failed to detect the side effects in time, ultimately leading to a major disaster.
The series of smooth and decisive moves left the victim's family members in the gallery stunned. Ultimately, the federal court delivered its verdict in court.
The five major pharmaceutical companies bear no criminal responsibility for the tragedies caused by aspirin!
However, civil liability cannot be escaped, and a total of one billion US dollars in compensation must be paid to the victims' families.
Professor Everett, who took the blame, was sentenced to ten years in prison for his gross negligence that led to the tragedy.
Upon learning the final result, Yang Jizong was completely stunned.
When he called Li Aiguo again, his tone was filled with disbelief: "Black...it's fucking black! These guys are incredibly powerful!"
"Haha, Lao Yang, although you've been in Hong Kong for so long and are now considered a big capitalist, you, this red capitalist, still haven't grasped the essence of those old-school big capitalists."
Li Aiguo laughed heartily on the other end of the phone.
He was already used to this result.
In capitalist societies abroad, when big companies have major problems that lead to deaths, almost no core executives actually go to jail, and no giant company is ever truly brought down.
Their most effective tactic is: "Find a scapegoat, impose a fine and settle, keep quiet, and let the executives get away scot-free."
A billion-dollar fine sounds daunting, but for behemoths like the Big Five pharmaceutical companies, it's just a drop in the ocean, and may even have already been factored into their "operating costs."
Purdue Pharma.
The pharmaceutical factory that caused millions of people in Xiaomei's family to become addicted and "saved" millions of others was ultimately only fined, with no one pleading guilty or going to jail.
The infamous Merck, whose painkillers caused 14 deaths from stroke, concealed clinical data and was ultimately only fined.
And then there's Pfizer, which conducted experiments on children in Africa for only tens of millions of dollars.
There are far too many such cases to list.
Li Aiguo was already used to it.
Capital comes into the world dripping with blood and filth from head to toe, from every pore.
It's just a pity about Suo Suo; he was so focused on upholding justice, but what happened in the end?
Thinking of this, Li Aiguo said, "Old Yang, the lawyer for this class-action lawsuit is not bad."
"understood."
After hanging up Yang Jizong's call, Li Aiguo did not go back immediately, but continued to sit at his desk.
He was waiting for another phone call.
Yang Jizong naturally understood what "good" meant, and immediately picked up the phone to contact the North American side.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the ocean.
Albuquerque, New Mexico.
In a run-down tavern filled with the smells of cheap tobacco and fermented beer, a dim neon sign flickers outside the window.
On stage, a stripper with an out-of-shape figure is idly twisting her body.
The audience below the stage let out a series of vulgar whistles.
In the corner of the bar, a dejected man was gulping down whiskey.
He was wearing a rather well-tailored suit, with his tie hanging loosely around his neck, which seemed out of place in the smoky environment.
He was Soso.
Soso originally thought that this was how her life would be.
With their silver tongues, they help street thugs, drug dealers, and petty thieves with their lawsuits, earning a living through dishonest means, and surviving like rats in the gray area of the law.
Until he received the class-action lawsuit against the five major pharmaceutical companies.
At that moment, he seemed to see a glimmer of light in the mire, and it seemed that he had found the direction in his life.
One night, he even looked in the mirror and remembered the oath he took when he graduated from law school: to uphold justice and to make the law a shield for the weak.
But the result?
Reality slapped him hard across the face.
The opposing legal team was like a pack of hyenas in suits, who brazenly and thoroughly absolved the five major pharmaceutical companies in the federal court, finding a scapegoat and escaping unscathed.
What a load of crap, this federal court! It's worse than a brothel!
At that moment, Suo Suo's long-held perseverance completely collapsed.
"To hell with justice, to hell with the law..." Soso muttered, raising his empty glass.
"Bartender! Another drink! Fill it up!"
Just then, a voice suddenly came from the side: "Bartender, two drinks, please. And one for this gentleman too, it's on me."
Soso raised her head, her eyes blurry with drunkenness, and in her hazy vision came into view an Eastern face with a faint smile.
"Mr. Chen? You...you've come to this godforsaken place?"
"I've come to see our great hero."
"A hero?" Soso chuckled self-deprecatingly, as if he had heard the funniest joke.
"What kind of hero am I? Stop mocking me, Chen."
All employees of the five major pharmaceutical companies escaped unscathed.
I'm a complete and utter loser, a clown who got utterly humiliated by those elite Wall Street lawyers!
"Soso, look at me."
Chen Long's smile faded, and his tone became serious.
"This is not your responsibility, it is the responsibility of the system."
You are facing a deeply entrenched behemoth woven from money and power.
You've done enough; you've forced them to the point where they have to cut their losses and survive.
There's no need to punish yourself for this shitty system.
Suo Suo fell silent, a complex emotion flashing in her eyes.
As he spoke, Chen Long took out another business card and handed it to Suo Suo: "I am here today on behalf of the Agricultural Association to formally invite you to serve as our chief legal counsel."
"Me? A lawyer for the association?" Soso's eyes widened, and he sobered up halfway in an instant.
He knew all too well that the agricultural association in Xiaomei's family was no longer the group of rustic farm owners who only knew how to grow crops and raise cattle.
Under the manipulation of Chen Long and others, they have become a powerful political force capable of influencing votes and even shaping local policies.
"Why, don't you want to?"
"I do! God, I do! You absolutely need me, I can help you manipulate those legal clauses to your heart's content!"
Soso seemed to see a light.
Since the federal court is a brothel, let him be a wanderer who roams the world!
"Let's go then. Go back and change into something decent. You smell like a garbage can right now." Chen Long laughed as he stood up and led Suo Suo out of the tavern.
The cold night wind woke Suo Suo up completely. She looked at Chen Long, her tone tinged with resentment: "Chen, actually, it was my mistake in the class-action lawsuit."
I was so eager to win that I overlooked the details. I should have realized beforehand that the Big Five pharmaceutical companies would look for a scapegoat, that Professor Everett…”
"It's alright, the game isn't over yet, we still have a chance," Chen Long said calmly.
"Opportunity? Impossible."
If I'm not mistaken, the five major pharmaceutical companies will definitely not leave any survivors.
Professor Everett will never leave this prison alive; the dead don't recant their confessions.
Chen Long stopped, turned around, and looked at Suo Suo with a half-smile.
Do you think we wouldn't have guessed the things you could have imagined?
"You...were prepared?!"
Suo Suo gasped, her face filled with horror.
He suddenly realized that there seemed to be a powerful force behind Chen Long.
Just now.
Inside a heavily guarded federal prison.
Professor Everett was sitting in the noisy prisoner's dining hall, staring at the disgusting lump of mushy food on his plate, his mood at its lowest point.
He is the most renowned medical expert in the industry!
If this hadn't happened, he would have been the president of the medical association by now!
The results of it?
Now he's a prisoner, his reputation ruined, and he has to be locked up with this stinking scum.
"But it's okay... As long as I stay here for a while to lay low, the pharmaceutical company's lawyer will bail me out."
"Then, once I get that huge hush money, I can buy a ranch in South America and live a carefree life."
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but rub his hands together excitedly, and even the food in front of him didn't seem so hard to swallow anymore.
Suddenly, a series of hurried footsteps came from behind.
Before he could react, a bald prisoner with a face full of scars rushed over, holding a plastic toothbrush handle that had been sharpened to an extremely sharp point, and stabbed it straight at his carotid artery!
They were moving too fast; even the guards in the distance couldn't stop them in time.
The surrounding prisoners were not alarmed; instead, they excitedly whistled.
In this prison, the deaths of a few people are simply a normal form of entertainment.
Professor Everett seemed to have seen Death.
Just as the toothbrush thorn pierced his neck, a white man with a ponytail punched the bald man's wrist.
The toothbrush flew out horizontally.
The white man was incredibly strong. He then kicked the bald man, who weighed over 200 pounds, several meters away, sending him crashing heavily onto the dining table and knocking him unconscious.
The white man dusted off his hands, leaned close to the still-shaken Professor Everett's ear, and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear:
"The Corleone family sends their greetings. We can give you a chance to live, Professor."
"Li, we have protected that professor as you instructed. At least inside the prison, no one can touch a hair on his head."
In addition, he also recorded all the dirty deeds done by the five major pharmaceutical companies.
Around eight o'clock, a call, relayed through an intermediary, came as scheduled from the Long Island estate in North America.
“Mr. Michael Corleone, I’ll leave this to you.” Li Aiguo leaned back in his chair and said calmly in fluent English.
"It is an honor for the Corleone family to serve you."
Across the ocean, at the luxurious Long Island Estate.
After hanging up the phone, Michael Corleone let out a long sigh of relief and wiped away non-existent cold sweat from his forehead.
Ever since the Corleone family got involved with Hextech due to the Disney incident, they have become the largest organization in Nevada.
They have now expanded their sphere of influence to Florida.
Back then, when President Ken launched several swift and decisive campaigns to eliminate the Black Hand, many established families were wiped out, but the Corleone family alone remained standing and even grew stronger.
Michael Corleone knew better than anyone else.
This is not because their family has any powerful connections, but because they have a towering tree above them.
Now, the big tree has finally asked him to do something.
He naturally wanted to do it perfectly, leaving no room for error.
Why did Mr. Li go to such lengths to save Professor Everett's life and obtain such crucial audio evidence, yet not immediately use it against the five major pharmaceutical companies?
Michael Corleone's mind was filled with terrifying rumors about this great figure from the East.
However, he quickly shook his head and forced himself to put the matter out of his mind.
Having been in the mafia for so many years, he knew one thing well.
Don't ask questions you shouldn't ask. It's never a good thing to pry into the affairs of important people.
……
Let's turn our attention back to the capital.
Li Aiguo had no idea that Michael, far away on the other side of the ocean, was imagining so many things.
For him, saving Professor Everett was merely a casual move.
The five major pharmaceutical companies are the lifeblood of Xiaomei's family.
Langley was behind all the messes the five major pharmaceutical companies made in Africa back then.
In particular, after President Lin came to power, he stipulated for the first time that the antibiotics and vaccines purchased by the US military must be sourced from the five major pharmaceutical companies.
The procurement of medical subsidies also comes from the five major pharmaceutical companies.
In this situation, even with overwhelming evidence, Xiaomei's family would still protect them.
Li Aiguo never intended to take down the five major pharmaceutical companies from the very beginning.
At this point, releasing the evidence would at most cause them some serious damage, but it wouldn't be enough to kill them outright.
Sometimes, an idle piece can become a killing move at the most crucial moment.
Seeing that it was getting late, Li Aiguo hung up the phone and drove his SUV back to the courtyard house.
Yesterday, General Xu called to say that the J-6 prototype had been assembled and he couldn't miss the test flight.
(End of this chapter)