godfather of surgery

Chapter 1294 Miraculous Power

After being discharged from the hospital, Li Gaoyang did not leave China. He was worried that if his condition changed in the United States, he would not be able to receive timely treatment. His team rented a floor of a hotel near Sanbo Hospital as his temporary residence.

Huang Jiacai was reviewing a training program for his European partners at 3 a.m. The caller ID showed an encrypted international number.

“Mr. Huang, this is James Walker.” The voice on the other end of the phone had the calm tone characteristic of East Coast elites. “I apologize for disturbing you so late at night. But my father’s situation may not be able to wait until the regular approval process is completed.”

Huang Jiacai quickly searched his memory for the name: James Walker, son of the chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. His father, Senator Walker Sr., had briefly appeared in the news three months earlier due to hospitalization for glioblastoma, before disappearing from public view.

“Mr. Walker, I understand how you feel, but the FDA approval process…”

“We’re pushing, using every possible means,” James interrupted him anxiously, his voice trembling slightly. “But the bureaucratic machine can’t keep up with the tumor’s growth. My father’s attending physician told us yesterday that only K therapy can save him right now. If effective treatment can’t begin within two weeks, he might…”

There was a few seconds of silence on the phone, then James continued, "We've reviewed all of Mr. Rigoyan's treatment records and hired three independent medical teams to evaluate him. The conclusion is consistent—K therapy is his only chance, Mr. Huang. We need your help."

Huang Jiacai sat up straight: "Mr. Walker, Ruixing is willing to help any patient, but only if it complies with medical standards and laws and regulations. If the FDA does not approve, we cannot accept clinical trial volunteers from abroad."

"What if I could get the FDA to approve it within seven days?"

This statement stunned Huang Jiacai.

“My father worked in Washington for forty years,” James said firmly. “He helped many people, and now these people are willing to help him. The FDA commissioner was his classmate in law school, the NIH director was someone he nominated, and the Secretary of Health and Human Services worked under him for ten years. If that’s not enough, I have twenty-seven of my senator colleagues whose families or constituents are facing the same desperate situation.”

"I need to discuss the medical feasibility with Professor Yang Ping," Huang Jiacai finally said.

"Of course, we already have a private jet on standby, and the medical team can take my father and all his medical records to China at any time. If Professor Yang thinks it is feasible, we will initiate a special approval process within 24 hours."

After hanging up the phone, Huang Jiacai sat in his office, unable to calm down for a long time.

A force he had never anticipated was gathering in the United States, and what was driving this force was not commercial interests, nor political calculations, but the most primal human emotion: to save the lives of loved ones.

He had originally devised a comprehensive strategy to deal with the FDA: data sharing, phased approval, limited pilot programs… He planned to take months or even years to open up the US market. But now, a completely unplanned force has emerged, and it may be pushing open that heavy door at an astonishing speed.

……

Almost simultaneously, Song Ziming received a video call request from overseas. The other party was the vice president of the Royal College of Physicians in the UK, but he made a personal request.

“Dr. Song, I am contacting you on behalf of a family who wish to remain anonymous, but the patient is a member of an extremely prominent family in the UK and has been diagnosed with a grade IV brainstem glioma.”

Song Ziming frowned: "Our clinical trials in the UK have not yet been approved."

“This is a special case,” the vice president said in a low voice. “The patient is the sole heir of the family. If… if something happens, it will affect not only this family, but also the foundations, charities, and half of the City of London’s financial network that they control.”

"so?"

"Therefore, they are willing to use all resources to push the UK and European Medicines Agency to speed up the approval process. In fact, they have already done so. Yesterday, the ministers of health from the UK, Germany, and France held an emergency call. This morning, the EMA held a special meeting."

Song Ziming was shocked: "But didn't the EMA just pass the data security framework? The regular approval process takes at least six months..."

“In special circumstances, things can be expedited,” the vice president said. “The ‘compassionate use’ clause can bypass some procedures, as long as the treatment provider, that is, you, agree to accept the patient and provide a comprehensive safety monitoring plan.”

"We need the patient's complete medical history to make an assessment."

"All information can be sent to you at any time. The chartered plane is already on standby at Heathrow Airport, and the patient will depart immediately after approval."

After the video ended, Song Ziming immediately found Yang Ping.

The two reviewed the portion of the medical records that had just been transmitted. The patient's condition was indeed critical, the tumor was in a tricky location, and traditional methods had been exhausted.

"Can it be done?" Song Ziming asked.

Yang Ping carefully studied the images: "The tumor type is within the scope of our K therapy, but it is too large and located too deep. The success rate will be lower, to about 70%."

"But if left untreated, death is 100%." ​​Song Ziming thought to himself, 70% is already very high, I wonder what the professor meant by success rate.

Yang Ping nodded: "Technically, we can try, but we need to be clear: it must go through formal approval channels; and the risks of treatment must be clearly explained."

Just then, Huang Jiacai called.

“This is the second one,” Song Ziming said. “And there might be a third, or even a fourth.”

The third call came from San Francisco. The caller was Marku Reynolds, the founder and CEO of the world’s largest social media company. This time, the call was not transferred through a secretary but went directly to Huang Jiacai’s personal cell phone.

“Mr. Huang, this is Marku Reynolds, my chief technology officer and brother of mine for twenty years. He has been diagnosed with a diffuse midline glioma. The doctor says the average survival time is nine months.”

Perhaps it was the news of Ricci's successful treatment of gliomas in the brainstem that spread worldwide, giving all glioma patients hope. However, K therapy isn't just suitable for gliomas. Huang Jiacai was no longer surprised: "Mr. Reynolds, I regret to inform you, but K therapy is currently not available in the United States..."

“I know.” Marcus had the directness and efficiency typical of Silicon Valley people. “I’ve already got my team working hard to launch the ‘Countdown to Life’ topic on our platform, which has garnered over 200 million views in 24 hours; and we’ve contacted 73 cancer patient organizations across the United States, who will be holding a joint rally in Washington tomorrow; my legal team is preparing a class-action lawsuit against the FDA, accusing it of violating patients’ right to life by unreasonably delaying the approval of breakthrough therapies.”

Huang Jiacai could almost picture it: the founder of a social media giant personally stepping in, using his platform, his influence, and his legal team to fight for his brother's life. This kind of power is more direct and harder to resist than any commercial lobbying.

“But I need your help,” Marcus continued. “I need Professor Yang Ping’s medical evaluation and your treatment data. With these, I can get the FDA to make a decision within a week under the dual pressure of public opinion and the law.”

“This could trigger a backlash from regulators,” Huang Jiacai said cautiously.

“Then let it rebound.” Marcus’s voice turned cold. “Mr. Huang, let me make this clear: My brother is forty-two years old and has two children under ten. He is one of the smartest people I’ve ever met, and he should live to see his children grow up and to create more world-changing technologies. If the bureaucracy is going to stop this, I will use all my power to tear a hole in it.”

Huang Jiacai believed he would do it. A man who controls the information flow of billions of people worldwide, when he decides to go all out for something, his power is terrifying.

"I will have Professor Yang Ping's team evaluate your friend's medical records as soon as possible."

“The medical records are already on their way to your servers. Also,” Mark paused, “if the treatment is successful, I pledge to personally donate one billion US dollars to establish a global cancer research fund. This is not a deal, it is a token of gratitude.”

Over the next 72 hours, similar requests poured into the Sanbo Institute and Ruixing from all over the world.

The heiress of a French luxury goods group, the head of a long-established Italian car family, the third generation of a Japanese zaibatsu, the wife of an Australian mining tycoon… Behind each name lies a vast network of social resources. Many of them know each other and belong to the same social circle, which quickly connects when a crisis strikes.

They bypassed pharmaceutical companies and government channels, directly contacting Ruixing and Sanbo Research Institute. Some used various connections, some leveraged media resources, and some resorted to legal means, but their core demand was singular: to get their loved ones treated as soon as possible.

In Huang Jiacai's office, his assistant compiled a list: "This week we received seventeen special requests from twelve countries. The patients all share the following characteristics: their conditions are critical and other treatments have been ineffective, their families have significant social influence, and they all expressed their willingness to urge their respective countries to expedite the approval process."

Huang Jiacai originally thought that commercial interests would drive the globalization of K therapy, with pharmaceutical giants for the market, governments for the industry, and investors for returns, but he was wrong.

The true driving force is humanity's most primal will to survive when facing death, and the deepest pain when a loved one is about to leave. This force does not follow commercial logic, nor does it heed political rules; it is as fiery as molten lava, capable of melting away all obstacles.

“Notify all departments,” Huang Jiacai turned around, “We need to activate the emergency plan, coordinate to increase production capacity, and reserve a portion for emergency treatment; the legal team should prepare to deal with the different emergency use approval clauses in various countries.”

"What about the universal access framework?" the assistant asked worriedly. "If these people with resources cut in line, won't ordinary patients be pushed to the back?"

Huang Jiacai fell silent. This was indeed a problem—medical resources were limited, and deciding who should be given priority was an ethical dilemma.

He concluded by saying, “Medical assessments are based entirely on the severity of the illness, without regard to the patient’s identity; if emergency approval is initiated, the HP pathway in the patient’s country must be opened simultaneously. We cannot allow privilege to become an exception, but rather a hammer to break down barriers. However, with the help of these people, HP’s solutions will be rolled out more quickly.”

While Ruixing was busy dealing with the situation, executives at the headquarters of the world's major pharmaceutical giants were caught in a complex mix of emotions: shock, bewilderment, and a deep sense of powerlessness.

Schneider frowned as he looked at the Emergency Use Authorization announcement just released by the EMA.

The announcement indicates that, under “special humanitarian circumstances,” the EMA will allow K therapy to be used, with limitations, in critically ill patients before all Phase III clinical trials are completed.

The driving force behind this "special circumstance" was three members of the European Parliament, two members of the royal family, and an informal alliance of European business leaders.

“We spent months lobbying, designing a data security framework, and negotiating cooperation terms,” Schneider told the executives in the conference room. “And they, in just one week, pushed open the door.”

One vice president gave a wry smile: "Because we are doing business, they are saving lives. These two motivations are not even in the same league, and their power far exceeds ours."

The same scene unfolded in New York, where Thompson had just hung up a call from a friend in Washington to learn that the FDA was likely to issue a similar emergency authorization next week.

"Who is pushing this?" he asked.

"Senator Walker, Marku Reynolds from Silicon Valley, and... a few people from Wall Street. They formed an alliance of families of cancer patients, updating their family members' progress on social media every day, with over three billion views."

Thompson shook his head: "We're still discussing licensing fee percentages, but they're already rewriting the rules of the game."

Perhaps the most embarrassed are those companies that originally intended to use the approval process as leverage. DuPont of France had planned to say in the next negotiation, "We can help push for EMA approval, but we need more favorable terms." Now, the approval process has moved on its own, and its leverage has disappeared.

“We’ve been marginalized,” DuPont admitted in an internal meeting. “Patients and their families have organized themselves; they don’t need us as intermediaries. Neither does Rexroth. Now, regulatory authorities in various countries are under pressure to open up, and Rexroth and K therapy can directly enter the market.”

"Then what do we do?"

“Repositioning,” DuPont said. “If we can’t be the gatekeeper, we’ll be the service provider. Ruixing needs production, logistics, and localized support, which we can still provide, but the profit margin may not be as large as we imagined.”

"Sometimes, compromise is also a victory."

The power structure of the global pharmaceutical industry has undergone subtle yet profound changes within a week. Traditional giants have suddenly discovered that in this new era, the most important resource is no longer approval channels, physician networks, or even sales teams, but rather the trust of patients and a truly life-saving drug.

Ruixing has earned this trust through Li Gaoyang's case.