godfather of surgery

Chapter 1295 Covert Operation
Seven days after receiving the first special call, the FDA issued an emergency approval notice, allowing K therapy to conduct phase II clinical trials in the United States. The authorization conditions included strict safety monitoring and data collection, but importantly, the door had been opened.

Almost simultaneously, twelve major regulatory agencies, including the EMA, the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the Japan Food and Drug Administration (JFDA), and the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), issued similar authorizations.

These decisions were driven not by lobbying reports from pharmaceutical companies or policy studies by government departments, but by the genuine voices of patients' families on social networks, public appeals from experts and scholars in mainstream media, and a large number of letters from voters received by congressional offices and their active engagement.

Huang Jiacai looked at these announcements with mixed feelings.

He had prepared countless business strategies, negotiation tactics, and game-playing plans, but what ultimately drove everything was a simpler and more powerful force. He had calculated everything, but he never imagined things would go so smoothly, so smoothly that it felt unreal.

At this moment, Yang Ping was sitting in his office, flipping through a stack of medical records.

"These are the first batch of volunteer patients who applied through the emergency channel, totaling twenty-three. Based on the assessment of their conditions, we believe that eighteen of them can begin treatment immediately, while the other five need to have their underlying conditions stabilized first," Song Ziming reported from the opposite seat.

"Can our medical team keep up?" Yang Ping asked.

"Yes, the most important aspects of K therapy are monitoring the medication process and handling any side effects. Our medical team is fully capable of keeping up with these, and side effects are now very rare."

Yang Ping nodded: "How's the application for the inclusive framework going?"

“The number of applications from ordinary patients has tripled,” Song Ziming reported. “Many people have rekindled their hope after seeing the news about the expedited approval process.”

"Can Huang Jiacai's production capacity and logistics keep up?" Yang Ping was quite worried.

Song Ziming said, "No problem at all, he was prepared long ago."

"The first batch of doctors and nurses who have participated in the training abroad will arrive here soon. Once they complete their training, our pressure will be greatly reduced."

Song Ziming continued.

"After the first batch of trained medical staff return, we will need to send mentor doctors to various countries. I have already selected the list, which consists of young graduate students from our institute."

"Very good!" Yang Ping was very satisfied.

In every corner of the world, twenty-three families are packing their bags to travel to China. Many of them have never set foot in China, but now their loved ones hold their only hope.

……

In New York, Senator Walker Sr. lay in his hospital bed, listening to his son read aloud the FDA's authorization announcement. He smiled weakly: "It seems the last good thing I did in my life was to open a door to life for so many people."

In London, the heir of that prominent family smiled for the first time since his illness: "Tell them I will come back alive and continue those charitable projects."

In San Francisco, Marcus Reynolds' brother held his hand: "If I survive, we will build the world's best cancer research center so that no one will ever have to experience this despair again. Thank you, thank you for giving me hope for life."

Hope, like a spring breeze, begins to blow through many corners that were once shrouded in despair.

Standing by the office window, Huang Jiacai suddenly understood that true change is never planned. It's like a seed falling into suitable soil; given the right climate, it will sprout on its own and grow into a towering tree.

What he needs to do is not to control the direction of its growth, but to ensure that the soil is fertile and that every tree can get sunlight and rain.

My phone vibrated; it was a message from Li Gaoyang: "The door is open. Do you need me to continue doing anything in the US? I'd be happy to serve you."

Huang Jiacai replied: "Keep doing what you're doing and tell people that hope is real."

When he pressed the send button, he felt a long-lost sense of relief.

……

Soon, the first batch of international patients arrived in China.

Ms. Lillian Windsor, a 58-year-old British patient from a prominent British family, is the chairperson of the family foundation. Her treatment has been relatively smooth, and the tumor has responded well to the standard regimen. During rounds, she made a special request to Yang Ping.

"Professor, I hope to volunteer here for a while after my treatment is over."

Yang Ping was reviewing her latest video when he heard this and looked up: "Ms. Windsor, your body needs to recover and you are not suitable for work."

“It’s not medical work.” Lillian smiled, possessing the elegant yet resolute air of an old-school British aristocrat. “My foundation manages billions of pounds in charitable funds each year. I want to personally understand how the Inclusive Fund works and then set up a special fund to help patients from developing countries pay for their treatment.”

Yang Ping put down his tablet: "This is a good thing. I'll contact Mr. Huang Jiacai, the person in charge of commercial promotion of K-therapy, to talk to you."

“I spoke with Mr. Huang, but he said that ultimately, we should consult you on medical matters.” Lillian looked earnestly at Yang Ping. “Professor, I’ve come to a realization while lying in my hospital bed: wealth and status are meaningless if they can’t be used to give back to society. I’ve lived for fifty-eight years, and most of that time has been spent maintaining my family’s honor and wealth. Now, I want to do something truly important. I’d like to know, from a medical perspective, whether I’m capable of handling this kind of mentally demanding work, or if there are any things I should be aware of.”

Yang Ping was silent for a moment: "Based on your current treatment progress and results, you can return to normal work after the course of treatment is completed."

“Excellent, thank you!” Lillian’s eyes lit up. “Also, I’ve heard that K therapy is indicated for several types of cancer, and I’ve contacted some old friends in Europe, some of whom are facing similar health crises. If my treatment is successful, they will be the next batch of patients. But more importantly, they will bring more resources and attention. I think I can contribute in any way I can to your inclusive program.”

That afternoon, Huang Jiacai came to Lillian's hospital room. This meeting was at Lillian's request; she said she had some thoughts she needed to discuss with Huang Jiacai face-to-face.

“Mr. Huang, I have studied all the details of the inclusive framework,” Lillian said bluntly. “Its design is ingenious, but there is a potential risk: over-reliance on high-income patients’ high payments to subsidize low-income patients. If the high-income market fluctuates, the entire system will be vulnerable.”

Huang Jiacai nodded: "We have considered this issue, so we are promoting the inclusion of health insurance in various countries, while establishing a risk buffer fund and increasing other sources of funding."

Huang Jiacai has been thinking about this problem and trying to find a solution.

Lillian pulled up a spreadsheet on her tablet. “I had my finance team do a simulation. With the current cost structure and pricing, if the number of patients in high-income countries drops by 20%, the entire framework could run into a deficit. And fluctuations in the number of patients are inevitable; new drug launches, competition, and changes in public opinion will all have an impact.”

Huang Jiacai looked at the complex financial models and was secretly astonished. The analysis this elderly British woman conducted from her hospital bed was more in-depth than that of a professional financial team.

"What's your suggestion?" "Diversify funding sources and establish a unified global fund. This fund will operate with stable investment returns to ensure the capital can grow on its own and cope with inflation," Lillian said. "My foundation can contribute £100 million as seed money to establish the 'Global K-Therapy Alliance Fund.' This alliance fund can make professional and stable investments like the Nobel Foundation. It will grow slowly like a snowball. We can use the returns from this money to build regional treatment centers, train local doctors, and establish the capacity for local drug production."

Huang Jiacai immediately understood the value of this idea. It transformed the inclusive healthcare framework from a business model for a single enterprise into a global healthcare infrastructure network.

This approach could weaken Ruixing's control. If the K therapy can eventually be rolled out globally, Ruixing could relinquish some of its control, focusing solely on the core technology, while allowing subsequent development to proceed on its own.

“Ruixing still holds the core technology, which is irreplaceable,” Lillian said. “But promotion and implementation can be more distributed. In fact, this can reduce your burden. You don’t need to build a team from scratch in every country; you just need to provide and control the standards.”

Absolutely correct. Just provide and control the standards, and then let them spread automatically in a distributed manner.

Huang Jiacai met Yang Ping in the corridor and briefly relayed Lillian's thoughts.

After listening, Yang Ping only said one sentence: "If this can help more patients receive treatment, then it's a good thing, as long as we keep the technical standards in our own hands."

……

While Lillian's plan was still in the works, a special business jet arrived at Shanghai Pudong Airport. Instead of a patient, the person who stepped off the plane was Mr. Wu Dechang, a Chinese-American and the core team of a multinational consortium.

They settled into a suite at a top-tier hotel in Lujiazui and began the first leg of their "China trip".

The first person I met was the general manager of a state-owned pharmaceutical group. The meeting was arranged in a private restaurant on the top floor of the hotel, with a view of the dazzling night view of the Huangpu River outside the window.

“Mr. Zhang, it’s an honor to meet you.” Wu Dechang greeted him in fluent Chinese. “We greatly admire your group’s achievements in the field of generic drugs. In fact, our partners in India and Brazil have all drawn on your company’s experience.”

Mr. Zhang, a man in his fifties, smiled shrewdly: "Mr. Wu, you're too kind. However, as far as I know, your alliance mainly represents the interests of multinational original drug manufacturers and our generic drug companies..."

“Times are changing.” Wu Dechang elegantly cut his steak. “In the past, original drugs and generic drugs were competitors. But now, we have a common challenger.” He deliberately used this phrase.

"You mean Ruixing?"

“Ruixing, Sanbo, and the entire system behind them.” Wu Dechang put down his knife and fork. “They not only develop original drugs, but also enter the market directly through the inclusive framework. Their speed in seizing the market is unimaginable, leaving no room for any of us. More importantly, they do an excellent job of protecting their technology. Their core production processes are completely closed, and it is impossible to reverse engineer them from the international patent applications they have filed.”

Mr. Zhang's eyes flickered: "I heard that you have already signed a cooperation agreement with Ruixing?"

“That’s right!” Wu Dechang leaned forward. “This doesn’t mean we can’t cooperate. We can cooperate in a better way. We provide our experience and channels in the international market, and your company provides the production and localization capabilities. We can jointly develop alternatives, products that are not exactly the same, but have similar efficacy.”

"This will take time."

“That’s why we need to plan ahead as early as possible.” Wu Dechang gestured to his assistant to hand him a document. “This is our preliminary technology roadmap. Based on the published K therapy paper, we designed several possible alternative paths, but unfortunately, they all failed.”

Mr. Zhang flipped through the thick document, his heart pounding. These multinational giants were indeed not to be underestimated; while outwardly accepting the inclusive finance framework, they were already secretly preparing for technological breakthroughs.

"I don't understand what 'reverse' means?" General Manager Zhang returned the document to Mr. Wu, not understanding the point of Mr. Wu showing him the failed technical data.

Wu Dechang smiled and said, “This is the value of our cooperation. What I mean is that you can cooperate with Ruixing by virtue of your special status, and then obtain the technology through cooperation. Then you can hand over the technology to us, and we can use our strong R&D team to improve the technology. In this way, we can jointly launch a more advanced alternative product than K therapy.”

“Mr. Wu, you’ve got the wrong person.” Mr. Zhang got up to leave.

Wu Changde wasn't in a hurry; he knew Mr. Zhang too well: "Mr. Zhang, don't rush, let me finish."

Mr. Zhang stood there, neither leaving immediately nor sitting down.

"If we can cooperate, we are willing to help your son enroll in any university in the United States that he wants to attend, and we will provide him with hundreds of millions of yuan in educational assistance every year. We can also help your whole family settle in the United States. What do you think? Cooperation will not bring you any personal loss, but it can bring you wealth that will last for generations." Wu Changde spoke slowly and deliberately. He knew that President Zhang was just putting on an act, and he had already figured out his true intentions.

Mr. Zhang swallowed hard, then slowly sat down: "This will take time."

Wu Changde smiled: "Of course it takes time, which is why I'm in a hurry to see President Zhang. But please remember, time waits for no one. Every month that passes, Ruixing's position becomes more secure. Once their global network is built, we will no longer have a chance."

……

Wu Changde didn't stop; he still needed to meet a second person.

The second meeting was more discreet, taking place at a private club on the Bund, with the other party being a partner of a well-known domestic investment fund.

"Mr. Li, your fund has invested in many high-profile projects in the healthcare sector," Wu Dechang said, raising his glass. "I'm curious, what's your view on Ruixing's valuation?"

Mr. Li, in his early forties, is a typical financial elite: "From a financial perspective, Ruixing is on the eve of a breakout. If the inclusive finance framework is rolled out globally, a valuation of hundreds of billions of US dollars is not a problem. But from an investment perspective, the risks are also obvious. The technology is dependent on a single source, and the technology behind it is supported by Yang Ping, who has almost no substitutes; the internationalization process faces policy risks; and there are also potential technology leaks and competition."

“What if there were a way to hedge against these risks?” Wu Dechang said softly. “For example, investing in a competing project with a similar technological approach but a more open competitive environment?”

Mr. Li's eyes sharpened: "Mr. Wu, do you have such a project?"

“Our alliance brings together top global oncology experts. Given the funding, we can launch a competing product within 18 months,” Wu Dechang said in a low voice. “Moreover, this project will adopt a completely different business model, with open technology licensing, allowing any qualified company to produce it. Isn’t that true inclusivity?”

"I need to see specific teams and plans."

“Next week, our scientific advisory team will be coming to Shanghai, and you can speak with them in person.”

As they were leaving the club, Wu Dechang's assistant whispered, "Boss, isn't this poaching too obvious?"

“This isn’t poaching; it’s offering choices. We’re preparing for the future.” Wu Dechang looked at the lights across the Huangpu River. “China is so big. As long as we have enough resources and opportunities, there will always be people willing to cooperate with us. Since the fortress can’t be breached from the outside, why don’t we start from the inside?”

"Boss, but we've already tried this method, and it doesn't work at all."

"That's just because Yang Ping's team is strong. We should take a roundabout approach and attack from the outside."