American Medicine God: Starting by Inheriting a Pharmaceutical Company and Selling Medicine

Water Pharmaceuticals Headquarters.

In the sweltering summer, the air conditioning in the conference room was set extremely low.

On the projection screen, a red curve was rising at an almost vertical angle. That was the sales curve of "Apollo".

Within just one month of Fen-Phen's delisting, Wotech Pharmaceuticals' market share skyrocketed from 30% to 85%! This is not just growth, it's annihilation.

Victor Corleone stands in front of the screen.

"Ladies and gentlemen."

"We have just won a battle. But the war has only just begun."

He glanced around at the executives at the round table. Each of them wore an undisguised expression of excitement.

"Wyeth has fallen. But that doesn't mean we can rest easy." Victor pressed the remote control, and a new chart appeared on the screen—a statistic of recent complaints about Apollo's side effects.

Although the number is small, the trend is worrying.

"Hallucinations, anxiety, insomnia, and even a few suicide attempts have been reported." Victor's voice turned cold. "While these numbers may seem insignificant compared to the millions of users, in this sensitive time, any spark could ignite new panic."

"The public is on edge right now. They were just heartbroken by Fen-Phen, and if we can't give them 'absolute security,' they will abandon us."

"So, we need a new story."

Victor looked at Barry Hines, who was sitting in the corner.

"Barry, I need you to launch Project Noah's Ark."

"Noah's Ark?" Barry raised an eyebrow. "Sounds very sacred."

"It's very simple," Victor explained. "When the flood comes, only the ark can save lives. Now, the heart damage caused by Fen-Phen is that flood, and Apollo is the only ark."

"We need to utilize the 'anchoring effect'."

"What is the anchoring effect? ​​It's when people make judgments that they overly rely on the first piece of information they hear. Right now, what's the first piece of information in the public's mind? It's that 'diet pills can cause heart valve necrosis.'"

"This is an extremely terrifying anchor point. Compared to heart failure, don't the other side effects—like nightmares, hallucinations, or even occasional bouts of madness—sound less frightening?"

A knowing laugh rippled through the conference room.

Barry chimed in, "Exactly. We can package the psychological side effects of Apollo as a signal that the brain is remodeling. We can tell users, 'If you feel a little dizzy, it's because your body is saying goodbye to obesity. This is the pain of new life.'"

“It’s not just that,” Victor added. “We need to take this contrast to the extreme. I want you to repeatedly emphasize the value of heart health in all the media. Find patients who had their valves replaced because of Fen-Phen, and have them go on TV and cry about it. Have them show off their long surgical scars.”

"Then, Apollo's GG will play. I've already thought of the GG lyrics: Apollo—a weight loss drug that won't hurt your heart."

"That GG phrase is genius," Sofia exclaimed. "It cleverly avoids the psychological side effects and shifts all the attention to the heart. It implies a logic: as long as the heart is okay, everything is safe."

“That’s right.” Victor nodded. “Under this logic, as long as users don’t die of heart disease, they are ‘safe’ even if they go crazy.”

“But, boss,” General Counsel Saul Goodman, who had been silent until now, raised his hand, “there’s still a problem. Although we’ve dealt with David Rossi, there are still a few tough nuts to crack in Congress. They’re keeping a close eye on our clinical data, especially the part about psychiatric side effects.”

"Then give them a report."

Victor took out a document and threw it on the table.

The cover features the emblem of an authoritative organization: the Independent Drug Safety Evaluation Board of the United States.

"What's this?" Thor picked it up and examined it.

"This is a 'non-profit' third-party organization that we funded," Victor said casually. "The experts inside are retired FDA officials and professors from Ivy League universities. Of course, their retirement pensions and research funding are paid for by us through a fund in the Cayman Islands."

"The report's conclusion is clear: Apollo is currently the only weight-loss drug on the market that has passed long-term cardiac safety testing. As for psychological side effects, the report states that 'the incidence is extremely low and they are self-limiting (i.e., they disappear after discontinuation of the drug)'."

"Self-limiting?" Saul laughed. "That's a brilliant word. You won't go crazy as long as you stop taking the medication, so the medication isn't the problem; it's the way you're taking it."

"Saul, send this report to the desk of every member of Congress," Victor ordered. "And have David Rossi cite this report at next week's hearing."

"We must etch the equation 'Apollo = Security' into the mind of every American."

After the meeting, Victor stayed in his office alone.

He walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling window and looked down at the pharmaceutical empire below. In the distance, factory chimneys were belching white smoke, the Apollo production line operating day and night.

Sofia walked in, carrying two glasses of red wine.

"A toast to victory?" She handed him a glass.

Victor took the glass, but didn't drink it.

"You know what, Sofia," he said softly, "sometimes I feel like we're peddling a religion."

"religion?"

"Yes. Fen-Phen is the God of the Old Testament, who punished humanity's greed with a flood (heart attack). Apollo is Jesus of the New Testament, who promised salvation."

"But redemption comes at a price."

"The price they paid was their rationality."

"But what does it matter?" He took a sip of red wine. "In this crazy world, the sober ones are the ones who suffer the most. Maybe we're helping them."

"When the opponent is the devil, even a slightly wicked angel can become a savior."

Sofia looked at the man before her. At this moment, he exuded a chilling charm. He had become the pope of this world of desire.

"Then, Your Majesty," Sophia raised her glass, "what will be your next miracle?"

Victor turned around and looked at the huge world map on the wall. His gaze crossed the Atlantic Ocean and landed on distant Europe.

"The feast has only just begun," he said, "but I can already smell the aroma of the next dish."

"That's the taste of happiness!"