Jeff Buick - Lethal Dose

“Bruce Andrews at Veritas has indicated that many of the drugs the FDA has approved have serious side effects. Is that true?”

“Well, yes, I suppose. But we measure things by evaluating the benefits of the drug as they relate to the downside. Zancor is, in my opinion, not worthy of FDA approval. The benefits don’t outweigh the corresponding side effects.”

“Listen to me very closely, Barry. Unless Zancor kills people outright, the benefits now far outweigh whatever the side effects are. This drug is necessary to stop the spread of a hemorrhagic virus that could be released in two days. I want the approval, Barry, and I want it today.”

“This is highly irregular, Mr. Rothery,” Flath said. “I’m not used to being threatened.”

“Well, Barry, get used to it. If you don’t approve Zancor and people start to die because the cure is tied up in red tape, I’ll make sure the entire world knows it was you who refused to okay the drug that could have stopped the virus in its tracks.You will be the most hated man in America, and a hero to al-Qaeda.”

“These threats are not necessary, Mr. Rothery.”

“Then what is?”

“I’m just concerned that once I approve this drug, it will become a household name and some people will suffer. I’m not kidding when I say there is a real downside to this medication. And if this hits the shelves, it will be widely used.”

“So just pull the approval down the road. You guys recall drugs all the time.”

“Recalls are not that simple, Mr. Rothery. “We need definitive proof that a drug is dangerous. And with the side effects that Zancor causes, that may be hard to prove.”

“Jesus, Barry, you’re all over the map. First you say it’s dangerous, now you tell me you won’t be able to prove it’s dangerous.”

“If you have the time, I can explain it to you, but it’s complicated. Zancor is an antiviral medicine, and patients only take the meds when they’re sick or have an infection. It’s like Cipro, the Bayer Pharmaceuticals antibacterial drug that was so effective against the anthrax scare of 2003. Three hundred million people have taken Cipro, but none of those users have taken the drug long-term. So does Cipro have a downside? We don’t think so, but without a test group who are on the meds for a long time, it’s difficult to say. And that’s the problem we’ll run into with Zancor, except we know it has some ugly side effects.”

“I appreciate the explanation, Mr. Flath, but I’m running out of time. I have a press conference set for just after nine o’clock this morning. That’s in about ten minutes. I need an answer right now.”

There was dead air on the phone for at least thirty seconds. Finally, Barry Flath said, “All right, Mr. Rothery, you’ve got your approval. I’ll have the paperwork completed and sent over to Veritas by noon today.”

“Thank you, Barry. And could you please send a copy of that approval to my office as well?”

“Yes, sir.” The line died a quick death.

Rothery punched the intercom button again. “Are the guys from Veritas here?” he asked.

“Yes, Mr. Rothery.”

“I’ll be right out. Call down and let the press know we’re on our way.”

“Yes, sir.”

Rothery tidied up his desk, which entailed pushing one piece of paper to the side. He stared at the polished wood, then around the office. He had worked so hard for so long to achieve this position. And now he had proved to the nation that when the forest was on fire, he was the guy to douse it. He had put together a cohesive team that had checked their egos at the door and brought the resources of their respective agencies to the table. Through interagency cooperation on the highest level, they had found the source of the virus and had stimulated the private sector to find a cure. Christ, he couldn’t have orchestrated a better outcome if he had tried. He checked his watch. Nine o’clock. Time to face the press.

He met Bruce Andrews and Dr. Chiang Wai in the reception area and the three of them proceeded down to the pressrelease room. Andrews just nodded that he understood when informed that FDA approval was immediately forthcoming on the new drug.

“That’s good news, Mr. Under Secretary,” Andrews said. “We’ll begin production without delay.”

“Excellent. Coordinate the release of the drugs through Tony Warner over at NSA. They’ve got a great network in place. Let’s make use of it. You can bill his agency for the cost of the drugs, and I’ll have him forward that to the appropriate department afterward.”

“Yes, sir,” Andrews said. They reached the elevator, and as they waited for it to arrive on their floor, Andrews asked, “What are we going to say at the press conference?”

Rothery smiled. “You and Dr. Wai are going to tell the nation that you’ve beat this thing. You’ve discovered a cure, and that the threat from the virus is almost nonexistent. You may want to mention what some of the early symptoms are, in case the terrorists manage to release the virus. That way anyone who is infected can get to the nearest medical center quickly.”

“I understand,” Andrews said.

The elevator doors opened and the three men moved inside. The doors closed and the elevator headed down to the main floor to where the press waited. An entire nation waited for the elevator. They waited by their television sets to hear what J.D. Rothery had to say. And today, the American people had some good news coming their way.

The news conference was a highly anticipated event. Rothery had readied the media and the American people for news of some substance. The cat was long since out of the bag, and it was common knowledge that an unknown terrorist cell, with suspected ties to al-Qaeda, had a deadly virus they were threatening to unleash on the United States.

Gordon and Jennifer were seated in the restaurant at the Fairfield Inn watching CNN, and when the Under Secretary of the Department of Homeland Defense strode into the press room and took the podium, the restaurant manager turned up the volume. A hush fell over the diners as Rothery shuffled a couple of papers about.

“What do you think he’s going to say?” Gordon asked Jennifer, stirring some cream into his coffee.

She shrugged. “They’re dealing with a hemorrhagic virus, Gordon. I’d be surprised if they’ve made any headway.”

“We have some good news to report this morning,” Rothery said, looking up from his notes into the camera. “This morning at 0630 hours, a task force consisting of FBI agents and Orlando Police Department SWAT teams raided an industrial bay near the Orlando International Airport. Inside the building was a fully functional laboratory, designed to produce the hemorrhagic virus that has been threatening our country. The building, identified as a target due to the large number of highly sophisticated HEPA filters that were found on-site, is owned by an American citizen, Ismail Zehaden, who showed up at the lab just as the raid was about to begin. Mr. Zehaden was captured inside the building, and when he tried to grab a container that police suspected may contain the virus, he was shot and killed.

“The lab and the surrounding buildings are under a strict quarantine at this time, and members of the Centers for Disease Control are assessing the situation. We are quite sure of one thing at this time. We have shut down the production facilities for the virus.” Rothery shifted his papers, then continued. “But that does not mean that this threat is not still very real. It is. There remains the possibility that the terrorists have moved some of the virus from the lab and may be prepared to use it against us. We cannot ignore this threat. It is very real.

“To that end, I have additional good news.” He turned and motioned to someone off camera. “Our task force enlisted not only the resources of the various government agencies with research-and-development capabilities, but also those companies in the private sector with similar resources. Many of the major pharmaceutical companies agreed to help and created research teams specifically geared to finding a drug that would combat the virus. One of these companies was successful.”