Arthur Hailey - Strong Medicine

Martin smiled.”I thought you'd be pleased.”

A normal dosage, he continued, would be twice daily. Two medical doctors, recently added to the Harlow staff, would coordinate clinical trials in Britain, beginning at once.”We shall concentrate on the age ranges of forty to sixty, though in special circumstances that can be varied either way. We'll also try the drug on patients in the early stages of Alzheimer's. It will not reverse the disease there's no hope of doing that-but may retard it.”

Celia, in turn, reported plans for North American testing.”We want to begin as soon as possible. Because of preliminaries and the need for FDA permission, we'll be a little behind you. But not much.”

They continued with their hopeful, exciting plans.

Out of the Harlow talks came a conclusion that a small plastic bottle with a push top would be the best container for Peptide 7. A suitable dose could result from the throw of a finger pump. Such a container system opened up possibilities for attractive, interesting packaging. It seemed likely that Felding-Roth would not manufacture the containers, but would contract them out to a specialist supplier. A decision, though, would be made in New Jersey.

While Celia was at Harlow, Martin arranged dinner for her with himself and Yvonne. Showing his sensitivity, Celia thought, he did not take them to the Churchgate, but to the dining room of a newer hotel, the Saxon Inn. At first the two women inspected each other curiously, but after a short while, and despite the difference in ages-Celia was forty-eight, Yvonne twenty-seven-they seemed to slip into an easy friendship, perhaps because of their affinity with Martin. Celia was admiring of Yvonne's decision to apply to veterinary college. When Yvonne pointed out that if accepted, she would be older than most students, Celia advised, "You'll do better because of that.”

And she told Martin, "We've a fund at Felding-Roth, set up to help employees who want to improve their education. I think we can bend the rules sufficiently to give Yvonne some financial aid.”

Martin raised his eyebrows.”Yvonne, it looks as if your cost of living just got paid.”

When she expressed gratitude, Celia waved it away and said, smiling, "From what I've been told, you contributed a lot to getting Peptide 7 where it is.”

Later, when Yvonne had left the table briefly, Celia said, "She's special and delightful. It's none of my business, Martin, and you can tell me so if you like-but are you going to marry her?" The question startled him.”That's highly unlikely. In fact, I'm sure neither of us has thought about it.”

"Yvonne has.”

He disagreed.”Why should she? She has a whole career ahead of her-a good one. It will take her to different places where she'll meet other men, closer to her own age. I'm twelve years older.”

"Twelve years means nothing.”

Martin said obstinately, "Nowadays it does. It's a whole generation gap. Besides, Yvonne needs to be free, and so do 1. At the moment we've an arrangement which suits us, but that can change.”

"Men!" Celia said.”Some of you certainly get the best of your ,arrangements.' But you can be blind too.”

The discussion was ended by Yvonne's return. It was not resumed before Celia and her group went back to New Jersey a few days later.

On the day that Celia left, Martin's mother died. She slipped away from life quietly, without warning or fuss. As a doctor at the nursing home expressed it to Martin later, "She went like a small boat that drifts off into the night on a calm sea.”

The calmness, Martin thought, with feelings of mixed sadness and relief, had been present for his mother far too long. It was mental turbulence, not calm seas, that gave life its zest. Alzheimer's had deprived his mother of that zest, and the thought revived, once more, his hopes for the future of Peptide 7. Only Martin, his father and Yvonne attended the simple funeral, and afterward Peat-Smith, Senior, went back to chipping at the block of marble he had ordered and which had been delivered several days before. Martin and Yvonne drove back to Harlow in companionable silence.

In the several months that followed, important decisions were taken at Felding-Roth, New Jersey, punctuated by many transatlantic journeys by headquarters staff. The active ingredient of Peptide 7, which would appear as a white crystalline powder, was to be manufactured in the Republic of Ireland at a new plant for which a site had been chosen and architects' plans were being rushed to completion. The plant would be the first of Felding-Roth's to specialize in molecular biology. Space would be allowed on the site for later manufacturing of the chemical base for Hexin W. - Final production of Peptide 7, in its liquid form and ready for insertion in containers, would be in an existing plant in Puerto Rico. The containers, manufactured as expected by another company, would be shipped there. The overseas arrangements had substantial tax advantages compared with manufacturing in the United States. The overall plan involved an enormous investment which, after doubts and discussions, was approved by the board of directors. At dinner one night Celia explained the doubts to Andrew.”It's money we don't have. Everything's going to be borrowed, and if it goes down the drain, so does Felding-Roth. But we've agreed we have to do it. We've bet the company, and we're in a now-or-never mood.”

There were other decisions, of smaller dimension but important. One concerned a product name for Peptide 7. Felding-Roth's advertising agency-still Quadrille-Brown of New York-began a costly, exhaustive study during which existing brand names were examined and new, suggested ones brooded over, with many being rejected. Finally, after several months of work, a top-level review session took place at Felding-Roth headquarters. On the company side it was attended by Celia, Bill Ingram and a half-dozen others. A small agency contingent was headed by Howard Bladen, now president of Quadrille- Brown, who attended, as he expressed it, "a lot for old time's sake.”

Before the proceedings, Celia, Ingram and Bladen reminisced about the session sixteen years before, when they had all met, and which resulted in the "happy-momma plan" for New Healthotherm, still a steady O-T-C seller and revenue producer. Storyboards and easels were set up in the boardroom to display eight suggested names, each presented in succession, in several type styles. "Among possibilities we've narrowed down," an agency account executive announced, "are names which relate to the brain or human understanding.”

These followed and were: Appercep, Compre, Percip, and Braino. The first three, it was pointed out were derived from "apperception," "comprehension," and "percipience.”

The fourth name was speedily withdrawn when Bill Ingram commented on its similarity to a household product-Drano.

"I'm embarrassed," Bladen said, "and how we all missed that, I'll never know. But no excuses. I apologize.”

Then there were names which, the account exec said, "suggest something brigbt-shining with high intelligence.”

Those were: Argent and Nitid. Two others were: Genus and Compen. The second, it was said, implied that the drug would "compensate" for what might otherwise be missing. An hour's discussion ensued. Bill Ingram liked Appercep, disliked Nitid, was lukewarm about the others. Three people on the company side favored Argent. Bladen expressed himself a supporter of Compen. Celia held back, listening to the others, letting the arguments flow, reflecting at one point on the thousands of dollars all this was costing. It was Bladen who eventually asked, "What's your opinion, Mrs. Jordan? You're one who's had some splendid ideas in the past.”

"Well," Celia said, "I've been wondering why we don't call our new drug Peptide 7.”