Final Venture

33

They were all there in the large conference room: Gil, Art, Diane, Ravi and Daniel from Revere, and Enever and Jerry Peterson from BioOne. Gardner Phillips had called everyone to his offices first thing on Monday morning at my request. He was also there, of course, together with one of his associates, an earnest-looking woman with pen and yellow legal pad poised.

He stood up, shook my hand, and indicated that we should take our seats at the head of the long table. He sat on my right. Although I still didn't know him very well, I trusted him. At that moment I needed a good lawyer, and I was thankful to Gil for getting me one.

'Thank you for coming, ladies and gentlemen. I think you all know my clients Simon Ayot and his wife, Lisa Cook. They have some information about BioOne that they would like to share with you. Simon.'

I smiled at the assembled group. Diane nodded and returned my smile, Ravi looked vague, Daniel fascinated, and the others all glowered. Gil stared at me through his thick lenses, his forehead pulled down in deep furrows over his eyebrows. Enever looked furious. Not exactly an eager audience.

'I have bad news,' I began. 'Lisa and I have uncovered evidence that BioOne's drug neuroxil-5 is dangerous to human life.'

There was a stir around the room. 'Prove it,' demanded Enever.

'We will,' I said, nodding to him. Then I told them the whole story. About Lisa's concerns about neuroxil-5, about John's message to me before he died, and about my own investigations at the clinics involved in the trial. I then said that Lisa had been able to get hold of more complete data that had confirmed her initial suspicions.

Enever was quick with the counter-attack. 'What data?' he shot at Lisa.

'I can't be specific,' she replied. Gardner Phillips had warned us to stay well clear of how we had got hold of the information. 'But I can assure you there can be no question as to the conclusions.'

Enever snorted. 'That's absurd. Your "conclusions" are all unsubstantiated. They have no validity at all. Let's all stop wasting time and get back to work.'

'Don't you have any concerns about the incidence of strokes in patients who have been taking neuroxil-5 for more than six months?' Lisa asked.

'No, of course not,' Enever replied.

'Do you deny that you attempted to get clinicians to reclassify patients who suffered strokes as non-Alzheimer's patients?'

'No. Where appropriate. It's easy to misdiagnose mini strokes as Alzheimer's.'

'What about Dr Catarro? He was concerned, wasn't he? And his two patients who died of strokes were shown to have Alzheimer's at their autopsies, weren't they?'

'Possibly. But these are elderly people. Two of them dying of a stroke is no more than a statistical blip. He was just being difficult.'

'It was convenient he had his accident, then, wasn't it?'

'Too right,' muttered Enever. Then, as eyebrows were raised round the table, he continued. 'Look, of course I'm sorry the guy died. But he was a fool, all right?'

Enever's insensitivity was playing into our hands with the people gathered round the table. But he hadn't admitted anything yet.

'Will you make your data available for an independent consultant to analyse?' I asked Enever.

Absolutely not,' he said. 'This is commercially sensitive information of a highly confidential nature. Anyway, the FDA sees all the adverse event reports.'

'But in a population of elderly people like this one, the abnormally high incidence of strokes wouldn't necessarily leap out at them, would it?' Lisa said. 'Not until they analyse all the data at the end of the trial?'

Enever glared at her.

Gil spoke for the first time. 'Where did you get this data from, Lisa?'

'I can't say,' she said.

'Pure fabrication!' spluttered Enever.

Gil looked at both of us. 'You realize how serious these allegations are? If they are true, then neuroxil-5 will be withdrawn. BioOne's stock price would collapse immediately. The results would be catastrophic for all of us.'

'I know,' I said. 'I wish BioOne was a success. But it isn't. And the sooner we face up to that fact, the better.'

Jerry Peterson was watching me, not convinced I was telling the truth, but not convinced I was lying, either. 'Thomas, can't we analyse the data on Phase Three in-house?' he asked.

Enever shook his head. 'We'd have to unblind the data. The regulators hate that. Not only that, it would delay completion of the trial. Don't forget Werner Wilson is expecting results in March.'

Jerry Peterson remembered. He kept quiet.

'Every day this trial continues there's a chance that another one of the thousand or so patients will have a stroke,' I said. 'You can't hide from that.'

'Bullshit,' muttered Enever.

'You son-of-a-bitch, Ayot.' It was Art. He looked edgy. Sober, but edgy. 'You've always had it in for BioOne, just like Frank. You're jealous, that's all. But that's a damn stupid reason for destroying this firm's best investment.'

'Hold on, Art.' It was Gil. 'From what I've heard, there is a chance that people will die unless we act now to stop the trial until the data can be analysed independently. We can't gamble with other people's lives.'

'There's no evidence!' Enever interrupted. 'We're relying entirely on what these people say.' He jabbed a finger at Lisa. 'I fired her. She's just trying to get her own back.'

Gil threw me a sideways glance, but then continued. 'I've known Simon for a couple of years, Dr Enever. And Lisa is the daughter of a good friend of mine. While they might be making all this up, I'd say there's also a good chance they're telling the truth. Right now, we don't know. So what I suggest is that Dr Enever gives all the information he has to Ravi to look at. If Simon and Lisa's conclusions are found to be accurate, we will have to stop the trial. And I mean all the information, Dr Enever.'

'That's absurd,' Enever protested.

'Either that, or we stop the trial immediately.'

There was silence round the table, as the consequences of these words sunk in.

'Ravi?' Gil looked at him for his reaction.

'I won't know whether I will be able to draw any conclusions until I know what data is available. But safety is the most important issue in developing any new drug,' he said. 'From what Simon and Lisa say, there must be real doubts. We have to address those right away.'

'Diane? Do you agree?'

She nodded.

Gil took a deep breath. Art?'

'No way!' Art almost shouted. 'This will destroy the stock price. It will destroy BioOne. Hell, it will destroy Revere. You can't do it, Gil.'

Some of the weariness had left Gil's face. He sat up straighter, more determined. He knew what he was doing. It was as if, now that he was face-to-face with a difficult decision, he could summon the courage to go through with it, no matter what the consequences were.

'Jerry?'

Jerry Peterson's fresh face looked at Enever, who was scowling deeply, and Art, who looked as if he were about to leap from his chair and throw it at someone. Then he shrugged, and gave a small smile, as if to say 'easy come, easy go'.

'I want you to give all the information we have on neuroxil-5 to Ravi by tomorrow, Thomas,' he said.

'Thank you,' said Gil. 'I needn't remind you that what we have been discussing this morning is highly price-sensitive information. Anyone selling stock would be inviting investigation from the SEC

Enever sat there fuming. Art didn't look much happier. Everyone. else let the consequences of the decision that had just been taken sink in. If I was right, it wasn't good for any of them.

'That still leaves one other important question,' I said.

They looked at me with expressions that ranged between dazed and furious.

'Someone killed Frank. And someone killed John. And someone probably killed Dr Catarro.' I paused, to let what I was saying have its effect. 'They were murdered because they discovered what I now know about BioOne. Now, the people who would lose most from neuroxil-5 being discredited are all in this room.'

Enever looked up. 'That's absurd,' he said. 'You don't think I killed them, do you? Why would I do that? There's nothing to hide. Neuroxil-5 is a perfectly safe drug.'

I glanced at Art. He glared back. Asshole,' he muttered.

Gil cleared his throat, once more taking charge. 'Gardner, I think it would be a good idea if you called in the police. Perhaps we should all wait here for them.'

'I'll do that,' Gardner Phillips said, and the meeting broke up.

Small groups formed. Jerry Peterson turned to Enever, and began asking questions. Both men looked angry, although Jerry was under much better control. Gil walked over to Ravi, and began an earnest discussion. He beckoned to Daniel to join them. Of all of us in the room, Ravi had the most experience of biotechnology. I suspected it would be he, and not Art, who would be picking up the pieces of BioOne.

Art remained seated at the table, drinking and refilling a glass of sparkling mineral water. This would not be good for his attempt to stay on the wagon.

Diane walked up to Lisa and me. I could feel Lisa stiffen.

'It's a bad day for Revere,' she said.

I nodded.

'But if there is a problem with the drug, we can't pretend it will go away,' she continued. 'Gil was right. We have to get Ravi to confirm it.'

'Revere will lose millions. Hundreds of millions,' I said.

'It was only ever paper profits.'

We stood together in silence for a moment, contemplating the gloomy future of the firm.

Then she glanced at Lisa and me. I could feel the tension in Lisa next to me, and I didn't dare to check her expression.

'Good luck, both of you,' Diane said with a quick smile, and turned to find Gil and Ravi.

'Bitch,' muttered Lisa.

I didn't contradict her. But I wasn't so sure.