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

The threat posed by Tanaka is not unfounded.

Although Christmas lights were already hanging in the shop windows on Fifth Avenue, the legal and public relations departments of Water Pharmaceuticals did not take a holiday and continued to work overtime.

The blizzard outside the window was even more intense than the one at the end of last year, and the entire Manhattan seemed to be sealed inside a giant crystal ball.

The CEO's office.

Victor Corleone put down his pen.

On the table in front of him lay a yellow sticky note with only a hastily scribbled word combination: Exon-Florio.

The television on the corner of the table was playing CNN news. On the screen, newly elected President Bush was delivering his inaugural address, smiling and waving to the crowd, promising to build a "more moderate and friendly America."

"Knock knock knock!" came a rapid knocking sound.

"Enter."

The office door was suddenly pushed open.

Saul opened the door and rushed in, waving a fax in his hand.

"Boss! Something terrible has happened!"

Saul rushed to the desk and, panting, slammed the fax paper down in front of Victor.

"Look at this! That madman Tanaka! He held a global press conference just ten minutes after the Tokyo Stock Exchange closed!"

Victor continued to stare at the note.

"Let me guess. He announced that Sakura Pharmaceuticals has acquired a 14% stake in Vought Pharmaceuticals, right?"

Saul froze, his mouth agape. "How did you know? This hasn't even been released by the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission)! This is insider information!"

"Because he's Japanese, Saul. They're as precise as clockwork, as rigid as machines." Victor finally looked up, a cold smile playing on his lips. "15% is the red line. He's stuck at 14%, which is telling us: his katana is already at our throats, but he hasn't cut it yet. He's waiting for us to kneel and beg for mercy."

"It's not just about shareholding!" Saul pointed to the fax paper. "He announced at the press conference that next Monday morning, one hour after the New York market opens, Sakura Pharmaceuticals will officially launch a full takeover bid for all shareholders of Vought Pharmaceuticals! The offer has been raised to $82 per share! All cash! And no financing conditions!"

"$82..." Victor whistled. "That's a big spender. A 40% premium. Those greedy fund managers on Wall Street must be popping champagne right now. For them, this is an early Christmas present."

"They're definitely celebrating! Our stock price has already surged 25% in pre-market trading! Goldman Sachs' arbitrage department is going crazy!" Saul paced anxiously in his office. "Boss, we have to fight back! Should we activate the 'White Knight' plan? I can contact Pfizer or Merck and have them act as friendly third parties to bid for the company and squeeze Sakura Pharmaceuticals out. Although we'll lose control this way, at least it's better than falling into Japanese hands!"

"Or, or we could go with a 'scorched earth' policy?" Saul's eyes turned crazed. "We could take on huge debts to acquire a piece of junk, like one of those near-bankrupt asbestos plants, turn Water Pharmaceuticals into a liability, disgust the Japanese, and make them abandon the acquisition!"

"Sit down, Thor."

"But there might not be enough time! The market opens the day after tomorrow..."

"I told you to sit down."

Thor swallowed hard and obediently sat down in the chair opposite him.

"Sol, listen to me now."

Victor stood up, walked to the liquor cabinet, and poured two glasses of whiskey.

"I need you to have the legal department prepare two documents immediately. The first is a standard 'shareholders' rights plan' (poison pill), with a trigger threshold of 15%. Once Sakura Pharmaceuticals increases its stake beyond this percentage, all other shareholders will have the right to buy new shares at half price. This will drastically dilute their shares, making their acquisition costs astronomical."

"This will buy us some time, but it won't stop them." Saul took the glass and downed it in one gulp. "They have plenty of cash. If they really want it, they'll buy it even if it's diluted tenfold."

"I know. The poison pill is just the appetizer." Victor swirled the amber liquid in his glass, which shimmered under the light. "The second document is a draft agreement regarding the transfer of our core patents, including OxyContin's sustained-release technology and Concerta's osmotic pump technology, to a shell company in the Cayman Islands."

"The 'Crown Jewel' defense!" Thor's eyes lit up. "If we sell our most valuable assets, Vought Pharmaceuticals will be nothing but an empty shell, and they'll naturally give up. But...that would lead to shareholders suing us for breach of fiduciary duty!"

"Better safe than sorry," Victor said coldly. "But I don't intend to actually sign this agreement. Because Tanaka has made a fatal mistake."

Victor walked back to the table and tore off the yellow sticky note.

"Take a look at this."

He stuck the sticky note on Saul's forehead.

Saul peeled off the sticky note, squinted, and read, "Exon...Florio? What's that? A new pasta sauce? Or some rare disease?"

"This is our Silver Bullet, Thor."

Victor walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at the Chrysler Building, its silhouette faintly visible through the snow. It was a symbol of American industry, but now, its owners were Japanese. And it wasn't just the Chrysler Building; Columbia Pictures, Pebble Beach Golf Links… all had been bought by the Japanese.

"The Exon-Florio Amendment. As Section 5021 of the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act, it was previously signed into law by President Reagan."

Victor turned around, looked at Thor, and gave him a strange smile.

"Do you know what this bill is for?"

Saul shook his head. As a lawyer specializing in criminal defense and commercial law, he hadn't had time to study the latest international trade law.

"It authorizes the U.S. president to review, suspend, or even prohibit foreign acquisitions of U.S. companies on the grounds of 'national security.' Moreover, such reviews do not require a court hearing, and the president's decision is final and not subject to appeal."

Saul frowned. "National security? Boss, we sell painkillers, not nuclear bombs. We don't even manufacture a single gun. What kind of national security is OxyContin? Preventing Americans from dying from pain? That's a reason that wouldn't fool a three-year-old."

"That requires a bit of... imagination. Or rather, storytelling ability."

Victor walked back to the table and picked up the telephone receiver. His fingers hovered over the dial pad, and his eyes grew deep.

"Saul, tell me. If one day, the United States were to be struck by an unknown plague or suffer a biological attack, who would produce the antidote? Who would ensure the supply chain for antibiotics? Who would have access to the genetic data and medication habits of tens of millions of American patients?"

Thor was stunned.

"Is it us?" he asked tentatively.

"That's right. It's us." Victor's voice rose a few decibels. "Vought Pharmaceuticals is no longer an ordinary pharmaceutical company. From this moment on, we will define ourselves as 'a key link in the U.S. biological defense system.' We will redefine our painkillers as 'strategic medical supplies.'"

"We need to tell Washington that if Sakura Pharmaceuticals acquires us, it's tantamount to handing over America's 'biological lifeline' to the Japanese. Think about it, Saul. Those veterans of World War II, those congressmen still stuck in Cold War thinking. If we tell them that the Japanese might use our database to develop genetic weapons specifically targeting white people..."

Thor gasped.

"This is ridiculous! Genetic weapons? That's just science fiction!"

"In politics, the truth doesn't matter; fear does."

Victor dialed a number. It was an "old friend" of his in Washington, a senior advisor to the House Armed Services Committee and a well-known hawk who had been advocating the "Japan threat theory."

The moment the call connected, Victor mastered the art of Sichuan opera—face-changing—without any formal instruction.

His eyes became filled with concern for the country and its people, and his voice became deep and magnetic, as if Lincoln had possessed him.

"Feed? Yes, Mr. Smith. It's me, Victor... No, I don't care about the stock price. I'm calling you because I just saw Tanaka's statement... Yes, I'm worried. Very worried."

Victor glanced at the dumbfounded Saul and continued his performance into the microphone:

"Mr. Smith, this is more than just a commercial acquisition. This is an invasion. Imagine if our largest pharmaceutical company were controlled by foreigners, what if they cut off our antibiotic supply?"

"As you know, OxyContin is currently the most widely used painkiller in military hospitals! What if war breaks out and our soldiers are wounded, but we find that the supply of painkillers has been cut off?"

"Yes, I know this sounds sensational. But as an American citizen and a taxpayer, I have a responsibility to remind you. Before Pearl Harbor, nobody believed that responding planes could sink battleships, right? We can't make the same mistake again."

"...Okay, I understand. I will draft a detailed National Biosafety Risk Assessment Report immediately and submit it to CFIUS (Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States) by tomorrow morning. We need your support, Mr. Representative. We need Congress to hold hearings. We need the American people to know the truth."

"Thank you, Mr. Congressman. God bless America."

Victor hung up the phone.

Several seconds passed before Thor came to his senses. He clapped his hands, his eyes filled with awe.

"Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant," Thor exclaimed sincerely. "Boss, if you went into acting, an Oscar would definitely be yours. I almost believed that nonsense you just told about 'soldier painkillers'."

“This isn’t nonsense, Saul.” Victor sat back down in his chair and lit a cigarette. “This is politics. At this level, business rules have become obsolete. We’re going to use political poison to kill the greedy Japanese wolf.”

He exhaled a smoke ring.

"Tanaka thinks he can buy America with dollars. But he forgets that the dollar bill is printed with Washington's image, not the Emperor's. As long as we can elevate this issue to the level of 'patriotism,' no one will dare to support him. Any politician who supports the acquisition will be labeled a 'traitor.'"

Samuel Johnson once said: Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel.

Victor wholeheartedly agreed. It was not merely a sanctuary, but also an invincible sword.

"Get ready, Saul. We're going to Washington. To give the gentlemen on Capitol Hill a vivid lesson in 'patriotism'."

"By the way, have Katie contact the Detroit Auto Workers." A cold glint flashed in Victor's eyes. "Since it's war, let the fire burn even brighter."