Enlightened Empire

Chapter 315: Medical Research

“In fact, the workers here were able to extract the artemisinin almost as soon as this physician returned from Arguna,” Itzali explained while they walked over to a corner of the room that seemed especially busy. This place was filled with crates of a long, green stalk, which Corco assumed to be the artemisin grass they extracted the artemisinin from.

This was one of the many classic remedies of the Chutwa doctors that dealt with malaria. Luckily, Corco had remembered that the artemisin grass indeed contained a compound that would treat malaria, among other things, so he had asked his doctors to focus their research in that direction.

Besides the boxes of grass were several tools that would help extract the artemisin, as well as a long row of labeled test tubes, filled with fluids of various color. At this moment, a young man was busy walking from one tube to the next, measuring their weight and viscosity and writing them down on a clip board. However, unlike the other young people in the room who all wore yellow like their master, this one wore a thicker, dark robe.

“You're not from this place, are you?” Corco asked with interest. When his concentration broke, the young man turned around in surprise.

“King Corco!” the flustered youngster said. “You... What is king doing here?”

Corco ignored the question and instead said, “I remember you. You're one of Ronnie's apprentices, aren't you? Chuku, was it?”

“Yes, King Corco. Master Hieronymus assigned me here to help, since the work with the new medicine needs someone with good knowledge of chemistry.”

“That's it, is it? Why does that not sound like Ronnie at all, just handing over helpers like that?”

The apprentice blushed. “Master also said that this way he would no longer have to deal with my constant questions.”

“And there it is. Don't take it to heart, young man. You're not doing it right unless you're asking enough questions to annoy your teacher. Just consider this a good opportunity to learn by yourself.”

“Yes, Apprentice Chuku's help has been much appreciated, and greatly helpful,” Itzali added from the side. “With King Corco's instructions and the previous work of my colleagues, it was not too difficult to find the right trick and extract the artemisinin.”

“I'm aware. I read the report,” Corco said, while he inspected the apparatus out of interest.

A shame we're not making quinine, no tonic water for me, he thought, but returned to a more serious topic.

“So how's the compound work been going since then?” he asked the apprentice who was responsible for the experimental setup.

“King Corco, we have tried many different compounds that transform the artemisinin to improve efficacy and make sure all malaria parasites are eradicated. So far, a compound formed with concentrated spirit of amber seems to be the most promising. Master has named the new substance 'Artesunate'.”

“That's fantastic. I assume you've refined the production method by now?” he asked. When he had first received the report that the biology lab had managed to isolate the artemisinin, he had first ordered the development of a more economical production method right away. After all, the Verdant Isles were large, and so they would need to treat a lot of malaria patients.

“Yes we have,” Chuku replied. “By now our production is at least ten times faster than it was before, and we also make better use of the materials and do not waste as much of the grass as we used to. I believe the method is refined enough for mass production, though we may need some more advanced setups if we want to produce Artesunate and other, similar compounds on a larger scale.”

While Ronnie's young apprentice told Corco exactly what he wanted to hear, Itzali wasn't so forthcoming.

“However, this physician still needs to emphasize that the artemisinin has been ready for several seasons, and could have helped many survive the jungle fever,” the doctor stressed again. “Even more so now, when we are coming to the end of the rainy season in the north. Over the summer, there were reports of a bad jungle fever outbreak in the northern kingdom. During the worst period, an entire city had to be closed down for tens of days. All in all, it seems like well over a hundred died from the illness.”

“You understand that the people in the northern kingdom are our enemies, right?” Corco asked. Although the king wouldn't be indifferent to the plight of Yaku people, this was a view that was shared by most people in the south, even more so after years of conflict with the northern kingdoms. So he decided to play devil's advocate to see the doctor's reaction.

“This physician understands the political realities. However, the commoners in the northern kingdom are not at fault for the wars their masters have started. Every day we do not release the cure, more innocent will die from jungle fever, no matter who they are.” Corco's brow raised when he heard the doctor's explanation. It seemed like Itzali really had changed.

“And some merchants have also brought the illness to Saniya, which caused a lot of trouble to the physicians. Why not have this marvel of chemistry help them out?” Chuku added with pride in his voice. “The artemisinin really should be released. It is ready and tested, so there is no reason to hold back any longer.”

“I thought I already sent an explanation when it comes to that, together with my first order,” Corco answered Itzali first. “We can't just start giving out medicine on a hunch. Most of the methods you Chutwa doctors use have been tried and tested for generations. But artemisinin to cure malaria is still a completely new treatment, at least in its pure form. That's why I ordered clinical trials of this stuff when you first isolated it. It's too dangerous to just release as is.”

This time he turned towards the apprentice and said, “And that goes doubly for all the new compounds you are working on. We simply didn't know any of the possible side-effects, not even if the new medicine works at all. Worse, we still have no idea about the long-term effects, so we should be careful with every new medicine we develop, and put it through some rigorous testing before it's released for use on the general public.”

Of course, this wasn't the only reason Corco held back on the artemisinin. After all, he knew the medicine from his other life, and was well aware that it was effective.

However, in his original plans, he would have held back the medicine and slowly negotiated with the Verdant Isles for its release. This way, he could have pretended that the production was more difficult than it really was. It would have allowed him to get more concessions from them for the product, and it would have also improved the southern kingdom's status among the people of the Isles. For obvious reasons, his plans had changed, so they would have to start mass-production ahead of schedule.

“This physician understands the need for caution,” Itzali said, “and the systematic tests have been very helpful in our understanding of both the jungle fever and the new medication. However, many lives could have been changed had the medicine been released sooner. Conversely, the long-term effects of the medicine are still unknown, even now. What has changed that the medicine needs to be released right this moment?”

“Well, there's a sudden need of the stuff on the Verdant Isles,” Corco replied vaguely. With Itzali's recent selfless streak, he wouldn't understand the political details either way.

“And many of our soldiers are there right now, fighting an important war. Unlike the locals, we come from a colder climate, and we're much more susceptible to malaria... I think. I'm actually not sure that's true, but it's better to be safe than sorry. I don't want our people to die from things we could have prevented, and it'll take a while to get production rolling and stock up on supplies. Once we're forced to fight a war in the jungle, we'll have a much bigger outbreak than the small-scale flareup in the north, not to mention the fact that we might lose the war without it. Plus, we're due a large-scale field test anyways, so this is a good chance to get that done too.”

“In that case, this physician will strive to increase production within the laboratory.”

Although he said so, Itzali didn't look too confident. Of course a doctor wouldn't be the best man for mass-production, so Corco had his own plans.

“Just making them in the lab is probably not enough, even with your increased efficiency,” he said. “Just the soldiers alone will be ten thousand people, maybe more. Not to mention the general population of the Green Island. Instead, we'll move production out of your lab. I'll have my people set up a manufactory for artemisinin and Artesunate production somewhere outside. You're better off researching new stuff anyways. Worrying about bottlenecks and such is a waste of your talent. As for your payment-”

“No payment is necessary,” Itzali interrupted Corco. “This physician only hopes that more people can be healed.”

“No, that's not gonna work,” the king said. “At least I want to show the people of this city that striving for progress and coming up with improvements to everyone's lives has advantages. If you don't want the money, you can always donate it to the state after you've receive it.”

“That's right master Itzali. More money would never hurt, would it?” Chuku helped out.

“Very well. Then how exactly would this payment work, since the medicine will not be produced or sold from this laboratory?”

“Well, we've put together the plans for the patent office a while ago... though I'm not quite sure how far along we are with the progress yet, what with me being away and all. Still, in principle, you will be credited with the invention of the artemisinin, so long as you write down your method and put it in with the government. Exactly who did what work should be cleared up between you and anyone else who's worked on the project. In this case, it might be appropriate to apply for the patent together with Chuku here.”

As Corco pointed out the apprentice, the young man's face lit up as his eyes filled with dollar signs, metaphorically speaking.

“Thank you, King Corco! I am deeply grateful!”

Rather than reply, the king continued, “Once you apply for the patent, there will be a review process, to check the validity and relevance of the invention, and once that's done, the invention is yours. Normally, that means that no one can use or recreate your patent for the next fifteen years, unless you sell the rights to others. However, the artemisinin is a bit special. Together with ordinary patents, we're also introducing something called 'key patents', which artemisinin falls into. The idea is that some inventions are too important for the wealth of the people and the progress of the country to be hoarded by a single greedy businessman.”

“A reasonable fear,” Itzalo said, though Chuku looked a bit unhappy.

“As a result, we've decided to force inventors of key patents to license their inventions early,” Corco said. “You could license out the rights to your patent in case of a normal invention as well, but with an important product like artemisinin, you'll have to license to several parties, should there be interest. Though obviously, the rates need to be reasonable for both sides and depend on the industry. In case no licenser can be found, you can't be forced to follow the rules and give up your patent for nothing. However, in that case, the government will always step in to buy one of the licenses, again, at reasonable rates. Of course, we'll use this tool sparingly, since I don't want to intervene into the market too much. Still, something like artemisinin is too important to be hidden away and monopolized for decades. Cheaper anti-malaria drugs will save countless lives, so more competition in the market is always better.”

“However, who outside of this laboratory, and maybe Master Hieronymus, who would be able to produce something of such high technical content? Who else has this much knowledge of chemistry and medicine?” Chuku asked.

“Should we go ask the merchants of the city for assistance?” From his unpleasant look, it seemed obvious that Itzali didn't like the merchants very much. Maybe he had made some bad experiences with them on his travels. To his luck, there was no need to bother with any merchants besides Corco.

“That's not necessary,” the merchant king said. “If you don't mind, I can use your invention as a pilot project, help you market the thing and create sales networks. As for production, we'll set up some manufactories ourselves, as in, the kingdom will do it for you. We'll license at reasonable rates of course. What do you think about a ten percent stake in the profits of the production?”

“This physician would not mind to give it away for free, so long as more of the medicine can be produced.”

“That's nice to hear,” Corco said, though he would still make sure that Itzali received his compensation. He wanted others to see the benefits of being inventive and working with the government. Plus, he wouldn't want to seem too greedy and ruin his reputation over some minor profits. “In that case, I won't bother you much longer. You should get ready to put together your papers for the patent, while I get back to the castle and start work on the production side of things.”

“This physician will not hold king up any longer. Surely, king has much work to do.”

“True. For one, I need to figure out where to put another damn manufactory. We're really victims of our own success.”

With the troubled thought of the city's overcrowded islands, the king left the lab.