As soon as the experts heard this, their expressions darkened. The leader of the experts had a balding head. He looked at Macrae and asked in a serious tone, "Are you questioning our standards?"
Macrae suppressed the anger and unwillingness in his heart as he shook his head. "No, I don't mean to question you. It's just that the score of our three new drugs was very different from my estimation. I hope you can tell me the reason why our new drugs scored poorly," he said.
Although he said it in a euphemistic way, the experts weren't fools. They obviously understood what he meant.
At that moment, the atmosphere in the surrounding area became tense.
However, the reporters were excited. The camera turned around and had a good shot of what was about to happen. After all, for the news media, this conflict was obviously more attention- grabbing than the experts offering evaluation scores.
As the discussions continued to spread, more and more people gathered around and began to talk about it. The participants who had been evaluated by the judges on the exhibition stage saw this as an opportunity. They also took the opportunity to shout in the crowd.
"Yes, we hope that the experts can explain and show us where our shortcomings are!" One of them said.
"That's to say, they should show us how to meet the standards. Otherwise, who knows how the score is given when only an average score is announced?" Another added.
"I don't really trust their judgement." They started to shout in unison.
Upon seeing that discussion become more and more serious, the official staff members had to come forward to maintain order.
The experts discussed among each other and finally made up their minds. They nodded at the official staff and said, "Since Mr. Leu needs us to tell him the reason, then we'll make it clear this instant."
Soon after that, the group of experts returned to the exhibition stage.
The bald-headed expert picked up the first new medicine and explained to Macrae, "This medicine for treating headaches has a score of 5.6. Are you not satisfied?"
Macrae didn't speak blatantly. However, he was still dissatisfied and said, "The raw materials in our drug are newly invented synthetic ingredients. After countless experiments, the efficacy rate is 80% better than most common drugs. I don't understand why our scores don't qualify."
The bald expert said out loud, "You said the effect of this new medicine has increased to 80%, and I agree with you. The concept is generally right."
Upon hearing that, Macrae was momentarily stunned. A smug look then appeared at the corner of his mouth.
However, the expert's expression immediately darkened and he said coldly, "However, did you know that the price of this new material is ten times more expensive than that of the initial one? A headache or fever is a common disease. In order to increase the efficacy rate to 80%, you've increased the manufacturing cost by ten times. Do you think this new material is that powerful? Will it be very popular?"
"Th-This..." Macrae was speechless. However, he found an excuse and said, "The price is just one aspect. As long as the medicine is produced on a large scale, the price will naturally decrease. Moreover, our new medicine can be used for other special diseases or high-end patients. There is a market for it."
"It's a high-end market. We've gotten an even more useful medicine some time ago. The efficacy rate of 80% isn't worth mentioning to high- end patients," the expert said coldly.
At the same time, another expert added, "In addition to that, this so- called new product of yours is just to change a dissociation of the most basic raw materials in the chemical chain. There is no change in its composition. In terms of innovation, it is almost negligible."
"Didn't you notice this?" They asked.
Macrae was really dumbfounded when the expert said this. He shook his head in disbelief and said, "Th-That is impossible. We've gone through many experiments. Although there were side effects, they weren't that serious and the odds aren't that high."
"You don't believe me?" The expert snorted coldly. He then clicked on the tablet, turned over a thesis, and showed it to Macrae. "This is the latest issue of the 'Natural Medicine' magazine. This thesis that was just published describes the side effects of that matter in detail. Did you use this kind of substance in your medicine?" He asked.
Macrae quickly scanned over the thesis. His heart sank as soon as he saw the final conclusion.
He instinctively wanted to refute the conclusion of the thesis. However, 'Natural Medicine' was the world's top medical publication and the author of this thesis was also an internationally famous scientist. Him questioning it in front of such authority would be a complete joke.
At that moment, Macrae's smile fell. His lips moved but he couldn't speak at all.
Soon after that, the expert took back his tablet and looked at him. He said, "As for the last batch of medicine, it is similar to the first one. However, its characteristics were better. As such, the score was slightly higher."
"Now, do you have more questions about our score?" They asked.
"I- I..." Macrae uttered as he wanted to say something. However, he didn't know how to put it. In the end, he could only sigh and shake his head. "N-No problem."
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