First Extraction: Testing the Drug on Himself

"Newbie Gift Pack?"

Wei Kang looked at the system description in confusion.

"Since the host currently has zero points, you are granted a one-time Newbie Gift Pack."

"The host may use the Drug Side Effect Extraction Function once for free!"

"Further use of this function will require points."

"Points earned by the host at lv1 are multiplied by three."

So that was it. This system was quite considerate after all. Or maybe it was worried I'd die before earning any points.

He immediately relaxed, even feeling a little pleased.

Drug side effects were nothing unfamiliar to Wei Kang. To pharmaceutical R&D personnel, the term was like the embodiment of a demon—something they both loved and hated.

During drug development, many unavoidable side effects were often discovered. Most of them caused various forms of harm to the human body, forcing drug development to be halted or even abandoned entirely, leaving enormous early investments wasted.

Yet the world was often that strange. Certain drugs had unexpected side effects that produced surprisingly miraculous results during clinical use.

Take the famous Sildenafil, better known as Viagra and called Brother Wei domestically. Pfizer Pharmaceutical Company had invested heavily in it, originally intending to develop a drug for cardiovascular disease. But its efficacy during clinical trials proved disappointing.

Pfizer Inc. had intended to terminate development of the drug, but to their utter surprise, every male participant in the clinical trials was ecstatic over one particular side effect and praised it without end.

Pfizer Inc. decisively shifted its research direction and created the most famous ED medication in history. It went on to sweep the world and benefit countless high-quality men.

This aphrodisiac drug, which had turned one loss into another gain, also brought Pfizer Inc. a flood of wealth.

The moment Wei Kang thought of that example, he could not contain his excitement.

He had already thought of the many failed formulas piled up in the laboratory.

Although the primary effects of those drugs were not obvious—some could even be said to be completely useless—

they all had various side effects to a greater or lesser extent. Excessive side effects had been one reason they were abandoned in the first place.

If he could extract an astonishing side effect and turn it into a new drug, the company could rise from the dead overnight.

Filled with motivation, he dashed straight for the laboratory.

This laboratory had been built back when his parents were still alive.

Back then, he had been young and ambitious, unwilling to settle for manufacturing generic drugs. He had always wanted to develop improved drugs or even entirely new ones. To fulfill his dream of developing new medicines, his parents had emptied their savings and spent a huge sum building this laboratory.

The laboratory had proved quite useful after all. Although every new drug project had failed, they at least provided plenty of material for his current predicament. Otherwise, he would have had to scramble at the last minute to buy abandoned formulas from other pharmaceutical companies.

Wei Kang looked through the failed formulas on the computer, carefully selecting them one by one without overlooking a single one.

He was as serious as an ordinary person choosing their first home.

"I'll start with the formulas that passed Phase II. These drugs have basically passed safety and tolerability tests and won't cause any harm to the human body."

"This one treats rhinitis. It can relieve nasal congestion, runny nose, sneezing, and other symptoms, but the duration is too short—only two to three hours. Its side effects are nausea, dizziness, and a certain chance of causing diarrhea."

"Both the efficacy and side effects are too ordinary. Not suitable. Discard."

"This drug promotes digestion and can also ease gastrointestinal pain. Unfortunately, the effect isn't obvious. Its side effects are dry mouth, palpitations, and chest tightness."

"If I could extract its therapeutic effect, it would be a good drug. But if I only extract the side effects, what use would dry mouth and palpitations be to me?"

"This Antihypertensive Drug isn't bad. Its blood-pressure-lowering effect is practically nonexistent, but its side effects include lower-limb edema, drowsiness, and possible allergies."

"This drowsiness side effect could be extracted and made into a Sleeping Pill someday. It could probably make money, but it's useless to me right now."

"What a pity. Sleep can't save the world."

After reviewing more than a dozen formulas in a row, all of them were utterly unremarkable and mediocre. Even when one had a striking side effect, extracting it would not resolve his current predicament.

These drugs could make big money, sure. Save a life? No.

What he urgently needed now was a life-saving drug that could treat mid-to-late-stage liver cancer.

Wei Kang rubbed his brow and decided to broaden his thinking.

Although these drugs were not toxic to the human body, they had neither particularly outstanding effects nor surprisingly beneficial side effects.

After all, therapeutic effects and side effects were two sides of the same drug. Under certain conditions, they could sometimes be transformed into one another. Depending on the treatment goal, the very concept of a side effect could change.

Maybe I should look at drugs that failed safety testing but had relatively strong effects?

He continued searching downward, and his eyes suddenly lit up.

"This drug for Chronic Bronchitis is highly effective. It can effectively suppress inflammation, but its side effect is that it easily increases gastric acid secretion, greatly raising the risk of Gastric Ulcer..."

"Eh? One of its side effects actually has a 0.01% effect of inhibiting Cancer Cells. The content is so minuscule that it's practically equivalent to nothing. That's true enough—before now, anyway. But now? Who told me to have a system?"

Wei Kang could not help but chuckle.

"Although this side effect was only tested in the lungs, and its effect on the liver is uncertain, it's worth using this opportunity."

Wei Kang made his decision instantly. This was the one.

"System, extract this Cancer Cells-inhibiting effect and generate a new drug."

"Ding! Side effect extracted. Please check it!"

Wei Kang looked at the system panel. A formula for a new anti-cancer drug had appeared in the illuminated section at the bottom.

He examined it carefully and found that the drug's main ingredients had not changed at all. Only their proportions had been adjusted, with two harmless, simple ingredients added.

According to the system, the drug's primary effect was to inhibit the proliferation of Cancer Cells and destroy their DNA, thereby treating cancer.

Because the drug's purity was extremely high, it took effect very quickly. As for side effects, there were none.

Suppressing his excitement, Wei Kang began preparing the finished drug needed for the experiment.

Yes, he was going to test the drug on himself.

After all, he already had late-stage liver cancer. Time was running out.

He desperately wanted to experience the effects of this brand-new anti-cancer drug.

To experience the feeling of being reborn.

Besides, no clinical trial could be more convincing than personally taking the field.

Very soon, enough tablets for seven days of treatment were produced.

Wei Kang steadied himself, poured a glass of water, and quietly swallowed the pill.

Now, all that remained was to wait three days before going to the hospital to check the results.

He waited in eager anticipation.

Some readers asked whether the male lead would be assassinated by his rivals after developing an anti-cancer drug.

First of all, if you mean domestic competitors, you're overestimating them.

At present, domestic pharmaceutical companies basically have very few original drugs. They mostly focus on relatively low-end generic drugs, while anything with real technical content is imported. So for the male lead to develop Black Technology like an anti-cancer drug, it could be said that he has no domestic competitors at all. Naturally, there would be no need for assassination. They are simply not even in the same lane, just as the owner of a knockoff-phone company would not assassinate the owner of Huawei. Unless someone wanted to seize it through trickery or force, but anyone capable of that would not bother with high technology. They could make far more money in real estate, finance, or the internet.

So the only possible competitors would be foreign pharmaceutical companies. When a qualified capitalist encounters a competitor, the first thought is definitely to name a price and buy them out, not physically eliminate them. As long as he does not leave the country, he should be completely safe. At present, there have been no scientists in our country assassinated by foreign organizations.

Finally, astronomical acquisitions are extremely common in the pharmaceutical industry. Once a promising drug reaches the clinical stage, it can easily be acquired for hundreds of millions of dollars. Acquisitions worth tens of billions of dollars for biotech companies or small pharmaceutical companies with complete pipelines and innovative technology are not rare either. A quick search for related news will show you that.

Perhaps domestic pharmaceutical companies are simply too disappointing, giving everyone the mistaken impression that many things cannot be done. But foreign pharmaceutical companies have real-world examples for all of this. If they can do it, then we absolutely can too. Have some confidence. Don't assume the male lead can't pull it off.

The livestream drug-testing plot was something I came up with myself. Everyone watches short videos and livestreams all the time in real life, so it's perfectly normal for them to appear in an online novel too, right?