Page 38 of Defending Love
This wasn’t in my research. “Was an official offer made? Who wanted to buy it?”
“I don’t think there was an official offer. Dad was in informal discussions with people from Lilly, an Indianapolis-based pharmaceutical company.”
“I didn’t see anything about that in my research about Sinclair Pharmaceuticals,” I admitted.
“Again, I don’t think it got that far. Damien brought in Dr. Carpenter. The research and development of Propanolol was underway from a local university. Sinclair secured the rights and from that point, the development was fast-tracked.” She smiled a glowing smile. “The rest is Sinclair history.”
“So your father was going to sell the company and then changed his mind?”
“Damien changed his mind with Propanolol. In the early days of Sinclair, we mostly manufactured sterile saline, what’s used in hospitals. Then in the 1980s after the Hatch-Waxman Amendments that allowed competition in drug prices, Dad went full throttle into generic insulin. Too bad we weren’t making the GLP-1 formulas.”
“The ones used for weight loss?”
Dani nodded. “They are now, but that wasn’t their original objective. The GLP-1 drugs aren’t new. They’ve been around for a long time for the treatment of diabetes. They stimulate the body’s insulin, slow down the gastric process, reducing blood-sugar spikes, and decrease the secretion of glucagon, a hormone that raises blood sugar.”
“They’re all the rage.” I was increasingly interested. Those drugs were on every other commercial or pop-up. “Did the GLP-1s hurt Sinclair’s business?”
She shook her head. “They don’t replace insulin if that’s what you’re asking. If Dad would have sold Sinclair to Eli Lilly, they would have had both the GLP-1s and have a corner on generic insulin.”
“Doesn’t Lilly make insulin?”
“They were the original manufacturer.” She laid down her fork and reached for the water bottle, unscrewing the cap. “You don’t think this has anything to do with what happened to Dad, do you?”
I leaned back against the chair. “I don’t know. Was Damien’s introduction of Propanolol the reason your father didn’t sell?”
“Basically. Dad was afraid Darius would run the family business into the ground. Being a footnote on a larger company was better than going bankrupt. After the promising results with Dr. Carpenter’s research, Dad made a gamble to keep Sinclair Pharmaceuticals going.”
“And Darius?” I asked.
“Damien replaced him. Darius has never forgiven him. He tried to get the position back; that’s why you were hired a year ago.”
I remembered.
“But things have changed. Darius has recently gone into business with Dwain Welsh from Moon Medical. They’re making a mint as snake-oil salesmen.” She shook her head. “Darius had no reason to hurt Dad.”
“Snake oil?”
Dani scoffed. “That’s what Damien calls it. They’re capitalizing on the health-supplement market. That market has fewer regulations. It’s easier to put products out when you have a disclaimer saying that results are not guaranteed and to consult your physician before use.”
Dani’s history lesson ran through my thoughts as I finished my sandwich. “Does that Dr. Carpenter still work for Sinclair?”
“No. He left right after Propanolol was approved for use.”
Her answer caused me to bristle. “Why wouldn’t he stick around to bask in the success?”
Dani sighed as she leaned back. “David…David Carpenter, was great. Even before I finished my PhD, he welcomed me into the lab and shared results with me. I thought it was just him being nice to the owner’s daughter, but I think he truly wanted me to be a real part of the creation. He knew I’d be around after him.”
“What happened?”
“After he retired from Sinclair—with a hearty retirement fund—he died.”
My eyes opened wide. “Died? How? How old was he?”
“He wasn’t old, close to fifty, I believe. His family kept the specifics of his death close to their vests. I suspect David was ill and just didn’t let on. Once his research was finalized, he gave himself permission to move forward.” She shook her head. “He lived and breathed Propanolol.”
I made a mental note to find out what I could about Dr. David Carpenter.
Dani stood and gathered our empty papers and containers, depositing them into a trash can. “I’m ready.”
