Adawia Abdul sat in the small office off her lab at Replica, perplexed and perturbed. She must talk to Jake about Immunone. Ever since the Advisory Committee last Friday, he had been evading her questions about the drug’s status. She’d attended the meeting, sitting in the first row seat Jake had secured for her, even though she and Jake had to conceal their relationship. The Advisory Committee of outside experts in organ transplant surgery, academicians primarily, had been tasked by the FDA to review the data on Immunone’s safety and efficacy, both data as prepared by Keystone Pharma and as prepared by FDA reviewers. After listening to the company’s and the FDA’s prepared presentations, the committee responded to a list of questions compiled by the FDA. A titular chairperson conducted the meeting, but Jake, as the FDA Immunone project manager, ran the show behind the scenes. He had selected the questions, chosen the order of presentation, controlled the timing, and compiled the notes.
