Several years from now, on a radio talk show...
Sam Gritter:
Good Morning, everyone, I’m Sam Gritter and this is the Public News Digest, Morning Edition. I have with me here today, Jim Swell, CEO of Minerva Pharmaceuticals, and Bill Krass, Professor of Bioethics from the University of Atlanta, along with Kathyela Wool, a practicing psychiatrist, and head of Help-Out-Now, an out reach program for children with developmental disablities. Our topic today is IntelligentSia®, the protein pills that went on the market last week, and are selling extremely well, and if they were controversial before they were released, they are even more so now. First we’ll go to you Jim, explain to our audience at home what IntelligentSia® is, in case they don’t already know.
Jim Swell:
Well, first, Jim let me say, I’m a big fan of your show, I watch it all the time. I’m really happy to be here with you today, introducing this wonderful new health supplement. And let me just say something else about that, Sam, we’re calling IntelligentSia® a health supplement. It is not a drug in any traditional sense of the word. It can be taken at almost any level, and safely, and what it does is increase the amount of Abenythin in the brain. It increases it to what some say should be ordinary levels.
Sam Gritter:
Yes, but Jim, tell our audience what IntelligentSia® does. What is the effect in real terms?
Jim Swell:
Well, generally, we’ve seen anywhere between a 20 to 50 point increases on the standard IQ test, I’m sure your familiar with the one. And also, we’ve recorded similar jumps on almost any other test we’ve sampled. That would be for example, the SAT, the GRE, and even the GMAT. The health supplement basically increases a person analytical ability.
Sam Gritter:
That’s just incredibly amazing, Jim. I’m sure our audience at home is as stunned as I am. But first, let me add that there are certain people who are against this drug, and one of them, Bill Krass, will be with us on the show a little later. But first, Jim, is their any side effects to using this drug, is there a downside, anything that you’re aware of.
Jim Swell:
Sam, you just use the word “drug” when describing IntelligentSia®, and I’d just like to clear up one thing for you and the people listening to this program at home. IntelligentSia® is not a drug, it is a health supplement. I don’t think there’s anyone out there who’d call vitamin C a drug. And there is no downside that we can see. And, I mean, you could technically overdose on Vitamin C, couldn’t you? But it’s very safe, nevertheless. IntelligentSia® is no different. It’s been with us since the early 1980’s, though it was very hush hush back then. Since then, the supplement has been rigorously tested. The FDA has been overly cautious, in my opinion, and very strict in approving this supplement, which I’d like to add, with all due respect, has been just grossly unfair to all those retarded people out there who can benefit from the supplement.
Sam Gritter:
Well, Jim, could you explain why it is a supplement and not a drug?
Jim Swell:
Sam, it’d be a pleasure. And I just want to make a correction. I said “retarded” people just a minute ago. I didn’t mean that at all. I meant mentally handicapped, that is disabled, excuse me, the mentally disabled. Well, anyway, Sam, in regards to your question, like I said, the supplement has been with us since the early 1980’s, it was then in it’s testing stage. It is basically a protein extract from a genetically altered strain of Donbullimmi, which is a common bacteria found in brain cells. We didn’t even know the bacteria were there for the longest time. But once we discovered it, we realized the brain actually profited from having these bacterium. In fact, the brain actually needs them.
Sam Gritter:
Jim, your saying we’ve all got this bacteria living in our brains?
Jim Swell:
That’s right, Sam. And not only that, but it’s perfectly natural, in fact, essential to your brain’s functioning. Our brain cells, need a by-product of this bacteria in order to maintain themselves. This by-product is the protein called Albunythin.
Now, once we discovered that our brain cells need this protein, we looked for a way to grow it, independently of the brain cell. What we were able to do was to isolate the bacteria and eventually to genetically alter it, so that we could grow it outside of the brain cell. And once we were able to do that, we were able to harvest from the protein, Albunythin,
IntelligentSia® is, of course, just the brand name we’ve given the protein, Albunythin. Now, we’ve discovered that actually, in many cases, the retarded - that is, the mentally handicapped don’t have enough of this protein in their brain, and the supplement can correct that.
Sam Gritter:
Jim, as I’ve heard it, and basically what most people on the street seem to think nowadays, is that this supplement, as you say it, can actually enhance a normal person’s IQ. Now, is that true? If I were to take this supplement would it increase my intelligence?
Jim Swell:
Well, I’m kind of treading on dangerous territory here, Sam. We are still in very difficult negotiations with the FDA about the prospect of releasing IntelligentSia® more widely for public consumption. But, my opinion, Sam, is yes, a big yes. Most definitely, yes. But for now, the FDA has only approved IntelligentSia® for the mentally handicapped.
Sam Gritter:
So, if you can get the FDA’s approval, you do want to market this supplement to normal people?
Jim Swell:
You know, Sam, this is such a difficult topic to discuss. Certain congressmen, some very influential senators, the president himself, have all come out and said they have deep reservations about this supplement. They worry about it’s long term effects, it’s impact on society. In D.C. ever since we first started seeking approval for this amazing supplement, there has been just a phenomenal amount of foot dragging. It has taken us so much work just to get this supplement approved for the mentally handi- that is the mentally deficient- disabled. I am really grateful that we’ve come at least this far.
Sam Gritter:
And I’ve heard that there are a lot of controls in place, so that the supplement only goes to people with developmental disablities.
Jim Swell:
Yes, that’s just right, Sam. First of all, you have to get a doctor’s approval. You can’t get the supplement unless you are really developmentally disabled. Then the dosage is closely monitored, to make sure it’s only you who are taking the supplement. But, Sam, let me go back to what we were just talking about ... Subject to government approval, I don’t see why this supplement couldn’t be marketed to the average consumer. We’ve been testing it for years, and basically, Sam, there’s no decent argument against it. It’s safe, and it makes you smarter. You know what, Sam? You know what all this foot dragging just boils down? One thing, really.
Sam Gritter:
What’s that, Jim?
Jim Swell:
People, Sam. people are just afraid of new things. They’re just plum afraid of them.
Sam Gritter:
Well, thanks, Jim, it’s been a pleasure. Now if you could just stay with us while we go to our second guest, Bill Krass. Bill, I saw you over here biting your tongue a few times, I think you’ve got a lot on your mind. Let me just say first, by way of introduction, that Bill Krass is head of the Philosophy department at the University of Atlanta, he is a specialist in Bioethics. He first achieved world wide notice for his work at the CDC, work for which he received the Orange Peacock award several years ago. Currently, he is leading one of the most vocal groups against the release of IntelligentSia®, and he’s here today to express his viewpoint on that subject. OK, Bill, I’m going to turn this over to you now. Explain to us, if you could, why you are against this wonder drug ... ahem ... sorry, Jim, I mean wonder supplement.
Bill Krass:
Well, let me say right off the beat, that Mr. Swell’s company, Minerva Pharmaceuticals is all about money. Anyone else who has reviewed the facts will tell you the same. They are only about money.
Jim Swell:
Just a minute here!
Sam Gritter:
Bill, could you be a little more specific?
Bill Krass:
It’s a company that just doesn’t care about people.
Jim Swell:
Mr. Krass, I mean really!
Bill Krass:
Mr. Swell, if I could just get out a sentence or two.
Sam Gritter:
Jim, please, give Bill a chance to speak, will come back to you shortly.
Bill Krass:
Thank you, Sam. Well, first Minerva has faced more law suits than any other pharmaceutical company in history and -
Jim Swell:
Now, sir, that’s just not right, not fair, the fact is, technically, those cases never even reached court.
Bill Krass:
As your company paid all the plaintiffs off! And Sam, I’ve talked with a lot of those people, the one’s who have settled with Minerva. They are two things. One they are financially well-off, and two, they are as scared as hell.
Jim Swell:
Look, this is all just the worst kind of hearsay, and innuendo, could we at least talk about the issue at hand, sir. IntelligentSia® has been tested and retested. It’s been on hold by the FDA for over 10 years now, and what I’d personally like to know, sir, is just what you’ve got against it. Now I might not have a Ph D in philosophy or anything, but I do know when 2+2=4, and it’s just about as plain as day to me that we’ve got a good supplement here, a perfectly safe supplement, and we should be able to market it.
Bill Krass:
You say it’s been tested and retested, would you like to tell us where? How about the early versions of IntelligenSia®, were those safe? Would you like to tell us about the ugly mark you left behind in Kenya and Uganda where you first tested the prototypes for this drug?
Jim Swell:
Now just a minute, Mr. Krass, those countries are greatly indebted to Minerva Pharmaceuticals for the substantial amount of investment we’ve made in them. We’ve actually received special awards in gratitude for the work we’ve done in those countries. We’ve helped those countries expand their GNP at times when they were virtually being ignored by other companies. We’ve helped them feed starving children, for God’s sake! Would you please check out your facts. It is both indecent and unfair of you to accuse us of anything.
Bill Krass:
Would you care to mention what happened to some of your test subjects? Would you care to talk about the numerous complete mental breakdowns that occurred as a result of the prototypes to the drug you now wish to push on all Americans!
Jim Swell:
Now, Mr. Krass, you really do take the cake. I’ve got to say that. You could be no more further from the truth, than you are now. Obviously, you are a man desperate for a cause who will just jump at any chance. All those people, who took those prototypes of IntelligentSia® in the early days, were volunteers, and we bent over backwards explaining the risks to them. But they were courageous men with noble hearts, who had a burning desire to help others. How dare you mock them, by saying they didn’t know what they were getting themselves into! They knew the risks and they took them. God bless them for what they did. If it wasn’t for them, we wouldn’t have the supplement as safe as it is today.
Bill Krass:
Is that so? They weren’t poor and desperate bush man, fleeing war and pestilence and desperate for food let alone money?
Sam Gritter:
Look, Gentleman, please, let’s get back to the issue. We do have a time limit. What I’d like to know, Bill, is what are your current complaints against IntelligentSia®, all history aside, what do you think of the supplement as it stands now?
Bill Krass:
Well, it’s this whole moral ethic that just seems so prevalent in our society, that if it’s new, and it’s exciting, and it does something good for us in a limited narrow sense, then in it must be good for all. Did anybody gauge the impact of cars when the first one came out? No, they didn’t. And now look at the environment, the pollution, the road congestion, the stress, the vast number of road accidents each year. Would you like another example?
It wasn’t until a few years ago that we discovered that cellular phones increase the chance of getting brain tumors because of microwave emissions. In the area of drugs, in particular, the FDA has not been careful at all, we’ve had deaths associated with some of the major drugs that are on the market today, deaths that could have been avoided ... numerous deaths caused by drugs that we released too soon. And after all, isn’t just one death enough ...
But, Sam, you know what drugs are really like, they’re like software. No matter how perfect you think they are, when they finally get released, they turn out to have a lot of bugs. And do we want to release a supplement that affects the human brain in such a significant way, and then deal with all those bugs.
Jim Swell:
Now, Sam, I mean really, would you listen to this? It’s all nothing but misguided technophobia. You’re nothing but a Luddite, aren’t you Mr. Krass? First you attack my company, then you attack scientific progress, but you still haven’t found one real complaint about intelligentSia®. I challenge you to find anything really wrong with the supplement, because I don’t think you can. You are just one of those people who are scared of the future, scared to move foreward, scared of what you don’t understand. But, I’ll tell you this, most people aren’t, and that’s what makes this blessed country, America, great! Why in the hands of Mr. Krass, America would just be some kind of cloistered socialistic state.
Bill Krass:
That’s ... you’re just ... that’s uncalled for.
Jim Swell:
But you do admit Mr. Krass, you are a bit far on the left. You are a well known socialist advocate.
Bill Krass:
I don’t think it’s my political views that are in question today.
Jim Swell:
Well, what is in question is a very amazing and wonderful health supplement, and aside from trying to drag my company through some mud, and to go on a technophobia diatribe against it, you still haven’t come up with one concrete thing against it.
Sam Gritter:
I think he’s got you there, Bill. I think we’d all like to know if you have a substantial complaint against IntelligentSia®.
Bill Krass:
You mean aside from the fact that if the supplement were released, the initial price would be so high that only the rich could afford it. The upper echelons of our society will all be able to raise their children’s SAT scores on drug induced intelligence. How convenient. While meanwhile the poorer minority groups, the African-Americans, and the Hispanic-Americans will all be left farther behind than ever ... Do you mean do I have anything more substantial than that?
Jim Swell:
Now, just a minute - in regards to this minority thing -
Bill Krass:
No, Mr. Swell, you just wait a minute!
America, wake-up! This health supplement is dangerous. They say it increases your intelligence, how? Just how? Do any of us really understand intelligence? Can anyone really test the intricacies of creativity, wisdom, intuition, and all the the other things that go into the general makeup of our soul.
Why our soul is not just IQ as measured on some test, or some SAT score. We don’t know how IntelligentSia® affects all the other areas of the mind. We just know it increases IQ, analytical ability as measured on a test. Is a meager test score all that counts? Tell me it isn’t so! Tell me that human warmth still has meaning. Tell me that personality and spontaneity are still important. And how about wisdom?
If you artificially strengthen a part of your mental facilities you throw the rest off balance, and does anyone know what the result would be?
It is not with fear that the President of these United States himself, and several other senators and congressman have spoken out against this drug. No, not fear at all, but with wisdom, they have so wisely spoken out against this fraud. Just like so many other quick fixes, this is just another one we don’t need.
Now, is the time for restraint and wisdom. Don’t let this drug become part of our national culture, part of who we are! I don’t approve of it’s use for people with developmental disablities, because that’s merely the foot in the door. It’s a step in the wrong direction. We need to step back, and to take a breath, and to think about what we are doing, and what course we are setting for our country!
Jim Swell:
(Clapping) All well spoken ... you’re quite an orator Mr. Krass, but uh ... we’re still waiting on those facts.
Bill Krass:
I don’t-
Jim Swell:
Now, Sam, I’ve waited patiently, and I do think it’s my turn.
Sam Gritter:
He’s right, Bill, give him his chance.
Jim Swell:
First, in regards to this whole minority thing. Initially the price of IntelligentSia®, if widely released, would be expensive, but we estimate great demand, as you can imagine. Very quickly with the kind of economies of scale we would be talking about, the price would come down. It’s perhaps a little premature, but there’s been a little bit of talk, that as soon as the economies of scale kick in, well, the price might be so cheap we could put it in breakfast cereal.
Now, Second, regarding this whole wisdom/vision thing. I’d like to say that we’ve tested ... we have had sample groups of normal people (with government approval, of course) taking the dru--ahem-- supplement. These people have gone through extensive testing, not just physically, but mentally. They all had extensive interviews with both psychologists and psychiatrists before and after they started taking the supplements. And do you know what they noticed?
That people were actually more well-adjusted than before they took the supplement. They were better able to work out marriage problems, they got along better with people at work, they were less shy ... their whole lives improved in a just a great variety of ways. Now, Mr. Krass, what were you saying about mental instability ... could we please stay with the facts? None of which you seem to have.
Bill Krass:
Tested by psychiatrists? Since when were they the true determiners of humanity.
Jim Swell:
Are are we suppose to leave that job to you then, Mr. Krass? There is also the issue of freedom of choice involved in this, isn’t there?
Bill Krass:
What’s wrong with being shy?
Sam Gritter:
Ah, if you will excuse me gentlemen, we do have one more guest today. Her name is Kathyela Wool. She’s a practicing psychiatrist, and head of Reach-Out-Now an organization that does a lot of work for children with developmental disabilities. Hello, Kathy.
Kathy Wool:
Hello, Sam. Love your show, pleasure to be here.
Sam Gritter:
OK then.
Now, Kathy it’s my understanding that you’ve been using this supplement on children for an entire week. And when I say children, of course, I mean children who have developmental disabilities. Now have you seen any results, could you perhaps describe some of the changes you may have seen.
Kathy Wool:
Sure, Sam, it’s been ... gosh ... I don’t have the right words ... Sam have you seen the movie Awakenings ... I mean just to give you a sense of what we are seeing here. We try to avoid the word dumb when dealing with children who have developmental disablities, but Sam, before these children started the supplement, their ability to learn anything other than just the most rote and routine tasks was virtually, well, non-existent. And now, one week later, they’re taking it all in like a sponge. Just like a sponge. They can’t get enough information. They ... They feel like they’ve woken up after a long sleep and they are just desperate to learn.
One word for you, Sam, Math. I don’t know what it is with these kids, but they just love math.
Now they’ve been on this supplement just one week, and we just tested their IQ’s yesterday, using a very standard and popular test, and gosh, I mean, all I can really say is “Wow!” One of the children tested higher than me, and Sam, that’s got me real impressed.
Sam Gritter:
I hear what your saying, Kathy, and I think that basically your story is not unlike all the other stories were getting from across America. Everyone in a position similar to yours seems to be saying that this supplement really works, and fast. Um, Bill, would you like to comment.
Bill Krass:
Well, yes, I would, in fact. Kathy mentioned something that I think is significant and it’s something no one has really talked about much. But why is it that these kids are primarily interested in Math?
Sam Gritter:
Uh ... Kathy?
Kathy Wool:
Hmm .. uh ... is that such a problem, Mr. Krass?
Bill Krass:
I’m saying, what I’ve been trying to say all morning here, and it’s basically that this health supplement only works in the limited area of analytical ability. And as such we don’t know what kind of balance ... we don’t know how this will eventually balance out in terms of a more holistic picture of intelligence ... of the human soul.
Kathy Wool:
That’s very poetic of you, Mr. Krass, but really, I don’t think you’ve got anything to be concerned about ... your not founding your opinion on anything factual.
Jim Swell:
Yes, that’s right, and I’d like to add if I may, Sam, once again, we’ve noticed this in all the test groups, an interest in math. We believe it’s because math is just ... it’s something that a strengthened mind, a newly strengthened mind, finds easy to jump into. Language and literature take a little more background. You need the building blocks before you can build. But we have noticed that in the test groups that the longer the person is on the supplement, the more his interests broaden.
Sam Gritter:
Okay, then, well, I’ve got my eye on the clock, and it looks like we are just about out of time. Um ... Bill, in a minute, would you like to summarize your views.
Bill Krass:
In a minute?
Look, don’t be fooled by this supplement. It’s dangerous, it’s unnatural, we don’t know how it affects the human brain. We don’t really understand how it works, we don’t know the long range effects it has on personality, and we don’t know how it might affect our national culture. My opinion is we don’t need it. America, don’t be taken in by a cheap and quick fix!
Sam Gritter:
Thanks Bill, now Kathy, will close with you.
Kathy Wool:
Well, the word from me Sam, is again, just, “Wow!” This is just a wonderful supplement. Why it shouldn’t be released more widely has just got to do with social taboos and old fears. Sometimes people are afraid of something that seems too good to be true. Contrary to Mr. Krass’s criticism, the supplement has been tested for over 15 years, and to date there hasn’t been a single problem. Again, “Wow” this is a wonder supplement, I give it my full support.
Sam Gritter:
Okay, thank-you Jim, Bill, and Kathy, this has been the Public Morning Digest, we'll be back at you tomorrow with the President’s new appointees. Thanks for having joined in. Our show’s support comes mostly from you the viewer, and also Translucent Company inc., an innovator in the technology of tomorrow. Thank you and good night.
End of Act I.