Krowczyk nodded.
“After I picked up on that datum, I made a WAG and dug further,” he said, then tapped the keyboard to produce another new page on the monitor, “and got this.”
Payne whistled softly as he scanned the news article:
Death of Pharma Scientist Ruled a Suicide
Police Investigation Determines Dr. Zhong Han, Found Dead in His Garage, Succumbed to Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
By Jessie Dalehite
Business Staff Writer, Miami News Now
WEST PALM BEACH, Jan. 2nd—Police homicide detectives today closed the case on the death of Zhong “Charley” Han, Ph.D., forty-five, declaring his death three weeks ago in nearby Riviera Beach was in fact a suicide. The ruling had not been unexpected. From the beginning, Dr. Han, a biochemist engineer, was said to have left a detailed note.
“The evidence always pointed to this being a tragic case of one taking his own life,” Jeffrey Murray, the lead homicide detective on the case, said. “The forensic evidence, including the authentication of the suicide note, finally bore it out. Our condolences and prayers go out to the deceased’s family and friends.”
A family spokesman, Samuel Nguyen, addressing reporters outside the Hans’ waterfront residence in Riviera Beach, said that Dr. Han’s widow, Mrs. Ann Han, age forty, would have no comment.
“Not now or later,” Mr. Nguyen added.
Mrs. Han as recently as two weeks ago had been actively courting media attention concerning the circumstances leading up to her husband’s death.
Mr. Nguyen, when asked, said that “no comment” would include not releasing what Dr. Han had written in the suicide note. He did confirm that the note, written on NextGen
Rx stationery, had been found under the windshield wiper blade of a Lexus SUV in the garage of the Han residence.
Dr. Han, having been awarded numerous patents in the pharmaceutical industry by the U.S. Patent and Trade Office (USPTO), was well regarded. Before his separation from NextGenRx six weeks ago, Dr. Han had been the chief scientist at the small company.
NextGenRx is a two-year-old start-up focused on the manufacture of medical devices and their technology. While it began with a modest venture capital investment, NextGenRx now is publicly traded in the OTC Markets Group. Of its 2.5 billion common shares, 600 million currently are traded.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Kenneth R. Benson declined repeated requests for comment on the ruling of suicide of his company’s former number three officer.
However, in postings on at least one Internet chat room website, InvestorsInsider.com, a post using the screen name NGRxSocialMediaGuru has consistently, and at times in a caustic manner, denounced all who have suggested that the results of Dr. Han’s clinical trials could not be duplicated.
The company’s stock, which rose from an initial low of a half cent, had been trading last month at an all-time high of ten cents per share.
The rise in price had followed the release of what turned out to be Dr. Han’s final patent application, and, the next day, news that Luoma Biologika GmbH of Germany, which manufactures and sells ophthalmic devices, had entered into a co-licensing agreement with NextGenRx.
The stock price plummeted by half on the news of Dr. Han’s separation from the company. It then fell even further, to two cents, after his death, when Mrs. Han went public with the accusations that Dr. Han had been coerced into endorsing papers containing falsified data from the clinical trials.
When first contacted last month, CEO Benson stated, “I consider Charley a friend, in addition to being a coworker. The sad fact of the matter is, unfortunately, he has suffered from some long illness and has rarely been able to even come to the office. His work suffered tremendously, to the point where he was unable to complete tasks, even remotely from home. We deeply regret that he decided that separation from NextGenRx was the best thing for him. He has made a lasting impression on this company and its game-changing medical devices.”
In an extensive interview in the days after his death, his widow acknowledged that Dr. Han had missed a great deal of work due to illness.
“But,” Mrs. Han stated emphatically, “it was brought on by the stress of the position, by the demands of Kenny Benson. Zhong was being forced to sign off on papers that he knew were false. He greatly feared his professionalism and character would be called into question. He had very much to lose, both professionally and personally. He would be first to remind you that his very name, Zhong, means one who is devoted, honest. No amount of money would change him.”
One of the company’s most vocal critics has been Texas businessman and venture capitalist Tom Brahman.
“Look,” Mr. Brahman said, “my v.c. investment company gets pitched some five thousand start-up ideas a year. We green-light maybe a dozen. Of them, we know odds are that almost all will fail miserably, while a few will do really good—but only one will turn out to be a superstar. From everything I’ve seen about NextGen, unless there’s some hole card Kenny’s holding close to the chest, the company is ripe for absolute spectacular failure. Mark my words, that dog ain’t gonna hunt.”
Mr. Benson, in reply to other criticism, specifically mentioned Mr. Brahman’s accusations and stated in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing that Mr. Brahman was making intentionally misleading statements.
“It is the type of conduct that one would expect of a classic short-and-distort scheme,” Mr. Benson said.
When Mr. Brahman was asked if he was shorting NextGenRx stock, he replied, “I don’t discuss details of my investments. But I will say that I would never do that. My strategy is not making money on another’s bad luck. That’s for vultures. I invest.”
Mr. Benson added, “The simple—and, in fact, truthful—answer to those who are making accusations is, NextGenRx is currently at the mercy of the United States government. First, the USPTO’s approval of our patents, and then the FDA’s 510(k) clearance.”