Diederich Pharmaceuticals
First Appearance: Genetics (May 24, 2005)
Diederich Pharmaceuticals is a major manufacturer and distributor of pharmaceutical products. We don't know much about the company, other than the fact that it is one of many front companies used by Esther Matusevitch, Trudy and Sharon's mother, in her criminal schemes. When Sharon began researching her birth-mother's name, she discovered that her mother used dozens of aliases and was on the FBI's known fugitives list. Digging deeper, she managed find a number of links to Diederich Pharmaceuticals, although the FBI had dismissed many of them. Determined to find an answer, Sharon went to Diederich's headquarters in search of "Elsbeth Diederich", the company's CEO (and potentially one of her mother's aliases). Instead of her mother, she discovers a woman younger than herself who claims to be Elsbeth and who inherited the company after her father passed away. Left with an apparent dead end, Sharon leaves disappointed. Unbeknownst to her, however, "Elsbeth" has a brief conversation with a mysterious superior discussing Sharon's tenacity after she leaves.
Some time later, Trudy and Sharon compare notes as they try to track down their elusive mother. Sharon reveals that the FBI officially dismissed the link between Diederich and Matusevitch in 2000, and her own investigation died in 2005. By 2008, Diederich Pharmaceuticals had folded and sold its assets to one of its competitors, Merck. No one had seen "Elsbeth Diederich" since. With no other information to go on, Trudy declared the Diederich link officially dead.
Exactly how Matusevitch and her lieutenant, "Anna", came to infiltrate Diederich is currently unknown. It is unlikely that either are actually related to the founding Diederich family, so it is probable that the pair somehow impersonated the founder's descendants convincingly enough to work their way high into the corporation's chain of command.
Known Employees of Diederich Pharmaceuticals
- Esther Matusevitch, aka "Elsbeth Diederich", CEO
- Anna, aka "Elsbeth Diederich"
- Karen, a receptionist and/or secretary