Conatus Pharmaceuticals Inc. (CNAT)

[chainma1l]

VERY good read. Thank you, Theo! I will be referring back to that post for months.
Really seems like only a matter of time until Novartis acquires Conatus. But is that a bitter pill to swallow since it was part of Novartis to begin with? Or is that just a BP strategy to look like they are geniuses? "Spin-off" something they know is going to succeed--let them fund themselves up to a certain stage so that "drain" isn't on your financials--but keep a monetary leash on it so you don't lose it to a competitor, then "acquire" it and look like you're making the smartest acquisitions for your investors. Anyone know of any precedent like that?