Nick119,
Yes, this is good news because this is a major expansion and while the article points to Cognate’s gene therapy acquisition, cell therapy is always listed first when mentioned together with regard to their massive expansion. I believe Merck is interested in the whole enchilada and this manufacturing push by Cognate helps prepare for the coming demand. Merck has it’s own dedicated cell manufacturing facilities but Cognate has been preparing for quite some time and this expansion will add quite a bit of additional dedicated manufacturing space for cell therapies which is a necessary component for NWBO to receive manufacturing approval. This makes NWBO results almost impossible to hide because once known, they themselves do not have the ability to meet demand and they are not going to ask anyone else than a friendly, who has helped them keep their trade secrets from prying eyes, to help prepare for this demand.
Waiting for a journal article buys everyone some time and NDAs keep all negotiations on the down low. Problem is when demand is expected to increase dramatically you don’t have much time to work things out to be ready. I figure a manufacturing deal got worked out over the last 6-8 weeks and the need to finish the distribution facility came first then estimated manufacturing needs became better understood based on results which may include additional needed space for an anticipated rGBM approval. Best wishes.
