NorthWest Biotherapeutics Inc (NWBO)

[no2koolaid]

Correct...

It doesn't matter why he would say partnership.

If we use a little tea leaf reading from the Dr. Ashkan's slip of the tongue (or intentional revelation), there appears to be a partnership of some sort under current consideration for NWBO.

From a business perspective, Roche has a great need with its dominant position in the cancer drug market set to decline, as low-cost rivals to Avastin, Herceptin, and Rituxan are eating into its market share. Overall, Roche will see a 12% decline in revenue from its cancer drugs over the next six years, according to EvaluatePharma.

However, as the Merck-Seagen deal remains a TBD, reports are surfacing that the two companies couldn't reach an agreement over pricing. Now it seems nothing may come of it after all.

If keeping score at home…Merck had zero revenues with Keytruda in 2014; $1.4B in year three (2017); and $11.1B in year five (2019), in year seven (2021) they had $17.2B in revenues and Keytruda earned Merck $10 billion in the first half of this year, with a growth trajectory that should easily beat last year's total of $17.2 billion. That is about 37% of revenues, which is creating some tension among analysts (what a surprise) who are urging Merck to figure out how it can add to its portfolio. Accordingly, Keytruda's patents expire in 2028, and Merck needs to find a way to replace a drug that currently accounts for about one-third of its total sales.