Just a thought. Partnership for what?
I believe there are four areas, where partnership is needed, though it may not be that simple to pick partnerships a la carte
The principal areas are:
1. Finance
2. Sales and Marketing
3. Infrastructure
4. Further research
Out of this, NWBO may not need partnership for the last part. So, it is only the other three.
1. Finance: do we necessarily need a BP or someone else with deep pockets, who can be just interested in deepening and loading those pockets, while leaving the rest of the management to the likes of LP? In such case, LP and Co will have better handle at managing the company, that they so fondly and ardently shaped all along.
2. Sales and Marketing: What the patients get is not exactly a medicine that they will walk into a pharmacy and buy. It is getting back their own bitter medicine (in a good way :) ), reformed to fight back their own disease. So, this should need a different kind of sales and marketing system, far different from selling medicines. Someone different from a conventional BP can provide a cheaper and more viable alternative
3. Infrastructure: I believe, a BP need not be an indispensable choice. Some company that already has a network of facilities and/or capable of building and managing one across the globe, ought to be the choicest partner. Basically the partner should be able to, a kind of, clone the infrastructure at Sawston and install and manage the same, at several places across the world in a rapid fashion. This is where, I mentioned elsewhere in a different post, someone like, GE or (wild possibility) Apple may work out. Gary's mention of CRL can be a great choice too!!!
4. Research - do we need a partner for this? We do need more heads with more brains, while the the new brains may be DIRECTED by the ones that are already there and seasoned. A partnership from a BP in this case, will end up having NWBO's freedom to think, curtailed/influenced by other factors the BP may be interested in and usually an intellectual mind will not like such interference.
This brings up the point I made in the beginning. How easy is it to pick up partnerships a la carte to cater independently to the above needs? Even if possible, what will be the gradient of our share price appreciation in such case? Of course, I guess, LP's managerial deftness will have to take this challenge.
Any debate in this regard?
