NorthWest Biotherapeutics Inc (NWBO)

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TTsr

I wonder if you’d mind looking over this answer from Bard and tell me if it jives with your experiences?

Big pharma companies do indeed engage in marketing small biotech drugs without owning the IP in various scenarios. It's actually becoming increasingly common as big pharma seeks to fill their pipelines and address unmet medical needs. Here are some reasons and benefits for both parties:

Reasons big pharma might market small biotech drugs:

Innovation gap: Large pharmaceutical companies often face an "innovation gap" where their internal R&D pipelines struggle to produce high-value, first-in-class drugs. Partnering with smaller biotechs brings access to fresh innovation and promising drug candidates.

Reduced risk and cost: Developing drugs is expensive and risky. By licensing promising therapies from smaller companies, big pharma can avoid the high upfront costs of R&D while sharing the risk of failure.

Filling niche markets: Many small biotechs focus on orphan diseases or rare conditions with unmet medical needs. Big pharma companies with established commercial infrastructure can efficiently reach these niche markets, benefiting both patients and companies.

Boosting reputation: Partnering with innovative startups can enhance big pharma's image as a forward-thinking company committed to cutting-edge research and improving patient lives.
Benefits for both parties:

Biotech companies: Gaining access to big pharma's resources, expertise, and global reach allows them to quickly bring their drugs to market and reach a wider patient population. This can generate substantial revenue and accelerate development of future pipelines.

Big pharma companies: Gain access to promising drugs without the full investment of internal R&D, potentially shortening the time to market and securing potential blockbusters. This can fill their pipelines and address unmet medical needs, boosting both revenue and reputation.

Types of arrangements:

Licensing agreements: Similar to BP's example, big pharma companies license marketing and distribution rights for specific drugs from the biotech company.

Acquisition: In some cases, big pharma companies might acquire smaller biotechs outright to gain full control of their pipelines and expertise.

Co-development agreements: Both companies collaborate on the development and commercialization of a drug, sharing costs and risks as well as profits.
Examples:

Roche and Genentech: This successful partnership has brought numerous innovative drugs to market, including Avastin for cancer and Rituxan for autoimmune diseases.

Novartis and Alnylam Pharmaceuticals: Novartis licensed Onpattro, a drug developed by Alnylam for a rare genetic disease, demonstrating big pharma's interest in niche markets.

Overall, the trend of big pharma partnering with small biotechs for drug development and commercialization is mutually beneficial and plays a key role in bringing innovative treatments to patients faster.