You are absolutely right!
That's only a portion of the story...
The fact Nasrat has stated YET AGAIN that we are on pace to apply for an NDA by year's end is THE STORY.
It means they are seeing NOTHING in either the lab or in the two ongoing trials to suggest a slowdown.
Let me say this another way:
** We are 3 weeks into Eli-200's Human Liability Studies and STILL Nasrat is saying we are on pace. Obviously, then, he has no reason to believe the study won't be successful.
Now, it is possible that he is 100% removed from the study. But it is also possible that he gets updates. (To be honest, I'm not entirely sure of the process -- perhaps someone who knows more could weight in.)
If he does get updates, then things are going swimmingly well. If he doesn't, then nothing has changed. The bottom line is this: if it worked in 2007, why wouldn't it work in 2014?