Replies to post #309274 on NorthWest Biotherapeutics Inc (NWBO)

[biosectinvestor]

I’m going on what I hear from actual people who live there, not magazines.

[biosectinvestor]

In name, they have a national program, in reality, they have ghost cities and super fancy hospitals and incredible universities where much research is happening, lots of it stolen from other countries and applied in almost unregulated experiments. China is not where any tiny company should go as a first effort. I don’t care what LP thinks she knows of China, it’s not enough. They really need to be far more cautious, with a country like China. There has been a rush to grab all of that money basically being channeled by the Communist Party through what look like private ventures to our eyes, but are not. And it is all to achieve national superiority and create propaganda. For a Merck or BMY, they can likely handle themselves and even then they will have issues. For a tiny company like this one, it’s just tempting fate.

As for the healthcare, like so many things in China, appearances can be deceiving and because everyone is tripping over themselves to get a piece of the pie, much of the information is unreliable:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.inkstonenews.com/health/china-translated-does-china-have-universal-health-care/article/2167579

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/23/opinion/international-world/the-bitter-regrets-of-a-useless-chinese-daughter.html

Doctors are surprisingly frequently murdered in China if a family is unhappy with the result of their family members care. You won’t hear about the unsavory sides of medical care in China because it’s a one-party State and authoritarian regime fast becoming a dictatorship. Not the kind of place you entrust the family jewels if you’re smart. It’s a bit of the Wild West, but with all the most negative connotations, and nothing like the freedoms for small enterprises. It is all a big power game.

So yeah, I hope they don’t bet the farm on China. That’s a risky, risky gamble.

[skitahoe]

Frankly I'm reminded of the movie Bucket List where the very wealthy owner of hospitals has to share a room with another patient because that's how it's done for everyone in his hospitals.

I believe that all should have healthcare, and many nations do, but I still believe those with lots of money to spend will get treatment that's special, and they pay for it. When I'd been in the hospital for quite awhile I earned a meal from the executive kitchen, I chose a steak and while they had to cook it well done, it was still delicious, especially when compared with other hospital food. I really think it's the food, not the disease, that has cancer patients lose so much while in the hospital. If everyone received food from the gourmet kitchen, less weight would be lost. Since that time dietary guideline have changed to permit not making everything well done, patients get the information, but at least the last time I stayed in a hospital it was clear the cooks hadn't gotten the word.

I would rather see the company reach an agreement with the Chinese, or any other nation over having them steal the intellectual property, which they've clearly been known to do. Even if they don't live up to an agreement totally, you still see something. If they steal the technology you get nothing. I'm uncertain if any BP we might partner with has good relations with the Chinese, if they do, they should be able to deal with them, but if not, an independent agreement is better than being ripped off.

Gary