The fact that there are not institutional investors is because it is an OTC Penny stock. That is the case and has been across the board the same for any stock I have been in with the same profile. In fact I would say there are more enthusiastic deep pockets in this stock than most with the same profile, including bigger and some others who have identified themselves or talked about the company in social media and publications.
Trying to tie the typical issues for OTC stocks to Advent is just another questionable diversion. The reality more likely is that it would be very difficult to get a major CDMO to step in here to do compassionate use manufacturing at low volume. They will do it expensively for trials, but not likely at a reasonable price range that would be possibly affordable in any sense by patients or their families as a compassionate use level.
And even still, it is not cheap.
I am speculating, but the reality is that compassionate use is out of pocket and even at $150,000 or $200,000 the cost is difficult for most to even contemplate. It will be limited to folks who have the capacity to feel that it is possible to raise that amount and who can pull themselves together to get it done.
But a large, fully commercial CDMO is likely not even going to contemplate that kind of effort by any stretch of the imagination and the product in compassionate use would likely need to be priced more like the early Car-T treatments that were said to be in the $1 million dollar range, and out of pocket that kills any likely demand for compassionate use so it is a non-starter.
I think LP is dedicated to the cause so deeply it gets some interests incredibly upset: 1) some think about the piles of money they might make by getting rid of her; and 2) others hate that she seems to be a do-gooder who will spare no effort to get this to patients and she will make them look terrible at the end of this journey, and put some out of business. One thing they all agree on, attacking her helps their cause. Inevitably there are investors who take up the cause, hearing the arguments and feeling like they should be rich already, and it feels good to make noise and criticize someone. Exercises the populist reflex.