Replies to post #623880 on NorthWest Biotherapeutics Inc (NWBO)

[exwannabe]

Why would NWBO have a contract of any sort with Oncy?

NWBO is not involved in any trials that use poly-ICLC. UCLA is running the trials and NWBO is neither a sponsor nor the manufacturer of the ATL DC.

[Red_Right_Hand]

Some thoughts on Oncovir.

1. Hiltonol is Oncovir's branded, clinical-grade, stabilized formulation of poly ICLC (polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid). Although some trials disclose the use of Hiltonol, many trials appear to use poly ICLC from another source. Oncovir's patents appear to protect the clinical-grade, stabilized formulation of poly ICLC, but not poly ICLC itself. (The anticancer activity of poly ICLC was assessed as early as the 1970s (link))

2. Non clinical-grade poly ICLC is retailing through Sigma for $596/100 mg retail (link)

3. I don't know the exact amount of poly ICLC delivered to each patient in the P2 DCVax-L combo trial, but based other published clinical trial reports (link), the amount delivered to each patient over the course of treatment is less than about 5 mg.

4. Less than 5 mg of non clinical-grade poly ICLC bought in wholesale and/or bulk would cost substantially less than $30 per patient over the course of treatment. What is the premium for branded, clinical-grade poly ICLC purchased from Oncovir? The published supply agreements I could find redact the price paid, but even if it's 100X the cost of non-clinical grade, then that's still less than $3000/patient over the course of treatment. That's a little over 1% of the $250,000 cost of DCVax-L treatment.

5. If Tylenol worked synergistically with our vaccine, would we buy J&J, or just buy enough Tylenol to satisfy our needs? Or would we just buy unbranded acetaminophen from another source?

6. Hard to see the need and/or benefit of an acquisition of a company that produces a product that doesn’t cost very much (relative to DCVax-L treatment) and could just be purchased from them and/or sourced elsewhere. And further, if there is ultimately an approval based on poly ICLC+DCVax-L, what disadvantage would there be in just leaving the poly ICLC portion of the combo to a second prescription ordered by the patient’s care team for coadministration with DCVax-L?

7. To be clear, I am not saying that the combination of poly ICLC doesn't add value to the use of DCVax-L. I believe it's very clear that it does add tremendous value to NWs asset. I just don't clearly see the need and/or benefit in NW owning/supplying poly ICLC themselves.