UPDATED
KT,
To me, the loan makes sense from a negotiating point of view only if the company has determined for itself -- and Oxford agrees -- that they have the ability to file for AA.
If they can't apply for AA and no acceptable deal can be reached, PPHM suddenly has no path to a PIII and they will struggle to pay back the $15M loan. They still have the possibility of a Cotara deal but, similarly, they will have lost negotiating leverage (made themselves vulnerable) having taken on the burden of the loan without a pathway to AA and revenue.
With AA they have a pathway to substantial revenue in less than a year.
Even with an AA application, there is substantial risk of regulatory and, ultimately, clinical failure, so they should partner to mitigate that risk.