I would love to know the details of the study as well - however the question is, do we want our competition to also find out the details of the study?
I'm all for announcing as much material information as possible to the market, however there has to be a point where a company needs to protect its business interests. This could be one of those cases. In such a new space we need to retain the edge over the rest of the company in terms of R&D - ESPECIALLY when our competitors are such large companies with already thriving businesses in other sectors. If things don't go well for Apple for example they have other revenue streams to fall back on. This is a luxury that Nuheara does not have, so we need to make the most of what we've got - and that's a pretty darn talented management team with a clear vision for the future and a penchant for R&D.
I certainly do agree with you that a little more information would be nice - such as how many participants, where the research will take place, and how long it is expected to take (however I find that putting timelines on spec stocks can often have a negative overall effect if the timelines slip, as they usually do at this end of the market, and people who know nothing about the work being undertaken blame management for 'incompetence' and subsequently the SP takes a hit in the short-term).
But personally, I would like the specifics - such as how they think hearing augmentation products might be increasing a child on the autistic spectrum's livelihood, and how these benefits can be better implemented into hearing products for greater results - to be kept on the down low until there is day light between us and the rest of the competition. I believe that once the benefits are truly realised, then this will become a genuine hearing augmentation market segment - we just seem to be finding this out before the rest of the herd. Remember - it is easier to maintain an established market share than to force yourself into a new market with existing established players.
One thing I love about this company is that Nuheara helps people. This extra avenue we are walking down may not only put money in our pockets, but GENUINELYenhance peoples lives - be it the child on the autism spectrum who it helps to calm and integrate, the teachers with large classes who have no time to be giving each pupil significant one on one time, or the autistic child's peers whose learning time is enhanced by a reduction in distractions.
It seems like every other day that we find out more and more of our population are now considered to be 'on-the-spectrum' as we slowly realise that many of our past diagnosis are wrong. For example, consider the following to understand just how much our ideas of autism have changed in merely 2 decades!
"1998: A study published in The Lancet suggests that the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine causes autism. This finding was debunked. 2000: Vaccine manufacturers remove thimerosal (a mercury-based preservative) from all routinely given childhood vaccines due to public fears about its role in autism--even though, again, the vaccine-autism link has been debunked. 2009: The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 1 in 110 children have autism spectrum disorders, up from 1 in 150 in 2007, though the CDC notes that the increase stems at least in part from improved screening and diagnostic techniques. 2013: The DSM-5 folds all subcategories of the condition into one umbrella diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Asperger's Syndrome is no longer considered a separate condition. ASD is defined by two categories: 1) Impaired social communication and/or interaction. 2) Restricted and/or repetitive behaviors."
Please note that The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated that 1 in 110 children were classified with autism spectrum disorders in 2009, up from 1 in 150 in 2007. Now the same people are saying it is up to 1 in 59!! (up 15% in two years!)
Now I'll put it to you, does anyone really think we have finally hit the mark? Or will this percentage continue to increase as we find more and more about the disorder? I'm thinking the latter, and history seems to be in my favour with this one.
Nuheara is taylor-made for the hearing augmentation market, and has been built from the ground up by people with the issue their products are solving. The more we can tap into these sub-markets (such as the pharmaceutical's) and remain there by ourselves, the more market share we can hold and build upon. Again...the importance of first-mover advantage cannot be discounted.
When I first read the announcement this morning, this excerpt from the last announcement immediately sprung to my mind:
“Nuheara’s global market has gone from strength to strength, specifically the depth of the market diversity: from Best Buy’s newly created senior technology segment in the United States, to pharmacy giant Medseven in the Middle East, to optical leader Acuitas in Europe,” said Justin Miller, CEO of Nuheara.
If this research results in clear and indisputable evidence that NUH's products enhance the livelihood of children with autism, then NUH moving in with pharmacy giant Medseven in the Middle-East could be HUGE for the company's future.
Good work NUH management, you're continuing to pave the way and excite me as a holder!
Anyway, after all of that, here I am thinking of the positives that could come out of this announcement - and the SP has continued to take a hit. I guess its the quarterly and the cash-flow that the market is waiting to see before we make the next move north. I'm looking forward to seeing solid growth!
(20min delay)