Ann: Trading halt, page-310

Well miao, as others have also guessed, my guess is that it is a deeper link up with Novartis, i.e. cornerstone investment and board seat, further partnership for CHF, or a friendly takeover. Novartis have shown they are interested in the science and have taken a punt that Meso’s suite of treatments work. Could they be interested in the whole lot? There is mention of other indications in the initial Covid-19 ARDS partnership agreement, which is essentially tied to the outcome of a Covid ARDS trial .. it does make me wonder why, as it seems like the other indications are out of usual bounds for such an agreement, I.e linked to the outcome of a trial in a specific indication. Seems kinda expansive to me. Buying Meso would also void the need for milestone payments and royalty payments, which when fully realised could potentially be in the billions annually. Or so I understand. They also then get the all-important IP, along with the claim of now being/owning the leading global stem cell company. Even at a ~5x multiple from current price, I think it could still be a strategic move from Novartis, as they then can keep the entire profits from all indications moving forward. Their new product suite would also include a replacement for potential lost future revenue on Jakafi, as well as a way into the US GVHD market. The latest CHF results add to the already reported clinical results from all indications, and it seems, when viewed in totality, to be obvious that the tech works, and in numerous and wonderful ways. Maybe this latest read out, unprecedented by all accounts, was the clincher for an acquisition. It’s fun to think about, and I’ll likely be wrong as I have been about nearly everything