looking good for 2009, page-22

i am struggling to see where PLT fits into the overall value chain on its new Cerviscreen business model.

for example:

a) what pathology tests do they plan to run in the STI space? Will these be Genera tests or someone else's homebrew product? If it is Genera - the STI product looks to be at least a year or so away, could be longer. Therefore, assume they are accessing tests elsewhere?? but where? and what are the economics of the overall offering?? PLT has previously gotten this wrong in HPV where they announced that they would have their own HPV test only to have to turn around and do a deal with a third party - presumably because their own test was going to struggle in the real world.

b) what arrangements do they have with pathology labs in china? it is all very well to sell a self-sampler at the pharmacist, but is this backed up with appropriate pathology relationships for the HUGE claimed number of tests that they plan to do in the chinese market?

all up, i am very sceptical. PLT are trying to put a new coat of shiney spin on the old cerviscreen story. Seems like only yesterday that they were saying that HPV testing by way of self-sampler was the way of the future. Now we suddenly hear that the STI market is 20x bigger. The story seems to shift so often, and with not a lot of evident progress towards the big dollars that are always just around the corner.