The Tigenix and Tasly deals inspired the following in my mind. When considering this please note that my "expertise" relevant to MSB is medical/scientific, not commercial. If you think my idea is commercial rubbish go and jump on somebody else. There are plenty of other volunteers for derision on this board.
My idea is that MSB could be (maybe is) setting MPCs up for marketing as a commodity. An input into the production of other goods or services. This flows from their dominant IP and broad and deep patent portfolio.
The Tigenix deal is an example. An outfit, well along the way to marketing a vital product, lacks an essential ingredient. MSB has what they need, stands between them and success. They could try a work-around. Spend millions seeking another path. But good business sense tells them to cut a deal with MSB. Buy a carton or two of what they need and go to market with certainty and sooner. MSB banks cash for the cartons with no further work or expense required.
So, along comes Tasly. Leaders in their huge country's cardiac drug space. They know, as anyone except some blinkered types know, that stem cells are probably the best advance in sight for Tasly's cardiac market. They check it out and it's obvious that MSB owns the field. Now, they could get a research program going, steal some PhDs from other outfits, spend hundreds of millions (thank you Teva) reinventing an already spinning wheel, and then find that MSB owns the wheel. So, being commercially savvy, they bell Silviu and offer him a deal whereby they take over all (ALL) commercial and regulatory risk in their market with no further input from MSB except the info about where to deposit the cheque. And the royalties flow from here to beyond the horizon. Please Silviu, more like that. I ignore the observations that this is a gift to Tasly. The VERY worst that can happen is that the Chinese trials fail and MSB has already banked the upfronts. The realistic expectation is that trials will succeed and MSB watches the $ roll in from a reclining position, only effort required being to raise one arm and clip the ticket.
This can be expanded. All of those 2nd, 3rd, nth, and so far unexplored possibilities that lie within the opportunities offered by MSB's MPCs can be sought by other outfits who have great ideas but are years behind in the development, have insufficient funds to exploit them, or just plain want to get to market faster.
So, I see Silviu standing at the counter, shelves of cartons of MPCs behind him. Somebody comes in with a brilliant idea to cure diabetes or any one of the myriad inflammatory conditions afflicting mankind. They convince S that their idea will go if only that had the magic ingredient. After due diligence, Silviu hauls down a couple of cartons and exchanges them for cash. No sweat for his laboratories. No risk for his capital. No delay for trials or FDA approval. Cash. The King.
Bloody brilliant Benelong. Memo to self: let Silviu know.
He'll say, thanks Ben. We are already doing it. Good of you to notice.
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