As far as claims about someone knowing when a Phase 3 trial is starting, the only way someone would know that is if they had some kind of inside source, which I doubt because Leo Ehrlich does NOT leak information. So the only source would be if someone had a source inside a potential partner's company. That is possible if someone at the partner has been suborned into giving out information (and we know that some traders' groups hire investigators to get just this kind of information).

Anyone who has access to that kind of information is at risk of being sued down the line so if they really know something (which I doubt) they should STFU about it for their own good.