sherlock: You invited me to "keep it coming" regarding BMS, but Ken has already done so by posting that BMS has Optivo in a Phase 2 for TNBC. -- which might suggest, among other things, that BMS haas a continuing interest in seeking to treat cancer indications in which cold tumors abound.
So, instead, I did a little more digging on the nugget you supplied that Merck KGaA had recently joined with Mirror Biologics on a Phase 2 CRC trial in which this Merck, which is headquartered in Darmstadt, Germany (4 hours from Munich by car) will supply its ICI, Avelumab, to supplement, at day 56, Mirror's drug, Allo Stim in an effort to turn cold tumors hot. I was able to locate this trial on clinical trials.gov and learned that the protocol reads very similarly to the ICI portion of our CRC trial. But if I read the protocol correctly, which certainly isn't a given, Avelumab will be added on day 56 regardless of the patient's PD-L1 level. More importantly, however, the status of the trial is currently listed as "withdrawn" in order to revise the protocol, with a restart date listed as November, '26.
So it would appear that the German Merck, which is no longer affiliated with the American Merck in any manner, has shown a demonstrated interest, albeit now on hold, involving the very essence of what LL is attempting to accomplish in its CRC trial (beyond the ultimate purpose of trying to save the lives of the involved patients). Consequently, although Avelumab is not currently approved for CRC, I think it reasonable to include Merck KGaA among the usual suspects in a CYDY BO scenario.
While the Keytruda wielding American Merck continues to seem like the obvious natural choice to acquire LL in a BO or partnership scenario, my background in conducting numerous high stakes settlement negotiations on behalf of both individual plaintiff and corporate defendant clients, reminds me that leverage, surgically applied, far more so than persuasive powers, is what mainly produces good deals. Leverage can take many forms, but, for a seller, perhaps the most productive is the skill to keep the maximum number of interested buyers involved and bidding for as long as possible. And while we on this board have incessantly discussed LL's seemingly unique efficacy and safety qualities, now focused on turning cold tumors hot, the value to be received for those qualities, no matter how unique, will be driven in considerable part by the number of serious suitors. So while the data and results from the CRC trial will be the main thing, I'm pretty sure that having at least 3 very serious bidders will greatly increase the likelihood of fair terms in the end. Based on what started as Gemini setting the BO field, my best guesses, after our discussions with each other and Ken, would be MRK, BMS, and German MRK, but I would welcome another surprise candidate or two.
Thanks again sherlock for prompting and driving this discussion -- as you mentioned initially, what else do we have to do watching the grass grow (speaking figuratively here in Minnesota).
So, instead, I did a little more digging on the nugget you supplied that Merck KGaA had recently joined with Mirror Biologics on a Phase 2 CRC trial in which this Merck, which is headquartered in Darmstadt, Germany (4 hours from Munich by car) will supply its ICI, Avelumab, to supplement, at day 56, Mirror's drug, Allo Stim in an effort to turn cold tumors hot. I was able to locate this trial on clinical trials.gov and learned that the protocol reads very similarly to the ICI portion of our CRC trial. But if I read the protocol correctly, which certainly isn't a given, Avelumab will be added on day 56 regardless of the patient's PD-L1 level. More importantly, however, the status of the trial is currently listed as "withdrawn" in order to revise the protocol, with a restart date listed as November, '26.
So it would appear that the German Merck, which is no longer affiliated with the American Merck in any manner, has shown a demonstrated interest, albeit now on hold, involving the very essence of what LL is attempting to accomplish in its CRC trial (beyond the ultimate purpose of trying to save the lives of the involved patients). Consequently, although Avelumab is not currently approved for CRC, I think it reasonable to include Merck KGaA among the usual suspects in a CYDY BO scenario.
While the Keytruda wielding American Merck continues to seem like the obvious natural choice to acquire LL in a BO or partnership scenario, my background in conducting numerous high stakes settlement negotiations on behalf of both individual plaintiff and corporate defendant clients, reminds me that leverage, surgically applied, far more so than persuasive powers, is what mainly produces good deals. Leverage can take many forms, but, for a seller, perhaps the most productive is the skill to keep the maximum number of interested buyers involved and bidding for as long as possible. And while we on this board have incessantly discussed LL's seemingly unique efficacy and safety qualities, now focused on turning cold tumors hot, the value to be received for those qualities, no matter how unique, will be driven in considerable part by the number of serious suitors. So while the data and results from the CRC trial will be the main thing, I'm pretty sure that having at least 3 very serious bidders will greatly increase the likelihood of fair terms in the end. Based on what started as Gemini setting the BO field, my best guesses, after our discussions with each other and Ken, would be MRK, BMS, and German MRK, but I would welcome another surprise candidate or two.
Thanks again sherlock for prompting and driving this discussion -- as you mentioned initially, what else do we have to do watching the grass grow (speaking figuratively here in Minnesota).
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