The Green Monkey Dumps AllWe've had lots of discussions about monkey poop over on StockHouse, before they improved StockHouse to point of uselessness, that is. Those great monkey poop rumours were just that, great monkey poop rumours. That's not science. Science reporting must adhere to very high standards. You'll note that "poop" isn't even mentioned in the press release, not once. "Efflux" is mentioned, though a rose by another name smells as sweet.
For those complaining about the news not being news, I tell you it is news and damn good news.
The opening statement is unequivocal, "Oral administration of compound RVX-208 increases serum levels of ApoA-I and improves high-density lipoprotein-mediated cholesterol efflux, in African Green monkeys."
Please, anybody, find for me in all the literature, findings, reports, presentations and bathroom stalls any instance where it was stated that...
A) an orally administered drug (small-molecule drug)...
B) caused an increase in the amount of APO-A1 in the blood that...
C) in turn increasing HDL that in turn...
D) created an improvement in the disposal (efflux) of cholesterol...
E) in any animal, especially an animal so closely related to collinsc.
That's what that sentence says and it's never been stated before, by anybody, to my knowledge. Even the long ago PR about the famous RVX mice didn't discuss efflux. I suspect that somebody at RVX had a good look at that mouse efflux, perhaps went rummaging through it for the charred remains of mouse cholesterol but if so, it wasn't mentioned.
Oh, we had the pretenders from other companies who tried to convince us that they had just the ticket, CETP inhibitors, etc, but they did not increase "endogenous production of ApoA-I and functional HDL." The other drugs just made the HDL sacks bigger, recycled the cholesterol and whatnot. With this PR we have a clear statement that there is a drug, RV-208, that increases the body's production of APO-A1, the body's main building block of FUNCTIONAL HDL, not overfed, fat and recycled HDL particles, but real ones. And RVX-208 does it in an animal very closely related to collinsc who, in turn is closely related to DrJ and hence to us. Woo hoo, scratch, scratch...
And the rest of the press release is no less unequivocal. I think those who are whining about it not being news had best give their heads a shake and read the PR again, every damn word of it, decipher its meaning, every damn word of it, and mull it all over a tad.
The only complaint I had was that the information was released at the American Heart Association scientific meetings before it was released to the public. I don't know the protocols involved but unless the attendees of these meetings signed Non-Disclosure Agreements, then they received material information before investors did and thus had a marketplace advantage. Somebody pointed out that maybe this news explained some of the volume the last few days. Well, the volume and price increases started before the news was released. Not good, unless the attendees couldn't trade the stock, and didn't trade it, and didn't tell their wife's brother's uncle, or other Green Monkey related folks about it.
But, what about those old rumours about monkey poop? If the presentation at the Heart Association scientific meetings did prompt some buying, why did the stock stall and then fall back? Because the market has "known" about the monkey poop for a long time, that's why. And that's why the stock stalled and that's why some people here are pissed that the PR contained no news. A few people in high places at RVX would do us all a favour by keeping their traps shut while they're all excited about being neck-deep in monkey efflux, that's what I think.