A few thoughts before I retire:

It has been quite a day!  Bottom line is for the most part good news and I think most on the board agree.  A few months ago everyone was hoping for a triple play.  We didn’t get it in the way we all hoped but there are reasons for that.

1.  Stroke factor in 3 pt. MACE flatlined.  Ok, so now we reset by removing stroke and substitute CHF as relief pitcher to win the game that way. 

2.  MACE rate in Placebo population less than expected.  Ok, now we focus on synergistic benefits of partnering apabetalone with SGLT2 inhibitors and reap the commercial benefits that way.

3.  CKD - we were all hoping for big things here.  Did we get it?  You betcha!  50% RRR on MACE in eGFR patients < 60 ml/whatever; plus some other good stuff (bear with me, I’m no scientist and it’s late).  You’ve seen the slides.

4. CTAD - still embargoed but DM mumbled something about it being exciting.  The words exciting and failure don’t exactly go together but let’s just go with guarded optimism for the time being.

I haven’t repeated all the positives here, it’s been done by sharper minds on this board already, but if you break all this down it really doesn’t look so bad.  Hey, this could have been a total bust... a complete washout.  In my view, it’s been anything but.  Maybe we didn’t get the triple play nice and clean the way we all expected, but it kind of seems to me we’re gonna get it not too far down the road.  It all depends on how you look at it.

We, and me included, like to make predictions.  Sometimes we’re right and sometimes we’re wrong.  But let me put this to you.  Based on the above positives, the potential those positives might generate in terms of sales over the next 10-15 years, and DM’s seeming, and warranted, lack of concern about money in his forward thinking in today’s presentation, do you seriously think a failure to attract capital to keep this all going is ANY concern whatsoever??  I’m here to tell you right now, the answer is a big fat Narmac stogey NO!  I’ve worked in the Oil & Gas industry for most of my career and $100, $200, $500 mil is peanuts compared to the kind of revenues all this science will apparently fetch in the marketplace.  So please, can we please not waste our time lamenting over finances for RVX as if somehow this will land the company in bankruptcy or stop all further work on all this going forward. That ship has now sailed.  There is already too much money invested by venture capitalists like HL and Eastern to walk away from given the results we now have from this trial. Yes , Yes.. I know, we all like things in a nice little package that says we hit our primary endpoint and both CKD and VD were awesome so let’s wait for the next trading day, get our $50/share and call it a day.  Very realistic.......

I know I’m rambling and I apologize.  Let me finish on this note.  We have some truly excellent science people on this board.  You know who you are.  We also have some very knowledgeable regulatory people.  And, last but not least some knowledgeable (and arguably more colourful) trading personalities on the board.  All contributions are valuable and appreciated.  Let’s make it work for everyone and in a couple of years we’ll all gather in Buckeye’s backyard and celebrate as we watch CCD smiling and floating through the air whilst holding a martini doing commercials for apabetalone on TV.

Goodnight.

P