TOGETHER Files 2: Lawsuit reveals FTX bought effective control of TOGETHER trial, part of SBF's dream of a pharma empire
Tallaksen, E., Do Your Own Research
Analysis of legal documents showing that a non-profit controlled by FTX's SBF and a former colleague invested >$50 million in the Together Trial and had the right to potentially control the company. Author notes that incorrect and misleading statments were made regarding this funding (the timing of the first funding was earlier, and $35m in additional funding, a board seat, and potential future control was not mentioned).
The Together Trial is owned by Purpose Life Sciences (PLS, formerly Platform Life Sciences), a Canadian for-profit startup founded by principal investigator, Prof. Ed Mills.
PLS’s business model consists of charging for clinical trials, and the investment pitch shows three planned packages: bronze, silver and gold, for $10.4m, $16.9m and $35.75m respectively. The only known commercial partner is Eiger Biopharmaceuticals, which commissioned a study of Peginterferon Lambda in 2021, notably the only one of four RCTs to find a significant clinical improvement
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Tallaksen et al., 6 Nov 2023, preprint, 1 author.
