As always, you make a good point, DND.

And...I think he was basically just stressing the fact, as others have said, that these announced results apply specifically and only to that one, consolidated/composite primary endpoint.... i.e., increased time to MACE, whether with Lipitor or Crestor.

There are, as you know, several scenarios in which some, or  most, or even all of the remaining results may be promising, and even successful. Even "some" might be more than enough. But none of those were addressed EITHER way in the top line data.

I think the "only" reference meant that at this time he was only addressing that single top line data point.

I do think they have the larger data set now, and ... look at how many years they spent analyzing previous trials - there is obviously way too much information there for them to have looked at everything yet, and even if they had, they could not announce it now.

BUT in my perhaps overly-hopeful mind, both the fact that they made a point of statements like... that the cardiac and other experts in the team plan to continue working on development, that they referred to DATA as a reason to hang in there for another 6 weeks, etc.  Those statements AND our collective experience of the differences between the statin treatment groups, promising prior results from one, effects on biomarkers, etc.  all lead me to infer that they have enough experience with this to have checked right away for at least certain things, and that there is something still there worth crowing about .

Absent such a scenario, that partucular form of encouragement to stick around would seem almost slimy - that is if there were no reason for hope for Apabetalone. Instead, in they could have referred more carefully to incomplete data analysis, rather than pending publications, and to other compounds in the pipeline etc. I don't think either character is slimy...so that leaves... maybe they see something good happening.

Some analyses take longer than others. I would bet that after the initial stomach drop, they at least took a quick look at the Lipitor vs Crestor subgroups, probably certain biomarkers, etc. So we may not know, but i would bet that they do know something.

This is all purely hypothesis and just my take. I don't think there has been time for a full analysis, but i did feel they were hinting within the extent that they dared that there was still reason for interest and hope.

Also believe that the "only" thing was still no guarantee or even suggestion about "all" other parameters, but rather a reminder that our combined endpoint is far from the only relevant question in our case.

Hope that makes sense.