All:
As someone stated above, one wonders if they (Elysium) aren't talking to a supplier that is able to synthesize NR through a different process than the one Chromadex has patented. That would be the best outcome for consumers without a doubt.
I submit to you that this hypothesis doesn't make any sense as an explanation for their behavior as alleged in the Chromadex filing (and again, I'm in no position to evaluate the truth or falsity of those claims). If Elysium had located an alternative supplier, they wouldn't be (as the claim alleges) trying to sneak in a large order at a massively-discounted price without being noticed, then coming back to the table to negotiate with Chromadex after getting "caught," agreeing to a price that is close to their original attempt (and close to their originally-agreed price), placing a massive order at that modestly-discounted price, and then trying to use the unpaid bill for that received order as a hostage to get more favorable terms post facto.
Rather, if they had an hypothetical much-cheaper alternative source, they'd've avoided all the risks and expense entailed in the above situation by just placing an order with their cheaper alternative supplier. Indeed, putting in a massive order with Chromadex would be doubly stupid if they had an alternative supplier: they'd not only be paying more than they had to, but having put in a huge order with CDXC, they would be unable to place additional orders with the mystery supplier, and would therefore not be in a good negotiating position with them, whether for a low price going forward or for exclusivity.
A kilogram is 1000 grams > $400 divided by 1000 grams = $.40 a gram not $4. But Chromadex is not selling at that price, rather somewhere between $800-$1000/kg, i.e., between $.80/g and $1/g.
Plenty of room for $3 NR.
agree, a 1 month supply can of 30 x 250mg = 7.5gram. Like I wrote earlier that's 7.5USD. Total product cost of the entire can probably 9USD. So yeah there is a lot of air in the pricing. With a sales price for a can of 40USD that means 40-9=31USD goes into the pockets of the distribution chain. Theoretically speaking that would mean if the NR price is zero and the capsules get filled with air the retail price would still be 32.5USD..............
As Oakman later pointed out, this line of thinking ignores the fact that it actually does cost money to encapsulate, bottle, and distribute the stuff. Note that Oakman's calculations if anything understate those bottling costs, since he's quoting vitamin C from a retailer selling the stuff in small bags; wholesale vitamin C in 50 kg drums would be cheaper still. I can tell you with certainty that there are many supplements on the market for which the raw ingredient cost is not even the plurality of the total manufacturing cost, leaving aside the profit they then embed in their wholesale cost and the markups and additional shipping and other costs further down the distribution chain.
I was looking to invest in Unity Biotechnology a couple of weeks ago but found they weren't public. One thing these companies could do is go public, I'm not sure what the downside of that for them
UNITY is an early, venture-stage company: they're in no position to go public yet. They might get enthusiastic support from the life extension community, but you can't base a realistic IPO on that, especially in biomedicine.