I asked Decile Hub this question and got a slightly different answer on the follow up (i.e., on follow up, that it is permissible for life sciences companies). I am meeting with a company building a hardware product for measuring metabolites in blood, and they requested an NDA when sending us the materials.  I've heard that this is more common for companies in the life sciences space, especially if they have deals with major pharma, who often require such terms. I do not think they are disclosing deals with partners that might require NDAs.  What is the proper way to respond to a request like this?