From the Q3 2012 conference call:

Simos Simeonidis - Cowen and Company, LLC, Research Division

Okay, okay. And it might be too early to ask this. But I mean, what's the partnership interest looking like? Are people talking to you now and they'll wait to see the data, or can you say anything about that?

Hakan S. Edstrom - President, Chief Operating Officer and Director

What I would say, you haven't mixed it -- as we expanded the market opportunity with type 2 patients, we certainly had newcomers that are actually in different levels of due diligence right now. We, ourselves, are also very enthusiastic about the opportunity here with an expanded type 2 patient market. So, we -- I would say, we expect that we would, in earnest, start the negotiations, say in the early part -- early to mid-part of 2013.

http://seekingalpha.com/article/971551-mannkind-management-discusses-q3-2012-results-earnings-call-transcript

The original transcript, for which I still have the printed copy, said: ". So, we -- I would say, we expect that we would, in earnest, stop the negotiations, say in the early part -- early to mid-part of 2013."I re-listened to the call and indeed it is "start".

So the take away, it seems, is that the earliest a partnership could be announced is during the summer of 2013.