  All existing experimental evidence of the bound state nature of the $X(3872)$
relies on considering its decay products with a finite experimental spectral
mass resolution which is typically $\Delta m \ge 2 $MeV and much larger than
its alleged binding energy, $B_X=0.00(18)$MeV. On the other hand, we have found
recently that there is a neat cancellation in the $1^{++}$ channel for the
invariant $D \bar D^*$ mass around the threshold between the continuum and
bound state contribution. This is very much alike a similar cancellation in the
proton-neutron continuum with the deuteron in the $1^{++}$ channel. Based on
comparative fits of experimental cross section deuteron and $X(3872)$ prompt
production in pp collisions data with a finite $p_T$ to a common Tsallis
distribution we find a strong argument questioning the bound state nature of
the state but also explaining the large observed production rate likely
consistent with a half-bound state.
