Stockwinners Market Radar for September 24, 2020 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

22:53 EDT Scorpio Tankers financing activity to increase liquidity by $82M - Scorpio Tankers announced an update on financing facilities, which are expected to increase liquidity by approximately $82.0M. The company has finalized commitments from three financial institutions for the sale and leaseback of eight MR product tankers that were previously mentioned and has received a new commitment for a scrubber financing facility. Two of the eight vessels have already been delivered to their buyer, and the remaining six vessels are expected to be delivered to their buyers in the fourth quarter of 2020. Upon completion of all the transactions for the eight vessels and the repayment of their existing debt, the Company expects to have raised approximately $70Mof liquidity in aggregate. In addition, the company has received a new commitment of $12.0M to finance scrubbers on six MRs of which, five have been installed to date. Including this new financing arrangement, the company expects to raise approximately $66M of aggregate additional liquidity once all of the previously announced scrubber financing agreements are closed and drawn.

20:10 EDT Schrodinger director institutional holder DE Shaw sells 454K shares - In a regulatory filing, Schrodinger disclosed that David E Shaw sold 453.9K shares on September 22nd in a total transaction size of $22.6M.

18:40 EDT Sanofi CEO: We'll produce over 1B doses of vaccines worldwide for COVID-19 - In an interview on CNBC's Mad Money, Paul Hudson said he expects a COVID-19 vaccine to be ready by early next year. It won't be in Phase 3 until November or December, he noted. "We're the only company with two COVID-19 vaccines," Hudson said. The company is increasing its flu vaccine by 15%. According to Hudson, Sanofi's (SNY) partnership with Regeneron (REGN) is "high quality." "We are a completely purpose- driven company," he said. "This isn't a race we need to win - everyone needs to play a part."

18:12 EDT Rockwell Medical announces growth plan for its Ferric Pyrophosphate Citrate - Rockwell Medical concluded its Management and Key Opinion Leader conference call and webcast to discuss potential novel indications for its ferric pyrophosphate citrate, or FPC, platform. CEO Russell Ellison stated: "Earlier today, Rockwell Medical and independent leading experts laid out the pathway for potential important value creation for the Company through the development of the FPC platform to treat medical conditions with unmet clinical needs outside of the hemodialysis setting. This exciting new development plan for FPC, along with increasing adoption of Triferic for dialysis patients, are evidence of Rockwell Medical's continued focus on our vision - to transform the treatment of iron deficiency and anemia for the millions of people affected worldwide. FPC for the treatment of iron deficiency anemia in home infusion patients is our top development priority, which we view as a tractable clinical development project with relatively low safety risk given our extensive safety database of FPC, and low efficacy risk given our expertise and experience in the use of parenteral iron for the treatment of IDA. We expect to hold a Type C meeting with the FDA in the first quarter of 2021 to discuss the program further... We are well capitalized to fund our existing dialysis business and advance clinical development for a home infusion indication, and we expect opportunities for multiple data read-outs and milestone reports from the home infusion program over the next three years as we advance the program through Phase II clinical proof-of-concept development. In addition, we discussed potentially pursuing an indication for FPC in hospitalized patients with acute heart failure. We believe FPC could be uniquely suited for these patients, based upon a completed mechanistic proof-of-concept study and the immediately bioavailable iron that FPC can deliver to patients during a short hospital stay. We continue to evaluate this opportunity and anticipate holding a Type C meeting with the FDA in the second half of 2021 to discuss the pathway for a potential clinical development program."

17:58 EDT OSI Systems CEO sells 40K shares of common stock - In a regulatory filing, OSI Systems disclosed that its CEO Deepak Chopra sold 40K shares of common stock on September 22nd in a total transaction size of $3.12M. The holding represents about 7% of his total owned.

17:46 EDT Retail Value announces sale of Riverdale Village for $70M - Retail Value closed on the sale of Riverdale Village for $70.0M. Net proceeds were used to repay mortgage debt associated with RVI. Subsequent to the transaction, RVI owns interests in 11 properties located in the continental U.S. and 12 properties in Puerto Rico.

17:25 EDT Facebook removes three networks originating in Russia over CIB - Facebook said it has removed three separate networks for violating its policy against foreign or government interference which is coordinated inauthentic behavior on behalf of a foreign or government entity. These networks originated in Russia, the company said. In each case, the people behind this activity coordinated with one another and used fake accounts as a central part of their operations to mislead people about who they are and what they are doing, and that was the basis for the action. The networks in question targeted many countries around the world and had very limited following globally at the time of disruption. Much of this activity focused on two things: 1) creating fictitious or seemingly independent media entities and personas to engage unwitting individuals to amplify their content and 2) driving people to other websites that these operations control. Facebook removed 214 Facebook users, 35 Pages, 18 Groups and 34 Instagram accounts for violating the company's policy against foreign or government interference which is coordinated inauthentic behavior on behalf of a foreign or government entity. This activity originated in Russia and focused primarily on Syria and Ukraine, and to a lesser extent on Turkey, Japan, Armenia, Georgia, Belarus, and Moldova A small portion of this activity focused on the UK and the US. It also removed one Page, five Facebook accounts, one Group and three Instagram accounts for foreign or government interference which is coordinated inauthentic behavior on behalf of a foreign or government entity. This small network originated in Russia and focused primarily on Turkey and Europe, and also on the United States. In addition, Facebook took down 23 Facebook accounts, 6 Pages, and 8 Instagram accounts for foreign or government interference which is coordinated inauthentic behavior on behalf of a foreign or government entity. This network originated in Russia and focused on global audiences, Russia's neighboring countries including Belarus. Reference Link

17:22 EDT Lockheed Martin awarded $245.44M Navy contract modification - Lockheed Martin was awarded a $245.44M modification to definitize a previously awarded cost-plus-incentive-fee undefinitized contract. This modification extends services and adds hours in support of engineering, maintenance, logistics manpower and material support to continue to develop, sustain and produce software builds as well as carryout developmental flight tests for the Joint Strike Fighter aircraft in support of the Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and non-Department of Defense, or DoD, participants. Additionally, this modification provides unique sea trials on aircraft carriers for non-DoD participants. Work is expected to be completed in March 2022. FY20 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $2.67M; FY20 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $2.67M; FY20 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $373,471; FY20 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $373,470 and non-DoD participant funds in the amount of $7.47M will be obligated at time of award, $746,941 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command is the contracting activity.

17:09 EDT SEC charges BMW for disclosing inaccurate retail sales information - The Securities and Exchange Commission announced settled charges against Germany-based automaker BMW AG and two of its U.S. subsidiaries for disclosing inaccurate and misleading information about BMW's retail sales volume in the U.S. while raising approximately $18B from investors in several corporate bond offerings. According to the SEC's order, from 2015 to 2019, BMW inflated its reported retail sales in the U.S., which helped BMW close the gap between its actual retail sales volume and internal targets and publicly maintain a leading retail sales position relative to other premium automotive companies. The order finds that BMW of North America LLC maintained a reserve of unreported retail vehicle sales - referred to internally as the "bank" - that it used to meet internal monthly sales targets without regard to when the underlying sales occurred. The order also finds that BMW NA paid dealers to inaccurately designate vehicles as demonstrators or loaners so that BMW would count them as having been sold to customers when they had not been. Additionally, the order finds that BMW NA improperly adjusted its retail sales reporting calendar in 2015 and 2017 to meet internal sales targets or bank excess retail sales for future use. As a result, according to the order, the information that BMW provided to investors in the bond offerings by BMW's U.S. financing subsidiary, BMW US Capital LLC, and to credit rating agencies contained material misstatements and omissions regarding BMW's U.S. retail vehicle sales. Reference Link

16:55 EDT Cassava Sciences CEO buys 10K shares of common stock - In a regulatory filing, Cassava Sciences disclosed that its CEO Remi Barbier bought 10K shares of common stock on September 24th in a total transaction isze of $95.9K.

16:47 EDT Avient up 5% to $26.40 after Q3 guidance tops estimates

16:44 EDT Commercial Vehicle Group up 4% after Olma Capital discloses 6.0% activist stake - Shares of Commercial Vehicle Group are up 4% at $5.50 after Olma Capital disclosed 6.0% activist stake in a 13D filing, stating: "The Reporting Person acquired the shares of Common Stock because it believed the Common Stock is undervalued and represents an attractive investment opportunity. The Reporting Person intends to consider, explore and develop plans and potentially make proposals with respect to, among other things, potential changes in the Issuer's operations, management, Board of Directors' composition, governance, capital and corporate structure, capital allocation policies, strategy and plans and potential strategic transactions involving the Issuer or certain of the Issuer's businesses or assets. The Reporting Person intends to communicate with the Issuer's management and the Issuer's Board about a broad range of matters, including, without limitation, any of the foregoing and may communicate with other shareholders or third parties regarding the Issuer."

16:42 EDT Avient sees Q3 free cash flow $80M, FY20 free cash flow $240M

16:31 EDT Omega Healthcare revises accounting method for lease-related revenues - Omega Healthcare Investors, Inc. announced that it is revising its method of accounting for lease-related revenues of operators that have informed the company of doubt regarding their ability to continue as a going concern. Starting with the quarter ending September 30, 2020, the company will now record revenue for such operators on a cash-basis accounting method rather than a straight-line accounting method. The company, after consulting with its independent auditors, determined that such disclosures require this change in revenue recognition treatment. As a result, based on information we received in August and September, Omega will be accounting for the revenues of two of its operators, Genesis Healthcare, Inc. and Agemo Holdings, LLC, on a cash basis as of September 30, 2020. Omega expects the impact of this change will be a write-down of straight-line receivables and lease inducements of approximately $140 million in the quarterly period ending September 30, 2020, representing $65 and $75 million for Genesis and Agemo, respectively. In addition, the company will also be recording an impairment estimated at $28 million, related to the uncollateralized portion of a loan to Agemo.

16:23 EDT CalAmp up 5% to $8.30 after reporting Q2 results

16:22 EDT Altimmune up over 7% at $12.90 after disclosing passive stake by D.E. Shaw

16:20 EDT Bristol-Myers announces Phase 3 Opdivo trial meets primary endpoints - Bristol Myers announced that CheckMate -274, a pivotal Phase 3 trial evaluating Opdivo, or nivolumab, after surgery in patients with high-risk, muscle-invasive urothelial carcinoma, met its primary endpoints of improving disease-free survival, or DFS, versus placebo in both all randomized patients and in patients whose tumor cells express PD-L1 greater than or equal to 1%. CheckMate -274 is the first and only Phase 3 trial in which immunotherapy has reduced the risk of relapse in the adjuvant setting for these patients. The safety profile of Opdivo was consistent with previously reported studies in solid tumors. The company plans to complete a full evaluation of the CheckMate -274 data, work with investigators to present the results at an upcoming medical conference, and submit the data to health authorities. The CheckMate -274 trial will continue as planned to allow for future analyses of secondary endpoints, including overall survival and disease-specific survival.

16:19 EDT Ellomay Capital's Talasol project in Spain receives operation permit - Ellomay Capital reported that the photovoltaic plant constructed by Talasol Solar, with a peak capacity of 300MW in the municipality of Talavan, Caceres, Spain, received the final start-up certificate. The start-up certificate is the last authorization required by the Administration from a permitting perspective for operation of the Talasol Project. Also, it enables Talasol to request the release of the grid bond, which Talasol expects to do in the coming days. The company owns 51% of Talasol Solar S.L.

16:17 EDT Genfit announces first patient visit for ELATIVE study - Genfit announced the first patient first visit for ELATIVE, the global, pivotal, Phase 3 study evaluating elafibranor in Primary Biliary Cholangitis, or PBC. ELATIVE is a randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled, global multicenter Phase 3 study evaluating the efficacy and safety of elafibranor, a dual PPAR alpha and delta agonist, in PBC. The primary endpoint will evaluate the response to treatment defined by alkaline phosphatase, or ALP, less than 1.67 x upper limit of normal, or ULN, total bilirubin, or TB, less than or equal to ULN and ALP decrease greater than or equal to 15%. Key secondary endpoints will include the effect of elafibranor on normalization of ALP and change in pruritus from baseline. The randomized study will evaluate approximately 150 patients with inadequate response to ursodeoxycholic acid following 52 weeks of treatment.

16:13 EDT Parsons awarded $45M BART train control contract - Parsons has been selected by the Bay Area Rapid Transit District - BART - to support implementation of a Communications-Based Train Control system. The CBTC System will be the largest system in North America when complete. Parsons has been providing engineering services to BART's CBTC program for the past five years. Under the new contract, Parsons will provide Design Services During Construction for the CBTC implementation, which will replace the existing automatic train control system on 125 miles of track, while minimizing the impact to revenue operations. The project is part of BART's $3.5B Transbay Corridor Core Capacity Program.

16:10 EDT Luminex receives $5.4M BARDA award to support 510(k) filing for NxTAG RPP - Luminex announced that it has received a $5,389,813 award from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, part of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, to conduct product development work and complete a 510(k) filing for Luminex's expanded NxTAG Respiratory Pathogen Panel, which includes the SARS-CoV-2 virus for high-throughput COVID-19 testing. This effort will help address the continuing long-term need for cost-effective, multiplex diagnostic tests that can differentiate COVID-19 from current strains of other common respiratory illnesses, such as flu.

16:08 EDT Dynavax announces planned retirement of CFO Michael Ostrach - Dynavax announced the appointment of Peter Paradiso, Ph.D. to its Board of Directors. Separately, the company also announced that Michael Ostrach, Senior Vice President, CFO and Chief Business Officer, has communicated his planned retirement in 2021. As part of the planned transition next year, Dynavax has retained Russell Reynolds Associates to assist the company in recruiting its next CFO. Ostrach will continue in his role while the company identifies a successor. If a new CFO is appointed before March 31, 2021, Ostrach has agreed to remain in an advisory capacity through the completion of the company's reporting of 2020 financial results and to remain available as an advisor to the company thereafter. The company does not intend to fill the CBO position at the time of Ostrach's retirement.

16:06 EDT Colony Capital to sell six hospitality portfolios to Highgate for $2.8B - Colony Capital announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell six of its hospitality portfolios to Highgate, a premier real estate investment and hospitality management company, in a transaction valued at $2.8B, including $67.5M of gross proceeds on a consolidated basis and the assumption of $2.7B in consolidated investment-level debt. The six portfolios consist of 22,676 rooms across 197 hotel properties.

16:04 EDT Scholastic sees improving business conditions in 2H21 - The company has substantially completed work on lowering its cost base by $100M, and believes that a significant portion of these cost savings, as well as new measures being taken, should continue to favorably impact future period results. The outlook for the company's trade and education businesses remains positive with a robust frontlist of bestselling series and authors scheduled to release over the remainder of the fiscal year and Scholastic's digital education programs and digital-only magazines gaining momentum as schools look to learning solutions which can be used at school and at home. However, delays in club orders and fair bookings will likely lead to a significant decline in revenues in the company's Children's Book Publishing and Distribution segment in the second quarter. The company believes that business conditions should improve in the second half of its fiscal year as schools adjust to operational changes in response to COVID-19, and we expect increasing demand for the company's slate of flexible new services, such as our virtual and shippable fair options and home delivery of club and fair orders, as well as our safe and easy in-person fairs. Given the variability in school schedules, as well as the possibility of new COVID outbreaks and their potential impact on schools, Scholastic is not providing a financial outlook for fiscal year 2021.

16:03 EDT Scholastic says 'sufficient cash reserves' to support FY21 business plan - At quarter-end, the company's cash and cash equivalents exceeded total debt by $135.6M, compared to $186.4M a year ago. The company continues to believe that it has sufficient cash reserves and access to liquidity to support its FY21 business plan.

16:02 EDT Marinus satisfies FDA questions for Phase 3 RAISE trial - Marinus Pharmaceuticals announced it has satisfied the FDA's protocol-specific questions for the registrational Phase 3 trial in refractory status epilepticus, allowing the company to begin enrollment in this clinical trial. In July, Marinus submitted a protocol amendment to the FDA for the RAISE trial for IV ganaxolone in RSE. Following a recent FDA discussion, Marinus currently anticipates the first patient will be enrolled in the RAISE trial in October. To date, Marinus has selected over 55 out of a projected 80 clinical sites to participate in the trial. The company continues to anticipate top-line data in 1H 2022. Marinus is also announcing the appointment of Henri Vaitkevicius, M.D., to the position of Vice President, Clinical Development, reporting to Joe Hulihan, M.D., Chief Medical Officer. During his time as a clinician at Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard University Medical School, Dr. Vaitkevicius is credited as being the first physician to successfully treat a patient in super refractory status epilepticus with a neurosteroid. Dr. Vaitkevicius joins Igor Grachev, M.D., Ph.D. and Maciej Gasior, M.D., Ph.D. in expanding Marinus' clinical development team of physicians. Drs. Grachev and Gasior also hold the title of Vice President, Clinical Development.

15:10 EDT BEP closes sale of 42% stake in Cheniere Energy Partners - Blackstone (BX) announced that private equity funds managed by Blackstone Energy Partners have closed the sale of their approximately 42% stake in Cheniere Energy Partners, L.P. to Brookfield Infrastructure and funds managed by Blackstone Infrastructure Partners. The transaction values the approximately 42% stake at $7B. Reference Link

14:00 EDT AzurRx not planning on raising money near-term, CEO says

14:00 EDT AzurRx BioPharma's MS1819 Phase 2 trials going as expected, CEO says

13:59 EDT Amazon announces new Echo, Echo Dot, Echo Dot Kids Edition - Amazon introduced its all-new line-up of Echo devices, featuring completely new designs, enhanced audio, more powerful hardware, and experiences that make Alexa even smarter, more engaging, and helpful. Echo, $99.99, and Echo Dot, $49.99, will be available in Charcoal, Glacier White, and Twilight Blue. Echo Dot with clock, $59.99, will be available in Glacier White and Twilight Blue. Echo Dot Kids Edition, $59.99, will be available in Panda and Tiger animal designs. Pre-order starts today, with devices shipping later this year. The all-new Echo Show 10, $249.99, will be available in Charcoal and Glacier White, and will start shipping in time for the holidays.

13:53 EDT Amazon introduces Luna cloud gaming service - Amazon.com (AMZN) announced customers in the U.S. can request early access to Amazon Luna, a new cloud gaming service designed for instant play. The company said, "With Luna and the incredible scale and capability of Amazon Web Services, it's easy to stream high-quality, immersive games. Players can enjoy Luna games on their favorite devices without lengthy downloads or updates, expensive hardware or complicated configuration. They can even start playing on one screen and seamlessly pick up and continue on another. At launch, Luna will be available on Fire TV, PC, and Mac as well as on web apps for iPhone and iPad, with Android coming soon." Players can subscribe to the Luna+ game channel, which offers a growing library of games to play on Fire TV, PC, and Mac, or through web apps on iOS, with Android coming soon. Amazon also announced a new gaming channel with global video game publisher Ubisoft (UBSFY), available direct through Luna. Players who subscribe to this channel will have access to their favorite Ubisoft titles in up to 4K resolution, mobile gameplay, and access to new titles when the channel launches like Assassins Creed Valhalla, Far Cry 6, and Immortals Fenyx Rising the same day they release. This is the first of multiple Luna game channels in development, where customers can play games from their favorite publishers and genres. Customers in the U.S. can request an invitation today for early access to Luna."

13:46 EDT Amazon presents new Echo, Fire TV devices - Amazon has introduced its all-new Echo Dot and Echo Dot with clock, and said that its new Echo is powered by the company's first-generation AZ1 Neural Edge processor - an all-new silicon module that's purpose-built for accelerating machine learning applications. Amazon also unveiled its redesigned Echo Dot Kids Edition. The company also introduced its Echo Show 10.

13:38 EDT Khiron fills first prescriptions of medical cannabis to patients in Peru - Khiron Life Sciences announced that it has filled the first prescriptions of full spectrum, high CBD medical cannabis to patients in Peru. This comes following authorization from DIGEMID, Peru's drug regulatory authority, and expands sales of Khiron's medical cannabis to a second jurisdiction in Latin America, following established sales in Colombia, where over 3,000 prescriptions have been filled to date. Khiron Peru is a GSP certified, registered pharmaceutical establishment, and Farmacia Universal has all required permits and licenses, including Good Manufacturing Practices certification, to prepare magistral preparations with medical cannabis and distribute final products to patients through pharmacies under the previously announced agreement with Khiron. Additionally, quotas for Khiron's high THC medical cannabis product in Peru have also been approved by DIGEMID, with first patient prescriptions anticipated to be filled in Q4 2020.

13:33 EDT Sanderson Farms raises quarterly dividend to 44c per share - Sanderson Farms announced that its Board of Directors has declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of 44c per share, an increase of 12c per share per quarter. This represents a new annual dividend rate of $1.76 per share, or an annual increase of 48c per share. The regular quarterly cash dividend is payable October 20, 2020, to stockholders of record on October 6, 2020.

13:05 EDT Network-1 Technologies win appeal in Hewlett-Packard litigation - Network-1 Technologies (NTIP) announced that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit overturned the judgment of non-infringement of the U.S. District Court of the Eastern District of Texas in its litigation with Hewlett-Packard involving its Remote Power Patent. The Federal Circuit also vacated the District Court judgment of validity of the Remote Power Patent. The Federal Circuit has remanded the case to the District Court for a new trial on infringement against Hewlett-Packard and further proceedings on validity. As a result of the Federal Circuit's decision to overturn the District Court judgment of non-infringement, Network-1 believes that Cisco (CSCO) and certain other licensees of Network-1's Remote Power Patent are obligated to pay Network-1 significant royalties that accrued but were not paid beginning in Q4 of 2017 through March 7, 2020 -- the expiration of the Remote Power Patent. The amount of royalties payable to Network-1 for such period depends upon the amount of sales of licensed products by Cisco and other licensees pursuant to their license agreements with Network-1.

12:30 EDT Becton Dickinson pays $60M in settlement over Bard's mesh devices - South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg announced a settlement by 48 states and the District of Columbia with C.R. Bard and its parent company Becton Dickinson (BDX) requiring payment of $60M for the "deceptive marketing of transvaginal surgical mesh devices." The attorneys general allege that C.R. Bard "misrepresented or failed to adequately disclose serious and life-altering risks of surgical mesh devices, such as chronic pain, scarring and shrinking of bodily tissue, painful sexual relations, and recurring infections, among other complications." C.R. Bard and Becton Dickinson and agreed to pay $60M to the 48 participating states and the District of Columbia. "Although C.R. Bard stopped selling transvaginal mesh, the settlement provides injunctive relief, requiring both C.R. Bard and Becton, Dickinson and Company to adhere to certain injunctive terms if they reenter the transvaginal mesh market," Jason Ravnsborg said in a statement. Reference Link

12:00 EDT Renren falls -13.8% - Renren is down -13.8%, or -53c to $3.32.

12:00 EDT CorEnergy rises 9.8% - CorEnergy is up 9.8%, or 53c to $5.94.

12:00 EDT Owens & Minor rises 54.6% - Owens & Minor is up 54.6%, or $7.53 to $21.32.

11:26 EDT Golar LNG says Hygo initiated review of CEO Antonello's service - Golar LNG Limited (GLNG) issued the following statement: "The company is aware of the allegations that have been made against Hygo's Chief Executive, Eduardo Antonello. The allegations against Mr. Antonello involve conduct that predates and do not, in any way, implicate his work at Hygo. However, in an abundance of caution, Hygo has initiated a review to seek to confirm that there have not been any deviations from its culture of compliance in connection with Mr. Antonello's service to Hygo." Golar LNG Limited previously announced that Hygo Energy Transition, or "Hygo," formerly known as Golar Power Limited, a joint venture between Golar LNG and investment vehicles affiliated with Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners, has filed a Registration Statement on Form F-1 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission related to a proposed initial public offering of Hygo's common shares.

11:11 EDT Boeing partners with General Atomics, Aerojet Rocketdyne in missile defense bid - Boeing (BA) announced that it is teaming with General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems and Aerojet Rocketdyne (AJRD) in its bid to build the Next Generation Interceptor for the U.S. Missile Defense Agency. The NGI is "a key element of the MDA's missile defense system, which is designed to intercept and destroy incoming intercontinental ballistic missiles," said Boeing, which noted that the Boeing-General Atomics-Aerojet Rocketdyne team submitted an NGI offering on August 12 "that will improve performance and enhance the nation's ability to defend against future threats." Northrop Grumman (NOC) will serve as a component supplier on the Boeing-led team and a contract award is expected later this year, Boeing stated.

11:01 EDT Comcast, REVOLT sign agreement to expand network's availability - Comcast and REVOLT, the Hip Hop content platform from Sean "Diddy" Combs, have reached an agreement to significantly expand its availability to Xfinity TV customers across the country in new and existing markets. On September 29, REVOLT will be added in HD to the Xfinity Digital Starter package in Philadelphia, Northern New Jersey, Orlando, West Palm Beach, Ft. Myers, Jacksonville, Tampa, Knoxville, Indianapolis, Charleston, and Augusta, making the network available to millions more Xfinity customers. Additionally, in markets where REVOLT has been available in standard definition as part of the Xfinity Digital Premier package, the network will be moved to Digital Starter in HD, beginning September 29. As part of the new agreement, the companies will collaborate to create impactful cultural content.

10:31 EDT Aegion announces contract for pressurized water pipeline rehabilitation - Aegion announced that its subsidiary, Insituform Technologies, has been awarded a contract to rehabilitate more than 7,000 linear feet of pressurized water pipelines in Portsmouth, Virginia. Charles Gordon, Aegion's President and CEO, said, "This is an exciting project for Aegion. Not only does it demonstrate our commitment to providing trenchless technology to rehabilitate pressurized water pipelines, but it also utilizes one of our recently introduced proprietary technologies, Thermopipe. We will continue to leverage our comprehensive offering of more than a dozen trenchless lining solutions to serve the growing needs of the aging water and wastewater market." The project is expected to begin this fall and conclude by the end of 2021.

10:08 EDT Network 1 Technologies trading halted, news pending

10:02 EDT MiX Telematics announces partnership agreement with Navistar - MiX Telematics (MIXT) announced a new partnership with Navistar (NAV). Through the partnership, MiX and Navistar plan to provide mutual customers with an enhanced and comprehensive combined data set. MiX said in a statement that "Customers and manufacturers reliance on telematics data has evolved over the past few years in terms of pursuing better uptime and improved repair support. OEMs such as Navistar embed telematics hardware into their vehicles at the point of manufacture, to remotely understand and analyze fault codes and usage once out in the field."

10:00 EDT Graf Industrial falls -15.5% - Graf Industrial is down -15.5%, or -$3.26 to $17.76.

10:00 EDT Tortoise Acquisition falls -25.8% - Tortoise Acquisition is down -25.8%, or -$11.56 to $33.30.

10:00 EDT Accel Entertainment rises 11.0% - Accel Entertainment is up 11.0%, or $1.16 to $11.74.

09:54 EDT GE Aviation selected by Air Transport Services for digital agreement - Air Transport Services Group (ATSG) selected GE Aviation (GE) for a comprehensive digital agreement including FlightPulse and eFOQA. The program gives ATSG subsidiary airlines ABX Air, Air Transport International, and Omni Air International access to advanced analytics with enriched data sets that will ultimately drive greater understanding of flight trends. This program implementation includes the Boeing 777, 767, and 757 aircraft. "GE Aviation's FlightPulse and eFOQA are integral tools used by our airlines to enhance their already rigorous safety programs and further ensure that our training programs and operating policies are meeting the highest standards of operational excellence," commented Ed Koharik, COO with ATSG.

09:47 EDT CarMax falls -7.8% - CarMax is down -7.8%, or -$8.27 to $97.66.

09:47 EDT Tortoise Acquisition falls -15.0% - Tortoise Acquisition is down -15.0%, or -$6.71 to $38.15.

09:47 EDT Jefferies Financial Group rises 12.4% - Jefferies Financial Group is up 12.4%, or $2.11 to $19.18.

09:46 EDT Alliant Energy to electrify 100% of light-duty fleet vehicles by 2030 - Alliant Energy announced that 100% of the company's active light-duty fleet vehicles will be electric by 2030. "Our customers and the communities we are privileged to serve benefit from our plan to electrify our fleet vehicles and our commitment to a cleaner energy future," said JP Brummond, Vice President of Business Planning at Alliant Energy. "By transitioning to electric vehicles, we reduce the total cost of ownership of our fleet and reduce emissions. The savings are an element of our ongoing focus to maintain affordable rates for our customers while also contributing to a cleaner environment for all to enjoy." To achieve this goal, Alliant Energy will replace end-of-life light-duty vehicles, including up to half-ton pickups, sedans, SUVs, passenger vans and forklifts, with Battery Electric Vehicles and Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles.

09:29 EDT Vermilion Energy provides update on Total's Grandpuits refinery conversion - Vermilion Energy (VET) reported its response to recent news from Total (TOT) regarding its plans to convert the Grandpuits refinery in France into a zero-crude platform for biofuels and bioplastics and discontinue crude oil refining at the platform in 1Q21. The Grandpuits refinery currently processes all of Vermillion's Paris Basin oil production, currently estimated at approximately 5,000 bbl/d. Vermillion has written provisions in its existing contract to deal with the potential closure of the Grandpuits refinery. Total will take receipt of Vermillion's crude at one of their other refineries in France following the closure of the Grandpuits refinery. Vermillion's France business unit has been securing other transportation and delivery options to ensure a smooth transition and estimates an increase in transportation costs by approximately $20M on an annualized basis.

09:23 EDT TFF Pharmaceuticals comments on the development of remdesivir as a dry powder - TFF Pharmaceuticals (TFFP) commented on new animal pharmacokinetics data evaluating the development of remdesivir as a dry powder for inhalation by Thin Film Freezing, TFF. Top-line results of the study conducted by a team of researchers at the University of Texas at Austin's Division of Molecular Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery, concluded that, "TFF technology produces high potency remdesivir dry powder formulations for inhalation suitable to treat patients with COVID-19 on an outpatient basis and earlier in the disease course where effective antiviral therapy can reduce related morbidity and mortality." Results of the study, led by Dr. Robert O. Williams III, the inventor of the TFF technology, were published yesterday as a preprint in bioRxiv. Remdesivir, GS-5734, an investigational broad-spectrum antiviral agent, was developed by Gilead Sciences (GILD). Remdesivir exhibits in vitro activity against SARS-CoV-2 and an intravenous formulation was granted Emergency Use Approval by the US FDA for treatment of hospitalized, seriously ill COVID-19 patients. Remdesivir is a prodrug that is intracellularly metabolized in the body into its active form, GS-441524.

09:21 EDT Blink Charging 'applauds' Governor Newsom's commitent to EVs in California - Blink Charging applauds California Governor, Gavin Newsom on his signing of executive order N-79-20 banning the sale of new gas-powered passenger cars and pickup trucks in the state by 2035. California's emphasis on the build-out of the infrastructure to support electric vehicles is already widely known, with several ground-breaking commercial incentives and rebates recently announced in the state. Most notable is the $436 million Charge Ready program for the deployment of 40,000 charging stations in Southern California Edison's service areas. To meet expectations in the state, Blink is continuing to expand the Company's organizational footprint in the state with several key strategic hires and the expansion of the Company's technology team based in the state.

09:18 EDT Chicken Soup for the Soul announces rollout of VOD, linear services - Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment announced the rollout and timing of the previously announced major distribution expansion for its Crackle Plus networks. In addition, the company announced new distribution on Vizio Watch Free for Crackle and Popcornflix. Crackle Plus recently signed video-on-demand and linear distribution deals with Xfinity Flex, Plex, Xumo, Fubo TV, and Philo for the Crackle and Popcornflix networks. Including the Crackle VOD network, which has already launched on Plex, 15 additional Crackle and Popcornflix VOD and linear networks are expected to launch on these platforms by the end of the year.

09:16 EDT Alkaline Water's A88CBD introduces gummies line, CBD flavored water - The Alkaline Water Company announces that it will introduce new A88CBD infused ingestible and topical products for its lifestyle brand at A88CBD.com and select retail outlets in October 2020. A88CBD Gummies - All natural and vegan gummies will be initially available in 10-count and 50-count pouches and jar containing 5mg high-quality, lab-tested, full-spectrum hemp per gummy. At launch, gummies will be available in Cherry, Tangerine, Key Lime, and Lemon flavors. A88CBD Flavored Water - Zero-calorie and zero-sugar water will be initially available in Lemon-Lime flavor in a 500-ml size containing 10mg of high-quality, lab-tested hemp extract. A88CBD Bath Bomb - All natural and cruelty-free Bath Bomb will be available in 4.5 ounce Eucalyptus and Lavender scents containing 150mg of high-quality, lab-tested full-spectrum hemp. A88CBD Deep-Relief Cream - Cruelty-free Deep Relief cream will be available in 2-oz size containing 500mg of high-quality, broad-spectrum hemp per jar.

09:08 EDT Avalara selects Galvanize HighBond platform for GRC platform - Galvanize announced that Avalara has chosen its HighBond platform to unite the entire organization under a single GRC solution for faster, more informed business decisions. Avalara will deploy several products within the HighBond platform, including AuditBond, ACL Robotics, ContinuityBond, ControlsBond, ITRMBond, PolicyBond, and ThirdPartyBond. Using automation capabilities and powerful analytics, these solutions will coalesce Avalara's processes under one platform, allowing teams to glean real-time insights, increase transparency around decision-making, and take advantage of key growth opportunities.

09:05 EDT Humana, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center announce network agreement - The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and Humana have signed an agreement to expand access to in-network, quality health care in central Ohio for Humana Medicare Advantage members. Now in effect, the contract provides in-network access for Humana Medicare Advantage Health Maintenance Organization, or HMO, Preferred Provider Organization, or PPO and Private Fee-for-Service, or PFFS, health plan members at all Ohio State Wexner Medical Center facilities. Furthermore, the agreement provides in-network access for Humana Medicare Advantage members at numerous system outpatient facilities and with nearly 3,000 physicians employed by The Ohio State University Physicians, or OSUP, network. OSUP primary care physicians and specialists are located across eight counties in central Ohio. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

09:03 EDT Chesapeake Utilities receives Hurricane Michael settlement approval in Florida - Chesapeake Utilities' electric subsidiary, Florida Public Utilities or FPUC, received approval from the Florida Public Service Commission on a settlement agreement between FPUC and the Office of Public Counsel regarding final cost recovery and rates associated with Hurricane Michael. Previously, the Commission approved an interim rate increase effective January 1, associated with the restoration effort following Hurricane Michael. On September 21, 2020, a final resolution and rates were approved effective November 1, 2020, and as a result, the total bill for an average residential customer will be reduced by approximately $2.05 per month. Hurricane Michael caused widespread and severe damage to FPUC's system resulting in 100% of its Panhandle customers losing electrical service. FPUC expended nearly $67M in this restoration effort.

09:01 EDT Philips expands peripheral vascular disease portfolio with QuickClear system - Royal Philips announced the launch of the innovative QuickClear mechanical thrombectomy system. The compact, single-use system provides an all-in-one aspiration pump and catheter for the removal of blood clots from the vessels of the peripheral arterial and venous systems. The system's innovative all-in-one design is simple to use while eliminating the need for capital equipment or costly accessories, with easy setup supporting faster procedures times. The Philips QuickClear Mechanical Thrombectomy System has received U.S. FDA 510(k) clearance and is available for sale in the U.S.

08:42 EDT Hoth Therapeutics' HT-003 shows initial data inhibiting acne gene TLR2 - Hoth Therapeutics completed testing to examine the ability of HT-003 to block acne pathogenic gene expression in human keratinocytes, the major cell type of the epidermis and the outermost of the layers of the skin. Initial data from the first phase of the research reports that one of the most critical genes for acne pathophysiology, toll-like receptor 2, is significantly inhibited by HT-003. In addition, HT-003 at doses as high as 50 microM led to no observable toxicity. During the next phase of the research, investigators will identify the minimal effective dose required to block TLR2 signaling in response to a broad range of bacteria derived agonists to further elucidate the pathway. Once HT-003 biomarkers have been identified using thein vitro human keratinocytes models, testing will move onto into live rodents.

08:40 EDT Bank of America CFO: NII may reach trough in Q3 - CFO Paul Donofrio is presenting at the Bank of America Global Research 25th Annual Financials CEO Virtual Conference. He says NII may fall to $10.3B in Q3.

08:38 EDT Emera CEO Nancy Tower to retire in 2021 - Emera announced the planned retirement of Nancy Tower, current president and CEO of Tampa Electric in mid-2021. "Nancy has had an impressive career at Emera and she has been a key part of Emera's growth story," says Scott Balfour, president and CEO of Emera. "Tampa Electric is a growing and dynamic utility that we believe will attract the highest caliber candidates both internally and externally. The successful candidate will work with the strong leadership team to continue to advance Tampa Electric's strategy, as the utility works to deliver cleaner, affordable and reliable energy to its customers." Tower will continue to lead Tampa Electric until her retirement. A recruitment process focused on both internal and external candidates will begin this fall.

08:35 EDT Genasys announces multiple emergency management software services contracts - Genasys announced competitively awarded contracts from the University of California, Irvine, the North Coast Water District in Pacifica, CA and the City of Newport Beach, CA for Genasys Emergency Management software services.

08:34 EDT Orrstown announces focus on strategic investments, operational efficiencies - Orrstown Financial Services is announcing a series of steps to adjust its near-term tactical plans due to the COVID-19 pandemic. These changes involve the consolidation of six branch locations, the elimination of excess back office space and certain staffing model adjustments. These initiatives are expected to generate approximately $4 million of pre-tax annual expense savings once completed, with a one-time pre-tax charge of approximately $1.5 million to be incurred in the third quarter of 2020. Additional strategies are being developed for 2021 to maintain fee-based revenue at levels above historical trends and to continue to optimize the balance sheet mix during an anticipated prolonged period of low interest rates. Orrstown anticipates that the savings generated from the staffing model adjustments will be approximately $2.5 million annually and will be fully phased in by the start of 2021. The reductions will reduce the employee count by approximately 8%. The branch consolidations, which are expected to save approximately $1.4 million annually, are subject to regulatory approval and are expected to be completed no later than Q1 2021. The Bank is not exiting any markets and is simply adjusting its distribution model by reducing its physical footprint within existing markets. Of the six branches to be consolidated, three are located in Pennsylvania and three are located in Maryland. If you combine these consolidations with the five announced in 2019, Orrstown will have consolidated 11 branches, or 30% of its physical branch locations, since December 31, 2019. Once the branch consolidations are complete, the Bank's average branch size is expected to be approximately $80 million, a significant increase from approximately $50 million in December of 2019. The branch consolidations, combined with the elimination of excess back office space will meaningfully reduce the Bank's operational complexity. Upon completion of this initiative, the Bank will have reduced its leased and owned office space by 27% since December 31, 2019. Additionally, the Bank anticipates an additional $0.1 million in annual cost savings as a result of the elimination of excess non-branch real estate, which is expected to be completed by the end of the first quarter of 2021.

08:26 EDT E.W. Scripps jumps 56% after agreeing to acquire ION Media for $2.65B - In pre-market trading shares are up 56% to $16.31.

08:25 EDT Veracyte gets ALDT status for Envisia Genomic Classifier from CMS - Veracyte announced that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, CMS, has approved new Advanced Diagnostic Laboratory Test, ADLT, status for the Envisia Genomic Classifier. The determination confirms that the Envisia classifier meets the criteria for ADLT status under the Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014, PAMA, which is reserved for innovative products that provide novel clinical information that cannot be obtained by any other method. Veracyte's Envisia classifier is the first and only genomic test that helps improve diagnosis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and other interstitial lung diseases, ILDs. Obtaining ADLT status initiates a specific, market-based approach to pricing the test for Medicare patients. For the six-month period beginning October 1, 2020 and ending March 31, 2021, Veracyte will collect private-payer payment rate data for the test, the median of which will be used by CMS to determine the Medicare pricing, beginning July 1, 2021. During the nine-month period prior to the new pricing, the Envisia classifier will be reimbursed at a rate of $5,500 for all Medicare patients. The Envisia classifier has been a covered benefit for Medicare patients since 2019. "We believe that attaining ADLT status for the Envisia classifier is important because it underscores the test's novelty and value to patients, physicians and the healthcare system," said Bonnie Anderson, Veracyte's chairman and chief executive officer. "Importantly, we believe this milestone also helps position the Envisia classifier for reimbursement expansion as we move into 2021 and beyond."

08:22 EDT Radius Health CFO Jose Carmona to step down - Radius Health announced that Jose Carmona will be stepping down as CFO of Radius Health, with immediate effect. Dan Dolan, who has served as Head of Financial Planning and Analysis since he joined the company in 2017, will become the Principal Financial and Accounting Officer. Dan was instrumental in the launch of TYMLOS and works closely with all of the business functions within the company. In this role, Dan will report directly to Kelly Martin. Mr. Jim Chopas, currently the Company's Controller, will continue in that role with oversight of all finance functions including accounting, audit, tax, and treasury. Jim has been with Radius since 2018 and will also report directly to Kelly Martin. In addition to these changes within the finance group, the Company is establishing a new group: Capital, Strategy, and Transactions. This cross functional team will integrate several important and related functions including financial modeling and analytics, capital structure and balance sheet management, investor relations, banking and analyst interactions, business development, and alliance/project management. The Company expects to add a select number people to this group with skill sets that extend our current capabilities.

08:19 EDT OceanFirst Financial appoints Patricia Turner to board of directors - OceanFirst Financial announced the Board of Directors appointment of Patricia Turner, MD, MBA, FACS, to the Boards of OceanFirst Financial Corp. and OceanFirst Bank N.A. Dr. Patricia Turner is director of the division of member services for the American College of Surgeons, a scientific and educational association of more than 82,000 members dedicated to improving the care of surgical patients and to safeguarding standards of care. In addition to her position at the American College of Surgeons, Dr. Turner is currently a clinical associate professor of surgery at The University of Chicago School of Medicine.

08:16 EDT Diffusion Pharmaceuticals appoints William Elder as general counsel - Diffusion Pharmaceuticals announced the appointment of William Elder, J.D., to the position of general counsel and corporate secretary, effective immediately. He will report to Robert Cobuzzi, Ph.D., CEO of Diffusion. As general counsel, Mr. Elder is responsible for overseeing all legal functions, in particular corporate governance, securities and compliance and commercial transactions. Since 2019, Mr. Elder has served as president and chief executive officer for BillyVonElds, LLC, a season-long and daily fantasy sports company, where he managed all corporate, legal and operational aspects of the business

08:13 EDT BeyondSpring announces new clinical data on plinabulin - BeyondSpring announced new clinical data on the Company's first-in-class late-stage asset, Plinabulin, showing that the drug candidate is a favorable option for preventing chemotherapy-induced neutropenia during the COVID-19 pandemic, compared to Pegfilgrastim, a long-lasting G-CSF, which is currently the predominant therapy for CIN prevention. Dr. Douglas Blayney, global principal investigator of BeyondSpring's Plinabulin CIN studies and Professor of Medicine at Stanford Medical School, presented the data as a poster at this year's ESMO Virtual Congress. In August 2020, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network updated its treatment guidelines for CIN prophylaxis due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which aim to preserve hospital and healthcare resources for COVID-19 patients without compromising the best care possible for cancer patients. Patients receiving chemotherapy typically develop neutropenia, a severe side effect that increases the risk of infection with fever, which necessitates ER / hospital visits. The updated NCCN guidelines expand the use of prophylactic G-CSFs, such as Peg, to lower the FN risk in patients to avoid hospital / ER visits during the pandemic. BeyondSpring's e-poster presentation compares CIN study data with Plinabulin alone to Peg alone from two different Phase 2 CIN studies over four cycles. Plinabulin is given on the same day as chemotherapy, whereas Peg is given on the day after chemotherapy. In the Phase 2 PROTECTIVE-1 study, non-small cell lung cancer patients were given docetaxel chemotherapy; in the Phase 2 PROTECTIVE-2 study, breast cancer patients were given TAC chemotherapy. In terms of Grade 4 neutropenia and clinical outcomes with severe neutropenia, Plinabulin as a single agent was equally effective as Peg. Most importantly, when it came to all-grade thrombocytopenia and bone pain, Plinabulin demonstrated advantages over Peg.

08:11 EDT Charah Solutions negotiating agreement with TMPA to acquire Gibbons Creek - Charah Solutions announced that it is negotiating an agreement with the Texas Municipal Power Agency, or TMPA, to acquire, remediate and redevelop the Gibbons Creek Steam Electric Station and Reservoir in Grimes County, Texas. TMPA, which was created to supply electricity on a wholesale basis to its member cities of Bryan, Denton, Garland and Greenville, operated Gibbons Creek from its construction in 1982 until 2018. As part of this agreement, Charah Solutions, through its subsidiary Gibbons Creek Environmental Redevelopment Group, or GCERG, will take ownership of the 6,166 acre area which includes the closed power station, the 3,500 acre reservoir, dam and spillway. GCERG will be responsible for the shutdown and decommissioning of the coal power plant as well as performing all environmental remediation work for the site landfills and ash ponds. As a sustainability leader in utility services for over 30 years, Charah Solutions is dedicated to preserving natural resources in an environmentally conscious manner through projects such as this with TMPA.

08:10 EDT Vir Biotechnology announces publication on antibody response to SARS-CoV-2 - Vir Biotechnology (VIR) announced the online publication of new research characterizing differences in antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2. This analysis, which is the largest to date, describes both the binding properties and kinetics of neutralizing antibodies, providing key insights that could be important to the development of new vaccines and therapies to address COVID-19. The results were published "online first" in the peer-reviewed journal Cell and will appear in the November 12, 2020, print edition of the journal. Results of this study, based on blood samples from nearly 650 SARS-CoV-2 infected individuals in Switzerland, Italy and the United States, demonstrate that the magnitude of antibodies produced by an infected individual is proportional to disease severity, and that those antibodies have a half-life of less than two months. Scientists also report that the receptor binding domain of the virus is the main target of naturally occurring neutralizing antibodies, accounting for 90% of the neutralizing activity in serum. The manuscript also describes the structural characteristics of the interactions of six different neutralizing antibodies targeting the SARS-CoV-2 RBD, including S309. As described in the July 9, 2020 print edition of Nature, S309 was isolated from a patient who recovered from severe acute respiratory syndrome in 2003, and has been shown to be effective against SARS-CoV-2 infection in cells and in animal models. The findings published in Cell demonstrate that S309 has a high affinity for binding to a different part of the RBD compared to the other five monoclonal antibodies examined, and one that Vir believes may be less likely to mutate. S309 also promotes effector function, enhancing its ability to kill infected cells in addition to its potent neutralizing effect. Vir, in collaboration with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), is advancing COVID-19 monoclonal antibodies based on the S309 antibody, including VIR-7831 and VIR-7832. In August, the companies initiated a Phase 2/3 study, called COMET-ICE, which is evaluating VIR-7831 for the early treatment of COVID-19 in patients at high risk of hospitalization.

08:06 EDT Super League Gaming announces over 40M hours of total gameplay to date for 2020 - Super League Gaming said it continues to enjoy a consistently strong period of audience growth, even during the challenging time of the COVID-19 pandemic. To date in 2020, Super League has delivered 191 episodes of original content across Snapchat and Instagram, which is three times the content produced in all of 2019. Having become a fully-operational remote studio within weeks of the pandemic lockdown in the U.S., Super League's video team was able to ramp up monthly production, doubling output compared to the beginning of the year. The expanded activity reflects a material increase in consumer demand for Super League content. As previously announced, Super League passed the one billion video view mark over the summer and is now closing in on 1.5 billion views. Production activity has expanded as well through a growing roster of partners, including Tencent, Capcom, Topgolf, Gen.G Esports, Wounded Warrior Project, and more, as brands contract to use Super League's fully-remote production services and patented visualization technology to provide broadcast-quality live streaming services for multiple programs and initiatives. Super League continues to surpass multiple benchmarks for 2020. To date, these metrics include: More than 40 million hours of total gameplay, across all platforms, which is approaching three times the amount seen in all of 2019. The quadrupling of Super League's social media audience, which now stands at 1.7 million across Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitch. More than 2.3 million registered users, which surpasses the goal of 2 million the company set for all of 2020.

08:05 EDT Drive Shack names Michael Nichols CFO - Drive Shack is pleased to announce the appointment of two key, highly talented and accomplished executives to its leadership team. Michael Nichols has been named Chief Financial Officer and will join the Company on September 28, reporting to Chief Executive Officer and President, Hana Khouri. Mike brings over 25 years of diversified global leadership experience in accounting, financial reporting and treasury spanning several industries throughout his career. Mike most recently served as Chief Financial Officer for Wilks Brothers, a diversified investor in energy, transportation, natural resources and financial services businesses. Additionally, Mike has served in senior-level finance and accounting roles with both Fischer & Company, a national commercial real estate and real estate technology firm specializing in tenant representation, and GameStop Corporation, where he served for 12 years.

08:04 EDT CNS Pharmaceuticals, Image Analysis Group partner for berubicin development - CNS Pharmaceuticals announced it has selected Image Analysis Group as the image partner for its upcoming Berubicin clinical trials. IAG, a leading medical imaging company, will work closely with CNS during the Berubicin clinical trials to provide critical imaging services, its proprietary platform DYNAMIKA and imaging data analysis. IAG has deep expertise in partnering with biotech, and specifically oncology companies, to provide a centralized reading and analysis of patient responses in real time. IAG's scientific and clinical imaging expertise in the field of GBM will be coupled with IAG's proprietary AI and quantitative image-based assessments to allow CNS to review efficacy assessments, objective responses, and to thoroughly explore the advanced treatment manifestations. GBM therapies often lead to pseudo-progression, a local tissue reaction resulting from immune cell infiltration, inflammation, tumor necrosis and oedema which are often misinterpreted as tumor growth on traditional MRIs. Pseudo-progression is difficult to distinguish from disease progression using routine clinical MRI assessments. IAG and CNS will be utilizing IAG's advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven methodologies that provide reliable early efficacy readouts.

08:03 EDT Advaxis announces FDA clearance of IND for AXS-504 for prostate cancer - Advaxis announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has cleared a new Investigational New Drug application for the initiation of an Investigator Sponsored Phase 1 clinical study of ADXS-504, the Company's off-the-shelf neoantigen ADXS-HOT candidate for prostate cancer. This new IND is in addition to the Advaxis sponsored IND, previously announced in January 2020. Advaxis intends to first advance the clinical evaluation of ADXS-504 through an Investigator Sponsored Phase 1 study in prostate cancer patients with biochemical recurrence which remains on-track for initiation in the fourth quarter this year.

08:01 EDT Inovalon launches Inovalon DataStream API - Inovalon announced the launch of the Inovalon DataStream API, allowing any authorized cloud-based, traditional enterprise, or mobile app software system to benefit from the power of comprehensive patient-specific data and analytical derivations on-demand and in real-time. Countless technology systems across the healthcare ecosystem are limited in their capabilities and effectiveness due to poor or altogether absent access to deep patient-specific healthcare data. First responders, EHR-based provider systems, healthcare-related call centers, retail clinics, and newly emerging consumer-centric applications are only a small sample of systems that suffer from the challenges of inaccessible, incomplete, or old data. The result is that care providers are forced to assess and treat patients with incomplete insight, order otherwise unnecessary tests, consume costly time and resources gathering data from disparate sources, and fall short in efforts to personalize consumer applications and engagement. To this situation, Inovalon brings the Inovalon DataStream API, empowering the real-time accessibility of comprehensive patient-specific healthcare data and analytical insights. EHRs can be aware of medications prescribed years ago from far-off physicians; EMTs can know of a patient's critical heart condition within seconds; pharmacists can be aware of newly added medications and drug allergies otherwise not within their systems; physicians can augment the data within their EHR to look back years before a patient's first visit to their practice group or hospital, or from across town where different EHRs are used; pharmaceutical companies can be aware of a patient's eligibility for a clinical trial; and mobile apps can automatically incorporate patient-specific healthcare information on the fly. The benefits are as countless as the applications - empowering better care, better outcomes, lower healthcare error rates, faster speed-to-treatment, lower costs of operation, greater product and service differentiation, and empowerment of consumer-focused solutions.

07:46 EDT Plug Power, Apex Clean Energy to develop green hydrogen network - Plug Power is partnering with Apex Clean Energy. Apex and Plug Power have established a Collaboration Agreement designed to accelerate the shift to clean energy and mutually promote the advancement of green hydrogen in the United States. The Collaboration Agreement with Apex Clean Energy is a key milestone to advancing Plug Power's green hydrogen strategy and shows continued dedication towards executing Plug Power's goal to utilize over 50% green hydrogen by 2024. All green hydrogen generated from this Collaboration Agreement will support Plug Power's objective to decarbonize the broader transportation and logistics industries while facilitating the anticipated growth of the hydrogen economy. The network of green hydrogen facilities will be designed leveraging Apex's development pipeline of renewable projects. The relationship is expected to grow substantially over time, leveraging each other's capabilities in hydrogen and renewable energy infrastructure development. According to McKinsey, the global hydrogen economy could be as large as $2.5T by 2050.

07:37 EDT Enthusiast Gaming partners with Global Citizen, HeadCount for voter registration - Enthusiast Gaming Holdings announced that it has partnered with two international advocacy organizations, Global Citizen and HeadCount to promote the importance of voter registration and inspire action, across the Generation Z and Millennial cohorts. Part of the Just Vote program, this collaboration specifically aims to reach young American gamers and esports fans and encourages them to check their registration status, as it relates to the upcoming November 2020 election and beyond. This non-partisan campaign will run across Enthusiast Gaming's key media properties and YouTube channels, through October 5, with participants engaging in the campaign by using the hashtags #JustVote and #GamersVote. Enthusiast Gaming is the largest platform of communities for gamers and esports fans and collectively, these communities provide an exclusive opportunity for Global Citizen to interact with loyal gamers directly, helping them reach their goal of engaging 1 million young voters and getting 50,000 young people registered for the first time or re-registered ahead of the 2020 elections.

07:35 EDT Curtiss-Wright to acquire Pacific Star for $400M in cash, sees accretion - Curtiss-Wright announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire the stock of Pacific Star for $400M in cash. PacStar is a provider of tactical communications solutions for battlefield network management, including commercial off-the-shelf, or COTS-based rugged, small form factor communications systems, and its proprietary IQ-Core Software integrated network communications management software. The acquired business will operate within Curtiss-Wright's defense segment and is expected to generate sales in excess of $120M in 2020. PacStar is expected to be accretive to Curtiss-Wright's adjusted diluted earnings per share in its first full year of ownership, excluding first year purchase accounting costs, and produce a strong free cash flow conversion rate well in excess of 100%. Founded in 2000, PacStar's solutions are utilized in mission-critical applications, combining tactical networking equipment and software to enable battlefield situational awareness down to the individual warfighter. Their patented software and hardware technologies are core components of command, control and communications systems, particularly in remote or infrastructure-starved areas. PacStar's network management software, PacStar has positions on U.S. Army programs, including Warfighter Information Network-Tactical and Transportable Tactical Command Communications and the U.S. Marine Corps' Networking-on-the-Move program. PacStar, which employs nearly 145 people and is based in Portland, Oregon, primarily generates sales from the ground defense market. The acquisition is expected to close in Q4, subject to regulatory approval and other closing conditions.

07:34 EDT E.W. Scripps to acquire ION Media for $2.65B - The E.W. Scripps Company (SSP) will buy national broadcast network ION Media for $2.65B, combining the business with Scripps' Katz networks and Newsy to create a full-scale national television networks business. ION reaches more than 100M homes through over-the-air and pay TV platforms and has consistently achieved annual revenue growth and EBITDA margins well beyond industry averages. In addition, this highly accretive acquisition will yield $500M in synergies, most of which are contractually based, over the next six years. Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A, BRK.B) will make a $600M preferred equity investment in Scripps to finance the transaction. Berkshire Hathaway also will receive a warrant to purchase up to 23.1M Class A shares, at an exercise price of $13 per share. The combination of ION, Katz and Newsy is expected to produce run-rate synergies that reach as much as $120M a year, a majority of which will be carriage fee savings associated with the Katz networks. Katz today pays leasing fees to other broadcasters for multicast distribution. As Katz's current distribution contracts expire, its programming will be migrated to ION stations' digital subchannels. ION programming will remain on the primary channel. The deal is anticipated to close in the first quarter of 2021.

07:33 EDT Texas Farm Credit adopts nCino platform to enhance real estate lending - nCino announced that Texas Farm Credit has deployed the nCino Bank Operating System to improve and digitize its rural property lending processes. TFC, a rural lending cooperative that finances agricultural production, agribusiness, rural real estate and homes, implemented nCino's cloud-based platform to enhance its digital capabilities, improve transparency, automate processes, and streamline member onboarding.

07:31 EDT E.W. Scripps to acquire ION Media for $2.65B

07:19 EDT SolarWinds announces integration with Cisco Meraki to boost efficiencies - SolarWinds (SWI) announced an expansion of their monitoring capabilities within the Cisco (CSCO) Meraki Marketplace, which is now able to integrate the Cisco Meraki Dashboard API with SolarWinds(R) N-central. Through this expanded integration, MSPs will be able to more easily discover and monitor Cisco Meraki devices from within their N-central dashboards. Today's announcement further underscores the SolarWinds commitment to fuel partner success and help MSPs create a more connected and efficient ecosystem. The integration will include routers, switches, and access points as part of the portfolio of Cisco Meraki cloud-managed solutions. By integrating these devices with the N-central platform, SolarWinds MSP partners can see the status of Cisco Meraki customers' devices right in their monitoring and management dashboard, enable notifications and alerts, and monitor connectivity and traffic-as well as conduct license warranty reporting. This streamlines the efficiencies for MSPs by allowing them to keep tabs on the health of their Cisco Meraki devices (as part of the continuing buildout of a fully integrated ecosystem), while leveraging the power of N-central to control, customize, and help secure complex environments.

07:17 EDT Switchback Energy Acquisition, ChargePoint sign business combination agreement - ChargePoint and Switchback Energy Acquisition Corporation announced the signing of a definitive business combination agreement. ChargePoint expects to use transaction proceeds to expand its reach in North America and Europe, further enhance its technology portfolio and significantly scale its commercial, fleet and residential businesses ahead of the anticipated introduction of an increasing number of new EV models and rising EV penetration. Founded in 2007, ChargePoint is a category creator in EV charging, helping to make the mass adoption of electric mobility a reality. It operates in every segment, from commercial to fleet to residential. ChargePoint has created one of the world's largest charging networks with a capital-light model by selling individual organizations and businesses, known as site hosts, everything they need to electrify their parking spaces - networked charging hardware, software subscriptions and associated support services. Charging is matched to parking duration, from energy-managed AC level 2 to DC fast charging. The parking spaces owned by ChargePoint's site hosts are seamlessly integrated into one network available to the driver in a top-rated mobile app. ChargePoint's winning operating model and high-quality solutions foster loyal site hosts who expand their charging footprint as EV penetration rises, creating a virtuous loop of brand awareness, satisfied drivers, organic networked charging hardware and recurring SaaS revenue. ChargePoint serves customers through its software-defined hardware portfolio, comprehensive suite of software solutions and robust network and services designed for a wide range of use cases. ChargePoint's offerings have attracted a growing customer base of more than 4,000 organizations and businesses, building a network of more than 115,000 public and private places to charge. ChargePoint also offers access to an additional 133,000 public places to charge through network roaming integrations across North America and Europe. Drivers plug into the ChargePoint network approximately every two seconds and have completed more than 82 million charging sessions to date. Upon the transaction closing, ChargePoint will continue to be led by President and CEO, Pasquale Romano and the existing management team. Romano brings more than 30 years of executive leadership experience with technology companies including 2Wire, Inc. and Polycom, Inc. During Romano's nearly ten-year tenure at ChargePoint, it has emerged as a leading EV charging network. The business combination values ChargePoint at an implied $2.4B enterprise value. Upon transaction closing, and assuming no redemptions by Switchback stockholders, ChargePoint will have approximately $683M in cash, resulting in a total pro forma equity value of approximately $3B. Cash proceeds raised in the transaction will be used to repay debt, fund operations, support growth and for general corporate purposes. The proceeds will be funded through a combination of Switchback's approximately $317M cash in trust, assuming no redemptions by Switchback stockholders, and a $225M PIPE of common stock valued at $10.00 per share led by institutional investors including Baillie Gifford and funds managed by Neuberger Berman Alternatives Advisors. In addition, Switchback's sponsor and certain other of its founder stockholders have agreed that a portion of their equity will vest only if following the closing the share price of ChargePoint exceeds $12.00 per share for any ten trading days within any twenty consecutive trading day period prior to the fifth anniversary of the closing of the transaction. Upon the transaction closing, the combined company will be named ChargePoint Holdings, Inc. and will be listed on the New York Stock Exchange. The boards of directors of both Switchback and ChargePoint have unanimously approved the proposed transaction. The closing is subject to the approval of ChargePoint's stockholders and Switchback's stockholders and other customary closing conditions, including Switchback's registration statement being declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission and the expiration of the HSR Act waiting period. It is currently anticipated that the transaction will close, assuming satisfaction of such closing conditions, by the end of the fourth quarter of 2020.

07:14 EDT Atlas Technical selected for Gwinnett County project management services - Atlas Technical Consultants announced that it has been selected as the project management professional services consultant of the Gwinnett County capital program in Georgia. Atlas will provide services for the Gwinnett County Transportation Program that will include plan review, environmental investigation and permitting, land acquisition and construction engineering and inspection. The initial contract value of up to $7M in year one is renewable on an annual basis for an additional four years.

07:13 EDT Calithera Biosciences initiates KEAPSAKE Phase 2 trial of telaglenastat - Calithera Biosciences announced treatment of the first patient in a randomized Phase 2 non-small cell lung cancer clinical trial of the glutaminase inhibitor telaglenastat in combination with pembrolizumab, carboplatin and pemetrexed. The KEAPSAKE study will evaluate the safety and anti-tumor activity of telaglenastat plus standard-of-care immunotherapy as front-line therapy among patients with stage IV non-squamous NSCLC whose tumors have a KEAP1 or NRF2 mutation determined by next-generation sequencing. Mutations in the KEAP1/NRF2 pathway, which occur in an estimated 20 percent of NSCLC patients, are associated with aggressive tumor growth. Recently presented clinical data demonstrate that activation of this pathway, either through the loss of KEAP1 function or activation of NRF2, are associated with poor clinical outcomes among patients with NSCLC receiving front-line standard-of-care chemoimmunotherapy. Pre-clinical models have shown that activation of the KEAP1/NRF2 pathway results in dependence on glutaminase activity for growth and survival, making these tumors exquisitely sensitive to inhibition of glutaminase activity by telaglenastat. The double-blind KEAPSAKE trial will enroll approximately 120 patients with stage IV non-squamous NSCLC with tumors that have the KEAP1 or NRF2 mutation. Patients will be randomized to receive telaglenastat or placebo, in combination with pembrolizumab, carboplatin and pemetrexed. The study will evaluate the safety and investigator-assessed progression-free survival of telaglenastat plus this standard-of-care chemoimmunotherapy regimen. Guardant360 liquid biopsy test will be provided by the study sponsor as an investigational use only testing option for patient selection. Calithera anticipates sharing interim data from the KEAPSAKE trial in 2021.

07:11 EDT BlackBerry jumps 9% to $5.25 after Q2 results beat estimates

07:10 EDT EU commercial vehicle registrations down 18.0% in August - In July, commercial vehicle registrations in the European Union saw minimal losses of 0.9%, with three of the four largest markets in the region posting growth, reported the European Automobile Manufacturers Association. Nevertheless, the decline increased again in August, when demand dropped by 18.0% to 126,710 units. All vehicle segments recorded a drop in new registrations and, with the exception of Italy, the major markets of Spain, Germany and France saw a contraction in demand last month, the group said. Publicly traded truck makers and suppliers include Daimler AG (DDAIF), Paccar (PCAR), CNH Industrial (CNHI), Navistar (NAV), Cummins (CMI) and Allison Transmission (ALSN). Reference Link

07:08 EDT Mereo BioPharma receives Rare Pediatric Disease designation for setrusumab - Mereo BioPharma Group announces that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted Rare Pediatric Disease designation to setrusumab for the treatment of osteogenesis imperfecta. Setrusumab is a fully humanized monoclonal antibody that inhibits sclerostin, a protein which inhibits the activity of bone-forming cells. OI is a genetic rare disorder with no approved treatments that is characterized by reduced bone mass and fragile bones that break easily. In Mereo's Phase 2b ASTEROID study, setrusumab demonstrated a dose-dependent bone building effect and a trend of reduction in fractures in addition to being safe and well tolerated in adults with OI.

07:07 EDT Darden sees Q2 adjusted EBITDA $200M-$215M

07:06 EDT Amicus receives EMA PRIME designation for CLN6 gene therapy - Amicus Therapeutics announced the European Medicines Agency has granted Priority Medicines designation to AT-GTX-501, the Company's investigational gene therapy for children living with variant late infantile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis 6 disease, also known as CLN6 Batten disease. The PRIME designation is based on data from the ongoing Phase 1/2 clinical trial evaluating a single dose of AT-GTX-501 for the treatment of children with CLN6 Batten disease. Additional data from the ongoing Phase 1/2 clinical study will be presented at the Child Neurology Society Annual Meeting in October. Regulatory interactions are ongoing and the Company expects to provide feedback on the path forward in early 2021. In the U.S., AT-GTX-501 previously was granted Rare Pediatric Disease and Orphan Drug designations by the United States Food and Drug Administration. In the EU, the Company now holds PRIME and orphan medicinal product designations.

07:05 EDT Leap Therapeutics granted FDA Fast Track Designation for DKN-01 - Leap Therapeutics announced that the U.S. FDA has granted Fast Track designation to DKN-01 for the treatment of patients with gastric and gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma whose tumors express high Dickkopf-1 protein following disease progression on or after prior fluoropyrimidine- and platinum- containing chemotherapy and if appropriate, human epidermal receptor growth factor/neu-targeted therapy. DKN-01 is a humanized monoclonal antibody that binds to and blocks the activity of DKK1 protein, a modulator of Wnt/Beta-catenin signaling.

07:03 EDT Wells Fargo and Envestnet Yodlee sign data exchange agreement - Wells Fargo & Company announced it has entered into a data exchange agreement with Envestnet Yodlee, a leading financial data aggregation and analytics platform. Powered by an application programming interface API, Wells Fargo customers will be able to more securely and seamlessly share their financial data with the more than 1,400 third-party financial applications on the Envestnet Yodlee Financial Data Aggregation Platform that help improve their overall financial wellness. The agreement represents a significant step in Wells Fargo's journey to establish API-based data exchange agreements with third parties. Wells Fargo now has confirmed plans to transition 99% of current third-party financial app screen-scraping to API-based data exchange.

07:01 EDT Darden reports Q1 blended same-restaurant sales down 29%

06:57 EDT Accenture sees FY21 operating cash flow $6.35B-$6.85B - Sees FY21 free cash flow $5.7B-$6.2B.

06:53 EDT CarMax plans to open 8-10 stores in FY22

06:50 EDT Accenture raises quarterly dividend 10%, approves $5B share repurchase - Accenture plc has declared a quarterly cash dividend of 88c per share, for shareholders of record at the close of business on Oct. 13. This dividend, which is payable on Nov. 13, represents a 10% increase over the company's previous quarterly dividend. The company's Board of Directors has approved $5B in additional share repurchase authority, bringing Accenture's total outstanding authority to approximately $6.3B.

06:48 EDT Bank of America names Lionel Nowell Lead Independent Director successor - Bank of America announced that independent members of its Board of Directors unanimously selected Lionel Nowell to be lead independent director successor. Nowell will succeed Jack Bovender upon his retirement from the Board at the annual meeting of shareholders in April 2021, in accordance with the company's corporate governance guidelines. Bovender has been an independent director at Bank of America since January 2013, and lead independent director since October 2014. Prior to that, he served as chairman and chief executive officer of HCA Inc., the largest investor-owned hospital system. He began his career in hospital administration in the U.S. Navy.

06:40 EDT MediciNova's ibudilast shows neurotoxicity improvement or stabilization in study - MediciNova announced clinical findings published in Cancer Chemotherapy and Pharmacology regarding MN-166, or ibudilast, as a treatment for prevention of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy, or CIPN. The publication reports that co-administration of MN-166 - ibudilast - with oxaliplatin resulted in improvement or stabilization of oxaliplatin-induced neurotoxicity in the majority of participants treated with oxaliplatin. This crossover study was conducted to assess whether MN-166 can reduce acute peripheral neuropathy symptoms in patients with metastatic upper gastrointestinal or colorectal cancer. A total 16 patients consented. Across all neurotoxicity measures, a majority of participants experienced either an improvement or no worsening of neurotoxicity with MN-166 treatment. 12 out of 14 participants reported acute neurotoxicity in both cycles. Of those, 10 out of 12 participants were unchanged and 2 participants had improved symptoms from Grade 2 to Grade 1 with MN-166 co-treatment. Pharmacokinetic analysis indicated no effect of MN-166 on systemic exposure of oxaliplatin.

06:32 EDT Co-Diagnostics announces Logix Smart ABCTest to launch in October - Co-Diagnostics announced that its Logix Smart ABC Test, or Influenza A/Influenza B/COVID-19, is anticipated to be ready for launch to U.S. CLIA laboratory customers the first week of October. The test will initially be made available to CLIA labs who will be using it in their own laboratory developed tests, or LDTs, while the company proceeds with the FDA Emergency Use Authorization submission and CE marking registration.

06:13 EDT Iron Mountain signs six megawatt data center pre-lease with customer in Arizona - Iron Mountain announced that it has signed a six megawatt data center pre-lease with a U.S.based Fortune 100 customer in Phoenix, Arizona, at its new AZP-2 data center. The lease is expected to commence in the third quarter of 2021. The data center solution met all of the customers' requirements, including scalable capacity, network proximity to other deployments, and a design that provided flexibility and reliability.

06:12 EDT Best Buy McKinstry, Real Betis, Schneider Electric, Siemens join Climate Pledge - Amazon (AMZN) and Global Optimism announced that Best Buy (BBY), McKinstry, Real Betis, Schneider Electric (SBGSY), and Siemens (SIEGY) have joined The Climate Pledge, a commitment to be net-zero carbon by 2040-a decade ahead of the Paris Accord's goal of 2050. These new signatories to The Climate Pledge agree to: Measure and report greenhouse gas emissions on a regular basis; Implement decarbonization strategies in line with the Paris Agreement through real business changes and innovations, including efficiency improvements, renewable energy, materials reductions, and other carbon emission elimination strategies; Neutralize any remaining emissions with additional, quantifiable, real, permanent, and socially-beneficial offsets to achieve net-zero annual carbon emissions by 2040.

06:08 EDT Axonics provides update on review proceedings of Medtronic patents - Axonics (AXNX) announced that the Patent Trial and Appeal Board of the USPTO has made the decision to institute a review regarding the validity of six Medtronic (MDT) patents that Axonics is contesting. On March 16, Axonics filed seven inter partes review petitions contesting the validity of certain Medtronic patents. The IPR petition for U.S. Patent No. 9,463,324 was not instituted.

06:07 EDT Ideaya, Pfizer expand collaboration for IDE196 and crizotinib study - Ideaya Biosciences (IDYA) announced that it has expanded its clinical trial collaboration and supply agreement with Pfizer (PFE) for an Ideaya sponsored clinical combination study of IDE196, a Protein Kinase C, or PKC, inhibitor, and crizotinib, a cMET inhibitor to which Pfizer has exclusive worldwide rights. The study will evaluate IDE196 and crizotinib combination therapy in patients with solid tumors having GNAQ or GNA11 mutations, including metastatic uveal melanoma, or MUM, skin melanoma, lung cancer and colorectal cancer. Evaluating MUM patient clinical samples, Ideaya identified cMET expression or activation as a potentially valuable biomarker that may guide IDE196 clinical treatment in this indication. Ideaya also demonstrated preclinical synergy in MUM with the combination of IDE196 and crizotinib, which further supports the potential biomarker on cMET expression. Ideaya's clinical development plan in MUM for IDE196 is based on combination therapies, including with binimetinib, a MEK inhibitor, and crizotinib, a cMET inhibitor, enabled through its clinical trial collaboration and drug supply agreement with Pfizer. The company announced first-patient-in, or FPI, for the IDE196 and binimetinib clinical combination in June and is targeting FPI for the crizotinib clinical trial combination in late 2020 to early 2021. Ideaya is also evaluating IDE196 as monotherapy in an ongoing GNAQ/11 non-MUM basket trial in additional solid tumor types, including in skin melanoma, where the company announced Phase 2 expansion. Ideaya and Pfizer have established a Joint Development Committee, or JDC, and there will be joint decision making and data sharing of the clinical trial results between the parties. Ideaya will sponsor the study and Pfizer will provide the crizotinib drug supply. If there is clinical data from the collaboration studies that could be used to obtain regulatory approvals or label changes, Ideaya and Pfizer will enter into good faith negotiations to determine a regulatory submission strategy.

06:04 EDT Axsome Therapeutics' AXS-07 shows effective migraine relief in Phase 3 trial - Axsome Therapeutics' oral, multi-mechanistic investigational medicine for the acute treatment of migraine, AXS-07, relieved and substantially reduced relapse of migraine pain, as compared to the potent active comparator rizatriptan, in the MOMENTUM Phase 3 trial. These findings were presented at the live sessions of the 2020 American Academy of Neurology Science Highlights platform held virtually September 23-24. The MOMENTUM study enrolled only patients with a history of inadequate response to prior acute migraine treatments. A total of 1,594 patients were randomized to treat a single migraine attack of moderate or severe intensity. AXS-07 demonstrated faster and more durable relief of migraine pain as compared to rizatriptan. The probability of achieving pain relief with AXS-07 was greater than with rizatriptan within 30 minutes after dosing and at every time point thereafter, with a median time to migraine pain relief that was nearly 3x faster for AXS-07 compared to rizatriptan. AXS-07 substantially and significantly reduced relapse of migraine pain as compared to rizatriptan, with 45.2% of rizatriptan-treated patients experiencing relapse compared to 21.2% of AXS-07 patients over 48 hours after dosing. AXS-07 met both co-primary endpoints of the trial by demonstrating a greater percentage of patients achieving pain freedom and absence of most bothersome symptom, 2 hours after dosing, as compared to placebo. AXS-07 was safe and well tolerated in the trial. The most commonly reported adverse events with AXS-07 were nausea, dizziness and somnolence, none of which occurred at a rate greater than placebo or greater than 3%. AXS-07 is covered by 44 issued U.S. and international patents providing protection out to 2036, and Axsome maintains worldwide rights.

05:23 EDT Eutelsat Communications awarded service contract to operate Ovzon-3 satellite - Eutelsat Communications and Ovzon AB have entered into a long-term agreement for the provision of satellite control services following a competitive bidding process involving major satellite operators. Under the agreement, Eutelsat will ensure the control of Ovzon-3, the first satellite procured by Ovzon, over its full operational life. The agreement reinforces a long-standing cooperation between Ovzon and Eutelsat, where Ovzon has operated capacity on a number of Eutelsat satellites since 2012. Ovzon-3 is a powerful geostationary satellite with multiple high-performance steerable beams and a newly developed on board processor. To be launched in Q4 of 2021, it will address the mobile connectivity segment.

05:15 EDT Encore Capital completes implementation of new global funding structure - Encore Capital announced that it has completed the implementation of its new global funding structure. Prior, Encore's two primary operating units, Midland Credit Management, or MCM, in the U.S. and Cabot in the U.K., had legally separate funding structures. Encore completed the process to combine the two balance sheets into a unified funding structure. Encore is now the parent of a restricted group consisting of all subsidiaries of Encore against which all covenant performance is measured. Key transactions that closed in order to implement the new structure include the following : an amended multi-currency revolving credit facility that formerly supported only Cabot that now supports the operations of both MCM and Cabot, with an increased total commitment of $1.05B, an extension of maturity to 2024 and with Encore and all its material subsidiaries as guarantors; an issuance of EUR 350M in 4.875% senior secured notes due 2025 and an amendment to the terms of the existing Cabot senior secured notes to, among other things, add Encore and its material subsidiaries as guarantors and have Encore become the parent of the restricted group. In connection with the new financing transactions, Encore has repaid and terminated its domestic revolving credit facility and term loan facility and prepaid a portion of its outstanding senior secured notes due to mature in 2024. Encore believes the new global funding structure will fully leverage the combined size of MCM and Cabot, maximize financial flexibility by utilizing a global borrowing base, enhance access to capital markets and result in a credit profile for both existing and prospective Encore group lenders and investors.