Stockwinners Market Radar for October 06, 2020 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

18:00 EDT Celanese raises prices of all acetate tow product grades by up to 5% - Celanese Corporation announced it will raise prices of all acetate tow product grades sold globally by up to 5%. This price increase will be effective for orders shipped on or after January 1, 2021, or as contracts otherwise allow. "To aid in securing sustainability of the Celanese acetate tow business, it is paramount that we increase prices and offset declines. Celanese is committed to our acetate tow business as we continue to invest in manufacturing assets, innovation and service in order to position the company as the strategic partner of choice for our customers," said Marcel van Amerongen, Vice President, Acetate Tow, for Celanese.

17:17 EDT AP Moller Maersk awarded $173.05M Transportation Command contract modification - Maersk awarded a contract modification on a contract in the amount of $173.05M. This modification provides continued international ocean and intermodal distribution services. Work will be performed worldwide as specified on each individual order. The option period of performance is from December 1 to August 31. FY21 transportation working capital funds to be obligated on individual task orders. This modification increases the total cumulative face value of the contract from $170.12M, to $343.17M. The U.S. Transportation Command is the contracting activity.

16:34 EDT Babcock & Wilcox segment awarded $4M supply contract for package boilers - Babcock & Wilcox announced that its B&W Thermal segment will design, manufacture and supply two package boilers to Creative Energy for district heating in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The contract is valued at more than $4M. The two B&W FM model water-tube package boilers, designed to fire natural gas or fuel oil, will be manufactured in the company's Monterrey, Mexico, facility. Creative Energy is one of the largest district energy companies in North America. Its 280-megawatt plant in downtown Vancouver provides heating and domestic hot water to 215 buildings through a 15-kilometer network of underground pipelines. Engineering for the boilers is underway and delivery is scheduled for Spring 2021.

16:31 EDT WestRock to reduce SBS capacity by about 200K tons - WestRock announced that it plans to reduce its solid bleached sulphate, or SBS, mill system production capacity by 200,000 tons by shutting down one paper machine at its Evadale, Texas, mill. This shutdown of the paper machine at the Evadale mill is expected to occur by the end of 2020 and reduce headcount at the mill by 60 employees. The remaining two machines at the Evadale mill will continue to support important end markets, including liquid packaging, foodservice, food and premium coated pre-print liner for corrugated boxes, among other grades. The company's total SBS production capacity after this action will be approximately 1.9 million tons.

16:21 EDT Asur reports September passenger traffic down 58.6% - Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste, S.A.B. de C.V. announced that total passenger traffic for September 2020 decreased 58.6% when compared to September 2019. Passenger traffic decreased 48.7% in Mexico, 47.9% in Puerto Rico and 86.2% in Colombia, impacted by severe downturns in business and leisure travel stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.

16:19 EDT Neptune Wellness withdraws specifics from previous agreements with Kraft Heinz - Neptune Wellness (NEPT) announced it had withdrawn the specifics of the statements regarding its agreements with Kraft Heinz (KHC) in its October 5 press releases.

16:15 EDT Navient names Joe Fisher as new CFO - Navient announced the appointment of Joe Fisher as executive vice president and chief financial officer, effective Oct. 7, 2020. Fisher was Navient's vice president of investor relations and corporate development, having led the investor relations team since 2014.

16:12 EDT Navient appoints Joe Fisher as CFO - Navient announced the appointment of Joe Fisher as executive VP and CFO, effective October 7. Fisher was Navient's vice president of investor relations and corporate development, having led the investor relations team since 2014. He held various roles with increasing responsibility since joining the company in 2002.

16:08 EDT NantKwest, ImmunityBio add third-line cohort to pancreatic cancer trial - NantKwest and ImmunityBio announced they have added a third cohort to their ongoing Phase 2 trial of a novel immunotherapy for locally advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer. The third cohort enables pancreatic cancer patients who have failed all approved standards of care to participate in the trial. The randomized, open-label study is evaluating safety and efficacy of a combination immunotherapy comprising NantKwest's PD-L1 t-haNK, ImmunityBio's IL-15 superagonist Anktiva (N-803), and aldoxorubicin, plus standard of care. The results will be compared to standard-of-care chemotherapy for first- and second-line treatment; the third-line cohort is a single arm, with no comparator. Each cohort will be studied independently to provide more precise comparative data for each disease stage. "Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest forms of cancer, with a five-year survival rate of just five percent, so new and more effective therapies are desperately needed," said Patrick Soon-Shiong, M.D., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NantKwest and ImmunityBio. "By adding the third cohort to this important study, we're able to enroll patients at all stages of the disease, even those who experience disease progression after the first- or second-line treatment."

16:07 EDT Seabourn announces voyage cancellations for three ships - Seabourn announced that it will cancel upcoming 2020 and 2021 voyages for three cruise ships in its fleet into Spring 2021. The announcement applies to Seabourn Odyssey, Seabourn Ovation, and Seabourn Encore. Specific details are as follows: Seabourn Odyssey: with its operations pause effective through January 15, 2021. Seabourn Ovation: with its operations pause effective through April 18, 2021. Seabourn Encore: with its operations pause effective through May 28, 2021. The decision to cancel additional voyages is a proactive action to deal with the circumstances continuing to evolve from the global response to the COVID-19 situation. Seabourn is a brand of Carnival Corporation.

16:06 EDT Levi Strauss says ultimate impact of COVID-19 pandemic still uncertain - Although trends appear to be improving sequentially, and at a faster pace than previously expected, the ultimate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic remains highly uncertain. The company expects that its business and results of operations, including net revenues, earnings and cash flows, will continue to be significantly adversely impacted for at least the balance of 2020, and there remains the possibility of additional COVID-19 related inventory and other charges.

16:03 EDT Microsoft contacted by Labor Department over plans to double black managers - Microsoft said in a blog post, "In a spirit of transparency, we want to disclose that Microsoft was contacted last week by the United States Department of Labor Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs regarding some of the commitments we made in June to address issues faced by the Black and African American community. Microsoft, like all federal contractors, is subject to several OFCCP requirements, including those with respect to employment practices. Specifically, the OFCCP has focused on whether Microsoft's commitment to double the number of Black and African American people managers, senior individual contributors and senior leaders in our U.S. workforce by 2025 could constitute unlawful discrimination on the basis of race, which would violate Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. We have every confidence that Microsoft's diversity initiative complies fully with all U.S. employment laws. We look forward to providing the OFCCP with this information and, if necessary, defending our approach...In the letter we received last week, the OFCCP suggested that this initiative 'appears to imply that employment action may be taken on the basis of race.' The letter asked us to prove that the actions we are taking to improve opportunities are not illegal race-based decisions. Emphatically, they are not." Reference Link

16:01 EDT Microsoft discloses Department of Labor Office inquiry over diversity hiring

15:39 EDT Twitter tests new way to discover 'relevant' accounts to follow - Twitter said in tweet: "Now testing on Android: You may see a suggestion to follow a group of relevant accounts on the profile page of someone you just followed. You can instantly add all the accounts with a single tap and easily remove the ones you don't want to follow." Reference Link

15:07 EDT Airline stocks slide after Trump calls end to further stimulus talks - Publicly traded airlines including Alaska Air (ALK), American Airlines (AAL), Delta Air Lines (DAL), JetBlue (JBLU), Southwest (LUV), Spirit Airlines (SAVE) and United Airlines (UAL) are moving lower after President Donald Trump said in a series of tweets the he has instructed his representatives to stop negotiating on a stimulus bill until after the election.

14:08 EDT GE says SEC may bring civil injunctive action for securities law violations - General Electric disclosed that on September 30, the Securities and Exchange Commission staff issued a "Wells notice" advising the company that it is considering recommending to the SEC that it bring a civil injunctive action against GE for possible violations of the securities laws. GE has been informed that the issues the SEC staff may recommend that the SEC pursue relate to the historical premium deficiency testing for GE Capital's run-off insurance operations, as well as GE's disclosures relating to such run-off insurance operations, the company said in a regulatory filing. The staff has not made a preliminary decision whether to recommend any action with respect to the other matters under investigation, it added. The Wells notice "allows GE the opportunity to provide its perspective and to address the issues raised by the SEC staff before any decision is made by the SEC on whether to authorize the commencement of an enforcement proceeding," GE said. The company added, "GE disagrees with the SEC staff with respect to this recommendation and will provide a response through the Wells notice process. If the SEC were to authorize an action against GE, it could seek an injunction against future violations of provisions of the federal securities laws, the imposition of civil monetary penalties, and other relief within the Commission's authority. The results of the Wells notice and any enforcement action are unknown at this time." Shares of General Electric are down less than 1% to $6.40 following the disclosure.

14:04 EDT GE says SEC may bring civil injunctive action for securities law violations

14:03 EDT General Electric discloses 'Wells notice' from SEC

12:35 EDT iAnthus receives final court approval for restated plan of arrangement - iAnthus Capital Holdings announces that it has received final approval from the Supreme Court of British Columbia for the company's plan of arrangement approved by securityholders on September 14, 2020 to implement the company's previously announced recapitalization transaction. Further to the company's news release dated September 29, 2020, iAnthus amended and restated the Plan of Arrangement to remove a proposed injunction provision and to provide for a narrower scope of release of claims. The Court issued its Reasons for Judgment on October 5, 2020 and approved the Revised Plan. Certain of the transactions contemplated by the Recapitalization Transaction may trigger a review and approval requirement by state-level regulators in certain U.S. states with jurisdiction over the licensed cannabis operations of entities owned in whole or in part or controlled directly or indirectly by iAnthus. Where required, iAnthus has either commenced or intends to promptly commence the review and approval process.

12:05 EDT Pfizer never discussed vaccine guidelines with White House, CEO says - Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said via Twitter, "Pfizer has never discussed @US_FDA's #COVID19 vaccine guidelines with the White House and will never do so as it could undermine the agency's independence...@US_FDA's public servants are known for their high integrity and scientific expertise and we have full faith in their ability to set appropriate standards for the approval of a COVID vaccine or treatment...In fact we believe @US_FDA's independence is today more important than ever as public trust in #COVID19 vaccine development has been eroded by the politicization of the process." Reference Link

12:00 EDT Nam Tai Property falls -12.2% - Nam Tai Property is down -12.2%, or -84c to $6.06.

12:00 EDT IDT Corp rises 14.1% - IDT Corp is up 14.1%, or $1.41 to $11.41.

12:00 EDT Alteryx rises 26.3% - Alteryx is up 26.3%, or $29.91 to $143.79.

11:20 EDT Accenture agrees to acquire Myrtle Consulting Group - Accenture announced it has agreed to acquire Myrtle Consulting Group, an industrial operations consulting firm headquartered in Houston. "Myrtle partners with leading companies across consumer products, life sciences, chemicals, mining and other heavy manufacturing industries to produce and distribute goods in a safer, more efficient and sustainable way. The acquisition will expand Accenture's manufacturing and supply chain capabilities. Specifically, it will strengthen Accenture's ability to transform these areas for clients from initial value assessments and operating model strategies to new business processes and technology solutions," Accenture stated. Completion of the acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

11:08 EDT Boeing projects 11% less demand for commercial airplanes in next decade - Boeing released its annual forecast for the commercial and defense aerospace market, reflecting the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and its view of near-, medium- and long-term market dynamics. The 2020 Boeing market outlook projects that the commercial aviation and services markets "will continue to face significant challenges due to the pandemic, while global defense and government services markets remain more stable." The company forecasts a total market value of $8.5 trillion over the next decade including demand for aerospace products and services. The forecast is down from $8.7 trillion a year ago due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. "Airlines globally have begun to recover from a greater than 90% decline in passenger traffic and revenue early this year, but a full recovery will take years, according to the outlook," Boeing said in a statement. The company also projects a $2.6 trillion market opportunity for defense and space during the next decade. The 2020 outlook includes projected demand for 18,350 commercial airplanes in the next decade - 11% lower than the comparable 2019 forecast - valued at about $2.9 trillion. "In the longer term, with key industry drivers expected to remain stable, the commercial fleet is forecasted to return to its growth trend, generating demand for more than 43,000 new airplanes in the 20-year forecast time period," Boeing said. The commercial forecast includes that over the next 20 years, passenger traffic growth is projected to increase by an average of 4% per year.

10:40 EDT FAA certifies GE Aviation's GE9X engine - General Electric announced that after completing just under 5,000 hours and 8,000 cycles for certification, GE Aviation's GE9X engine has been certified by the Federal Aviation Administration. The Federal Aviation Regulation Part 33 certification involved testing nine GE9X engines and culminates GE Aviation's renewal of its commercial jet engine portfolio, the company said in a statement. Reference Link

10:13 EDT Walmart introduces Insurance Services, plans will launch this year - Walmart (WMT) said in a statement on its website: "We're building on our commitment of offering quality health services at low, transparent prices by launching Walmart Insurance Services, LLC, a licensed insurance brokerage, which will assist people with enrolling in insurance plans-and simplify what's historically been a cumbersome, confusing process. Walmart Insurance Services will begin selling Medicare insurance plans during this year's Annual Enrollment Period, Oct. 15 through Dec. 7...At launch, Walmart Insurance Services will provide Medicare plans (Part D, Medicare Advantage and Medicare Supplement plans) offered by Humana (HUM), UnitedHealthcare (UNH), Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield (ANTM), Amerigroup, Simply Health, Wellcare (CNC), Clover Health and Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield. More carriers may be added in the future. We are licensed in all 50 states, plus Washington D.C., and we have built a team of licensed insurance agents who can help people find the right insurance plan for them."

10:03 EDT Facebook adds Netflix and Zoom Video to Portal - Facebook (FB) said in a post on its website: "With people less likely to travel and looking for alternative ways to spend time together, the holidays are bound to look different this year. Portal from Facebook lets you feel like you're there with friends and family, even when you're physically apart - making it easy to create new traditions and memories this holiday season. Whether you're catching up with friends, collaborating with coworkers or sharing a bedtime story with grandparents, Portal helps you stay connected with the people you care about. And now, we're adding Netflix (NFLX), Zoom (ZM) on Portal for working remotely and connecting with friends, new titles in our Story Time library and more." Reference Link

10:00 EDT Lithium Americas falls -9.1% - Lithium Americas is down -9.1%, or -$1.45 to $14.41.

10:00 EDT Hyliion Holdings falls -10.4% - Hyliion Holdings is down -10.4%, or -$4.06 to $35.10.

10:00 EDT IDT Corp rises 14.4% - IDT Corp is up 14.4%, or $1.45 to $11.45.

09:55 EDT Resonant issued U.S. patent for lithium niobate acoustic resonator - The patent, US 10,797,675, has a date of October 6, according to a post to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office website. Reference Link

09:47 EDT Scor ADR falls -4.9% - Scor ADR is down -4.9%, or -83c to $16.11.

09:47 EDT Social Capital Hedosophia Holdings III falls -11.9% - Social Capital Hedosophia Holdings III is down -11.9%, or -$1.51 to $11.17.

09:47 EDT Group 1 Automotive rises 9.6% - Group 1 Automotive is up 9.6%, or $9.75 to $111.75.

09:36 EDT FDA expects to convene expert panel for any EUA for COVID-19 vaccine - The FDA has posted a briefing document for a "Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee Meeting" to be held on October 22 regarding the development, authorization and licensure of vaccines to prevent COVID-19. The document states that the FDA expects to convene an open session of FDA's VRBPAC prior to the issuance of any Emergency Use Authorization, or EUA, for a COVID-19 vaccine. The document also states that FDA has advised sponsors that an EUA request for a COVID-19 vaccine should include "data from Phase 3 studies that includes a median follow-up duration of at least two months after completion of the full vaccination regimen to help provide adequate information to assess a vaccine's benefit-risk profile." Moderna (MRNA), Pfizer (PFE), BioNTech (BNTX), AstraZeneca (AZN), Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), Novavax (NVAX), Sanofi (SNY), GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Inovio (INO) are among the companies working on COVID-19 vaccine candidates. Reference Link

09:27 EDT Nexa Resources says Aripuana project CapEx estimates escalates to $547M - Nexa Resources announces an update regarding its 100% owned Aripuana project. A new technical report will be filed on SEDAR in November 2020. Aripuana is an underground polymetallic mine and concentrate processing facility located in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil. Production is scheduled to start at the beginning of 2022. Zinc equivalent production is estimated at 119kt per year for approximately 11 years, based on the current Mineral Reserves estimated in accordance with the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum 2014 Definition Standards as incorporated in the Canadian Securities Administrators' National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. The total estimated CAPEX has escalated to $547M, compared to the US$392M set out in the Aripuana feasibility study published in 2018, based on a detailed review and update of the Project, including the impact of COVID-19. Commenting on the Aripuana update, Tito Martins, CEO of Nexa Resources, said, "In addition to external factors, we experienced problems during the project execution. Earthworks activities were more challenging than anticipated and we also faced issues that affected engineering, procurement and contractors. As a result, the Project timeline has been extended and estimated capital costs have increased. We have reorganized the Project team and changed the scope of key contractors to address certain of these issues and mitigate further potential risks." "The Project is progressing according to the updated plan and we believe the main challenges lie behind us. We remain confident that Aripuana will be a low-cost and long-life mine operation. Based on the updated Mineral Resources, mine production has the potential to extend beyond 20 years."

09:22 EDT Blink Charging deploys EV charging stations in The Elysian - Blink Charging announced the installation of 40 Level 2 EV charging stations at The Elysian residential building in the historic Victor Heights neighborhood near downtown Los Angeles, California. Blink will provide its EV charging stations to The Elysian's employees, residents, and visitors in support of the city's rapidly increasing number of electric vehicles.

09:21 EDT Centerra Gold confirms continuation of operations at Kumtor Mine - Centerra Gold confirmed that operations at its Kumtor Mine continue uninterrupted following the recent political unrest in the Kyrgyz Republic. The Kumtor Mine is located in a remote mountainous location 430 kilometres by road to the southeast of the national capital Bishkek which appears to be the centre of the unrest. The Company is monitoring the unfolding political events to ensure that conditions remain safe to continue to transport people and supplies to the mine. The political situation is continuing to evolve, and the Company is taking all the necessary precautions to ensure the safety of its personnel and operations.

09:15 EDT Progress Software completes acquisition of Chef - Progress announced the completion of the acquisition of Chef Software, a global leader in DevOps and DevSecOps, providing complete infrastructure automation to build, deploy, manage and secure applications in modern multi-cloud and hybrid environments, as well as on-premises. Progress announced the proposed acquisition on September 8th. Progress purchased Chef for $220M in cash. Progress funded the transaction with existing cash on hand and borrowings under its existing credit facility. The transaction is expected to be accretive beginning in Q1 FY2021 to both non-GAAP earnings per share and cash flow.

09:12 EDT H&R Block appoints Yolande Piazza to board of directors - H&R Block HRB) has added Yolande Piazza, Vice President, Financial Services of Google's Cloud Division (GOOG, GOOGL) to its Board of Directors, having been elected by the company's shareholders at its annual meeting on September 10, 2020.

09:10 EDT Monaker provides update on progress with HotPlay acquisition, Axion investment - Monaker Group provided an update to shareholders on its progress with the acquisition of HotPlay Enterprise and an approximately 33% interest in Axion Ventures, pursuant to the share exchange agreements announced on July 23, 2020. In August, HotPlay engaged Marcum LLP as its auditor and is in the process of completing the financial statements required to be filed in Monaker's proxy statement, which is required to be filed to seek stockholder approval for the acquisitions. The financial statements are anticipated to be completed in the near-term. Counsel for both HotPlay and Monaker are in the process of drafting the proxy statement so it can be filed with the SEC as soon as the required HotPlay financial statements are completed. Once the proxy statement is approved by the SEC and Monaker clears comments on such document, the proxy will be mailed to stockholders in order to seek approval from shareholders to close the acquisitions. Under the current HotPlay share exchange agreement, Monaker receives periodic cash advances in the form of convertible notes from HotPlay up to the time the transaction closes. To date, Monaker has received $2 million and is required to receive an additional $1 million in October 2020. The notes will be forgiven at time of the closing of the acquisitions or will be converted into Monaker common stock at a conversion price of $2.00 per share, in the event the share exchange agreements are terminated and depending on the reason for such termination. At the time of closing, the new combined company is expected to be debt-free and have cash-on-hand of about $12.5 million, with $5 million to be used for the acceleration of the Travel division and $7.5 million to be used to accelerate the Gaming and In-Game Advertising divisions. HotPlay - the In-Game Advertising division has continued growing its customer base. On September 11, 2020, Atari, one of the world's most iconic consumer brands and entertainment producers, announced a partnership with HotPlay and its in-game advertising platform. Monaker is expected at closing to control approximately 33% of Axion, a leading video game innovator and developer with a catalog of 12 video games expected to be launched through 2021. Upon shareholder approval and the subsequent closing of the acquisitions, the combined companies plan to change the name of Monaker to "NextPlay Technologies, Inc.," and Monaker has applied to Nasdaq to reserve the trading symbol "NXTP." NextPlay Technologies' goal will be to become a globally positioned innovative technology company focused on engaging products and platforms in video and eSports gaming, IGA and the vacation rental/travel space. It is anticipated that all of Monaker's business segments will benefit from NextPlay Technologies' tools and expertise in Artificial Intelligence, gamification, booking platforms, blockchain and geo-positioning/targeting solutions, and leveraging assets and technologies across all verticals to consumers. NextPlay Technologies' mission will be to build a world-class, multi-industry-leading enterprise, singularly focused on creating enduring enterprise growth for stakeholders. The closing of the transactions contemplated by the HotPlay and Axion share exchange agreements are subject to various closing conditions, consents and requirements

09:09 EDT Sintx Technologies provides progress update on 'catch-and-kill' mask - Sintx Technologies announced progress toward the manufacture of a "catch-and-kill" mask that will inactivate respiratory viruses. Exposure to silicon nitride has been shown to neutralize several bacterial species and viral strains. The company said that it has successfully dispersed and embedded silicon nitride particles into nonwoven and woven fabric fibers. Optimization of this process, fabric safety and efficacy testing, and manufacturing scale-up are the next steps beyond this milestone.

09:08 EDT Tecogen announces order for TecoChill air-cooled chiller - Tecogen announced the sale of a TecoChill CH-50 air-cooled chiller to a large residential facility in Connecticut. The 50-ton chiller will replace an existing TecoChill 25-ton chiller to satisfy increased cooling load at the facility. The air-cooled system provides chilled water without the need for a cooling tower and is installed outdoors for ambient air cooling of the condenser. The project qualifies for a $300/ton incentive for grid congestion reduction at peak times and will be installed in time for the 2021 cooling season. Tecogen will service the upgraded system from its East Windsor, Connecticut factory service center.

09:06 EDT SS&C announces SJP renews administration relationship - SS&C Technologies Holdings announced St. James's Place Wealth Management, or SJP, has renewed and extended its administration relationship for its U.K. life insurance, unit trust management, pensions and investment administration business lines. SJP first switched to SS&C in 2014 and is continuing to support the Company's high-quality service model with world-class technology to enable the organization to continue to focus on its growth initiatives. Under the new agreement, SJP extended its relationship for another five years through to 2034. In 2019, Britain's largest wealth manager successfully re-platformed onto the Bluedoor platform to provide its clients with a single consolidated view across all pensions and savings products. The client-centric platform provides straight-through-processing for accounts that delivers faster end-to-end processing times. Bluedoor has been implemented as an operationally ready business process outsourcing solution for SJP, which now administers over GBP100B of funds under management on the platform.

09:06 EDT Williams-Sonoma announces plans to close U.S. stores on Thganksgiving - Williams-Sonoma announced plans to close its U.S. stores on Thanksgiving Day, November 26. "We hope our associates will be able to spend time with their loved ones this Thanksgiving. We are so thankful for their resilience and hard work this year and are proud to be able to support them during this pandemic, including providing pay and benefits while our stores were closed. We will continue to do all that we can to take care of our people, as we navigate this extraordinary time together," said Laura Alber, President and Chief Executive Officer.

09:05 EDT Star2Star, Scansource announce enhanced partnership - Star2Star announced a wholesale partnership with ScanSource. The enhanced wholesale partnership will bring Star2Star's communications and collaboration platform to partners through ScanSource. It provides a unique way for Value Added Resellers to participate in the ownership of their clients' solutions, add support and implementation value, and deliver third party products. VARs will also be able to deliver customized quotes with flexible co-branded billing options through Star2Star's powerful Rocket(R)Quote tool. Star2Star has been successfully partnering with VARs to offer wholesale models since their inception. This partnership will complement their master agency-led relationship with ScanSource through Intelisys, a ScanSource company. Star2Star has also partnered with industry-leader Janet Schijns and the JS Group, to provide marketing and demand generation programs including launching an exclusive initiative for ScanSource Partners.

09:04 EDT Renewable Energy to expand biorefinery production to 340M gallons per year - Renewable Energy announced that it plans to undertake a capacity expansion of its Geismar, Louisiana biorefinery by 250M gallons annually to 340M gallons per year. This announcement follows a review and site selection process. Construction should begin in mid to late 2021 with target mechanical completion date in late 2023. REG expects the expansion will require approximately $825M in capital investment and is committed to supporting jobs and economic development in the communities in which it operates. Louisiana's Governor John Bel Edwards announced his support for this project with the inclusion of an incentive package that contains workforce support and tax incentives.

09:04 EDT Sintx Technologies develops mask fabric with silicon nitride - SINTX Technologies announced progress toward the manufacture of a "catch-and-kill" mask that will inactivate respiratory viruses. Exposure to silicon nitride has been shown to neutralize several bacterial species and viral strains. The company said that it has successfully dispersed and embedded silicon nitride particles into nonwoven and woven fabric fibers. Optimization of this process, fabric safety and efficacy testing, and manufacturing scale-up are the next steps beyond this critical milestone.

09:03 EDT Honeywell: Business jet usage to recover to 2019 levels by 2H21 - Honeywell's 29th annual Global Business Aviation Outlook forecasts up to 7,300 new business jet deliveries worth $235B from 2021 to 2030, down 4% in deliveries from the same 10-year forecast a year ago. Despite the dip, 4 of 5 business jet operators in the survey indicate that purchase plans have not been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Short-term reductions in both deliveries and expenditures due to the pandemic aren't expected to have a lasting impact on the business jet industry. "Business jet usage is expected to rebound to 80% to 85% of 2019 levels in the 4th quarter of 2020 and fully rebound by the middle of 2021, indicating demand for business jet travel is returning after the global pandemic caused a slowdown in the industry earlier this year," said Heath Patrick, president, Americas Aftermarket, Honeywell Aerospace. "The information we gleaned from operators shows a less than 1% decline in five-year purchase plans, so despite the short-term effects of the pandemic, we don't expect long-term changes to purchase plans or to the overall health of the business jet market."

09:02 EDT LogMeln says Rescue Live Guida available on Microsoft Dynamics 365 - LogMeIn (LOGM) announced that Rescue Live Guide is now certified and available for Microsoft (MSFT) Dynamics 365 Omnichannel for Customer Service. This integration provides a zero-download solution for both chat and phone-based agents to assist customers with providing instant and secure co-browsing to resolve issues faster via guided, personalized support. This approach empowers the enterprise to stay connected with their customer and enable "always on" experiences.

08:53 EDT 3D names Menno Ellis, Reji Puthenveetil heads of solution business units - A central element of 3D Systems recently announced reorganization and restructuring plan is the creation of two market-focused business units - Healthcare Solutions and Industrial Solutions. Rhe company is pleased to announce the leaders for these businesses, Menno Ellis, executive vice president, healthcare solutions, and Reji Puthenveetil, executive vice president, industrial solutions. As the leader for the Healthcare Solutions Group, Mr. Ellis is responsible for 3D Systems' Dental, Medical Device, and Simulation businesses. He joined 3D Systems in December 2016 as Senior Vice President Strategy and Vertical Markets and then served as Senior Vice President of the Plastics business, which included the company's highly successful efforts in Dentistry. Puthenveetil joined 3D Systems on October 1, 2020, and leads the company's Industrial Solutions Group which encompasses segments such as Aerospace & Defense, Ground Transportation, Energy, High Tech Industrial, and Jewelry.

08:50 EDT Sigma Labs awarded contract from Coherent for new PrintRite3D Lite system - Sigma Labs (SGLB) has launched its newest product, the PrintRite3D Lite In-Process Quality Assurance system for which it was awarded its first contract from Coherent, Inc. (COHR), "one of the world's leading providers of lasers and laser-based technology for scientific, commercial, and industrial customers." Mark Ruport, CEO of Sigma Labs, states: "We are very pleased to announce the launch of our new PrintRite3D Lite product as we begin implementation on the Coherent CREATOR metal 3D printer. PrintRite3D Lite is a great solution for 3D metal printing companies and end-user manufacturers that do not require the full functionality of PrintRite3D and increases our addressable market. PrintRite3D Lite will be available for OEM licensing as well as third party retrofit installations."

08:47 EDT Hudson Technologies, Bluesource partner to reduce greenhouse gas emissions - Hudson Technologies announced they are teaming up to scale Greenhouse Gas emission reductions associated with HFC refrigerants. HFC refrigerants are found in many cooling applications throughout the country, including residential HVAC systems, automobiles, supermarkets, and large commercial buildings. Due to the availability of inexpensive virgin HFCs from overseas, and absent any other formal incentives, HFC refrigerants have historically had a low level of reclamation when compared to other refrigerant types. Hudson and Bluesource firmly believe there is an opportunity to quickly and cost-effectively reclaim HFC refrigerants far beyond current reclaim levels. Through this partnership, Hudson and Bluesource will work together initiating carbon projects to develop and market high quality, voluntary carbon offsets resulting from the reclamation of HFC refrigerants across the country using the American Carbon Registry's Certified Reclaimed HFC Refrigerants protocol. Executed in advance of any regulatory requirements, these projects encourage the acceleration of GHG emission reductions from the refrigerant industry, which Project Drawdown identified as one of the top solutions to address global climate change.

08:45 EDT Predictive Oncology CEO says cash burn 'stable', 'trending downward' - Predictive Oncology released a CEO letter to the shareholders, which read in part, " I know you have watched our stock price decline steadily over the past few weeks. I am writing to assure you that there is a lot of encouraging progress to report - in other words, our company is not in the condition that the stock price might indicate. I want to take this opportunity to review where Predictive Oncology stands as of today. Our cash burn is stable and trending downward. Our revenues are stable and trending upward. Our available cash is adequate for operations and we have the ability to utilize our equity line of credit, which has a remaining amount of over $10M. The best news is in the operational progress in our various divisions. Starting with Skyline Medical, this division is self-supporting from a cash standpoint. Sales of disposables used on previously sold machines more than cover the operating expenses of this division, and we continue to sell new machines on a regular basis, adding to future disposables revenues. Our Helomics division is coming along handsomely. We have launched a restructured clinical test offering to clinicians for ovarian cancer. The response from oncologists to this re-configured test has been excellent and we expect this effort, as well as our other tests, to be revenue generating by year end and should be able to cover the bulk of Helomics operating expenses going forward. We have made solid progress on the UPMC-Magee Women's Hospital project and are close to completing our AI-driven models of drug response and patient outcomes. We are also finishing the sequencing of the tumors from the patients involved and have completed the "reach back" for patient outcome data (i.e. including data on what happened to the patient). The Magee Study validates our ability to sequence our tumor inventory as well as to do the reach back for patient outcomes. The acquisition and integration of the newly acquired Quantitative Medicine AI software into Helomics' existing computer model is a major accomplishment. We have begun discussions with large Pharma companies in an effort to form major, multi-year, multi-target, milestone based strategic partnerships. We hope to make more announcements soon. Our TumorGenesis division has not been resting on its' laurels. We will be introducing our Ovarian Cell Line Media at the BIO-Europe Conference. This media will allow researchers to isolate and successfully culture ovarian cancer cells that have previously not been cultured. Under the NCI Prevent Cancer Program, TumorGenesis, Cornell Medical and Helomics will coordinate with and seek funding for this program to help identify the best culture media for the studying of mutations that increase the risk of ovarian and breast cancers as well as other types of cancers. TumorGenesis is registering with the U.S. government as a contractor for developmental work in cancer cell capture and screening of compounds for the prevention and treatment of cancer. TumorGenesis Discovery Kits will also launch at the BIO-Europe conference. These kits will allow researchers to study and tag target cancer cells as well as normal cells often associated with tumors and let pathologists screen approved drug therapies across isolated and properly identified ovarian cancer samples from patients. Last, but certainly not least, is Soluble Biotech. We have moved this division into a new Research Park located in Birmingham, Alabama. This new facility effectively quadruples our Soluble's office and research space. This state of the art company provides optimized FDA-approved formulations for vaccines, antibodies and other protein therapeutics in a faster and lower cost basis to its customers. In addition, the company recently purchased and installed a suite of new research equipment that enables protein degradation studies which is a new and substantial line of business for the company. Our investment in new equipment, combined with our proprietary existing equipment, expands the company's capabilities to include temperature-controlled humidity chamber analysis, temperature-controlled photo-stability analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, viscometry analysis, UV/Vis spectroscopy analysis, High Performance Liquid Chromatography, a state-of-the-art automated dynamic laser light scattering system (DLS), free flow particle microscopic analysis, circular dichroism analysis, electron microscopy and high resolution mass spectrometry. Soluble Biotech is also planning to begin the development of an FDA-approved GMP facility to further support pharmaceutical needs. We have already secured a sizable contract and we are bidding on several more. I expect Soluble Biotech to be generating revenues by the end of the year."

08:42 EDT ElectraMeccanica names Arizona, Tennessee as finalists for SOLO EV facility - ElectraMeccanica Vehicles is providing an update related to its ongoing search for the Company's future U.S. based assembly facility and engineering technical center. Since late February, the Company has been engaged with BDO USA's Site Selection & Incentives Practice in a nationwide review of potential locations that matched ElectraMeccanica's criteria. BDO initially identified seven candidates and sent initial requests for proposal to the chief economic development entities in each state. In June, following comprehensive proposal reviews and site visits at select locations, the Company narrowed the candidate list to five. In August, the list was further narrowed to three states. ElectraMeccanica has announced the remaining two finalists as Arizona and Tennessee. Within each finalist state, the Company has selected two finalist sites within the Phoenix, AZ metro area and the Nashville, TN region, respectively. Along with BDO, the Company is now conducting final site and proposal reviews before making a selection at the end of November 2020. The proposed new U.S. facility is expected to create between 200 and 500 new jobs and feature a state-of-the art engineering technical center, including plans for multiple labs to support ongoing vehicle, chassis and power electronics testing as well as comprehensive research facilities. ElectraMeccanica also anticipates this new facility will generate additional, second order effects that would positively impact the local and state economy within its selected location through increased commercial activity and its business partnerships with tier one suppliers. To date, the Company has seen strong interest in the commercial fleet and utility sectors, supporting its plans for a future pilot SOLO ecosystem in the select region. Collectively, the operation would be expected to meet the growing demand for SOLO EVs throughout the United States, where EVs are projected to exceed more than 30% of all passenger vehicles by 20401. In addition to the SOLO being classified as "Made in the USA," the proposed new U.S.-based facility would allow ElectraMeccanica to reduce or potentially eliminate tariffs as well as benefit from logistical efficiencies. ElectraMeccanica intends to maintain a capital-light model with its contract manufacturing partner and strategic investor, Zongshen Industrial Group, in Chongqing, China. In conjunction with the proposed new ElectraMeccanica U.S. facility, Zongshen will continue to manufacture SOLO EVs for the global market, while also supplying knock-down kits for assembly in the United States. The Company has begun commercial production with future deliveries of the SOLO EV expected this fall.

08:40 EDT Host Hotels names Joseph Ottinger to succeed Brian Macnamara as controller - Host Hotels & Resorts announced that Joseph Ottinger, the Company's assistant controller, has been appointed as senior vice president effective October 5, 2020. Mr. Ottinger will succeed Brian Macnamara as senior vice president and corporate controller, when Mr. Macnamara retires from the Company at year end. To ensure a smooth transition, Mr. Macnamara will serve as a senior advisor to the company through July 1, 2021. The Company also announced that Tejal Engman, vice president, investor relations, has been promoted to senior vice president, investor relations, effective October 5, 2020. Ms. Engman joined Host in 2019 with more than 15 years of experience in investor relations, finance and business development.

08:38 EDT L'Oreal to implement Manhattan Active Warehouse Management - Manhattan Associates (MANH) announced that L'Oreal (LRLCY) has chosen to implement Manhattan Active Warehouse Management, a global, scalable and agile SaaS-based solution. The first implementation is due to launch by mid 2021, with worldwide deployment across L'Oreal's distribution centres expected by the end of 2023. Manhattan Active Warehouse Management is the world's first cloud-native enterprise-class warehouse management system capable of unifying every aspect of distribution, and never needs upgrading. Crafted entirely from microservices, this latest offering in the company's suite of cloud-based Manhattan Active Solutions will usher in a new level of speed, adaptability and ease of use within L'Oreal's distribution centres.

08:35 EDT Akari Therapeutics announces progress in COVID-19 pneumonia program - Akari Therapeutics announces further progress in its COVID-19 pneumonia program with nomacopan in the U.S. and Brazil. COVID-19 pneumonia is believed to be a major cause of death in patients with COVID-19 and despite improvements in standard of care, remains difficult to treat. Accumulating data across a range of clinical studies in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia continues to point at the central role of complement C5a and C5b9 as well as neutrophil accumulation in the lung leading to severe inflammation and dramatic reductions in the delivery of blood through the capillary bed of the lung and ultimately other organs. Nomacopan has been shown to inhibit all these pathways directly; by binding C5, nomacopan inhibits production of C5a and C5b9 which have inflammatory and prothrombotic effects, and by preventing LTB4 from interacting with its cell surface receptors nomacopan may directly inhibit the migration of neutrophils to the lung and subsequent damaging cytokine release. The Company's initial proof of principle studies have demonstrated that the 45mg standard dose of nomacopan can be used to treat patients with COVID-19 pneumonia without the need for up-dosing. The studies showed rapid onset of action of nomacopan, as well as no reported adverse safety signals in this fragile patient group. In addition, the Company believes that the relatively fast offset of nomacopan activity once dosing has been discontinued is a beneficial safety feature potentially allowing early patient discharge from hospital without the risk of long term immunosuppression. Furthermore, nomacopan was dosed alongside both antivirals and steroids and may have an additive effect as steroids do not directly inhibit complement activation or LTB4. Both studies in the U.S. and Brazil are double blind randomized clinical studies of over 60 patients each, with a primary endpoint of time to oxygen normalization and hospital discharge. The secondary endpoints will include the need for intubation and mortality. Patients will receive either a daily subcutaneous dose of nomacopan and standard of care or placebo and standard of care. Treatment is for up to 14 days, with study monitoring and completion after two months. Akari Therapeutics has been invited to present an update on its COVID-19 pneumonia program at the 4th Annual Complement-Based Drug Development Summit 2020 on October 15, 2020. The presentation will explore the association between COVID-19 morbidity, complement activation and LTB4, as well as the current trials with nomacopan in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia.

08:34 EDT Conagra Brands Chief Supply Chain Officer, Dave Biegger, to retire in May 2021 - Conagra Brands announced that its executive vice president and chief supply chain officer, Dave Biegger, has made the decision to retire from the organization in May 2021 after leading the company's supply chain function for the past five years. Since he joined Conagra Brands in 2015, Biegger's nearly 40 years of deep supply chain knowledge, operational expertise and strong leadership have greatly benefitted the organization.

08:32 EDT MDC Partners announces milestone in discussions with Stagwell Media - MDC Partners confirmed that its special committee of independent directors of the Board of Directors has reached a significant milestone in discussions with Stagwell Media with respect to a potential business combination between the Company and Stagwell. Having reached an agreement in principle on certain aspects of the Potential Transaction, the Company expects to proceed with confirmatory due diligence and the negotiation of definitive documentation. The agreement in principle is non-binding and subject to several conditions, including obtaining relevant third-party consents to the Potential Transaction. In addition, the Company intends to withdraw its registration statement and preliminary proxy statement/prospectus, filed on August 31 pursuant to which the Company proposed to change its jurisdiction of incorporation from the federal jurisdiction of Canada to the State of Delaware. The Company instead expects the U.S. Domestication to be considered in conjunction with the Potential Transaction.

08:31 EDT Children's Place appoints Tracey Griffin to board of directors - The Children's Place announced an appointment of a new Director to its Board of Directors. On October 5, 2020, the Company appointed Tracey Griffin to the Company's Board of Directors and as a member of the Audit Committee effective immediately. Ms. Griffin will hold office until the annual meeting of stockholders of the Company to be held in 2021. Ms. Griffin is an independent director and qualifies as an "audit committee financial expert" under applicable SEC rules. Ms. Griffin is currently the CFO and COO of Framebridge, Inc., an online custom framing brand and has held that position since November 2019.

08:30 EDT United Natural Foods selected as new grocery wholesaler by Key Food - United Natural Foods and Key Food Stores announced they have reached a long-term supply agreement for UNFI to serve as the primary grocery wholesaler to Key Food with expected sales to UNFI of approximately $10B over 10 years. "Key Food, whose members operate more than 315 stores, is a rapidly growing organization with a large market share in the New York market," said UNFI's Chairman and CEO, Steven Spinner. "We have recently begun to service their Florida stores and are excited to expand service to their Northeast stores toward the end of 2021. We believe our unmatched product variety and knowledge of today's consumer will benefit Key Food and its retailers, and we look forward to driving value to their operations."

08:27 EDT Bombardier's Learjet 75 Liberty enters service - Bombardier announced that the newest addition to its diverse business jet portfolio, the Learjet 75 Liberty light jet, is now in service with the first delivery to long-time Learjet operator Alex Lyon & Son, an auctioneering firm that operates throughout the United States and beyond. Bombardier is announcing this entry-into-service as its first-ever virtual customer event unfolds. This week, Bombardier will guide customers through personalized visits of its business jets, and showcase the innovative digital tools it has developed to help customers interact with the industry's leading aircraft portfolio.

08:24 EDT Aro collaboration with Ionis advances with option exercise - Aro Biotherapeutics announced that Ionis Pharmaceuticals has exercised an option to acquire a license to an undisclosed antisense oligonucleotide, ASO,-Centyrin drug conjugate. In December 2019, Aro and Ionis entered into a licensing and collaboration agreement to advance a defined number of ASO-Centyrin drug conjugates. Ionis is leveraging Aro's CENTYRIN technology to enhance the activity of ASOs via tissue-specific delivery, resulting in more efficient inhibition of disease-causing RNAs and proteins. "We remain excited about the promise of our combined technologies to bring new treatment options to patients," said Susan Dillon, Ph.D., Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Aro Biotherapeutics. "Ionis' work in RNA-targeted therapeutics is transformative and we look forward to the continued advancement of new ASO-Centyrin therapeutic candidates as part of our collaboration." "Leveraging Aro Biotherapeutics' unique CENTYRIN technology to develop drug candidates with targeted cell- and tissue-specific delivery of our novel antisense medicines will help further expand Ionis' already robust pipeline, allowing us to say "yes" to even more patients

08:23 EDT Veritone enters energy sector with Veritone Energy predictive AI solutions - Veritone announced it has "entered the energy sector with Veritone Energy, a suite of proprietary, predictive AI solutions that will help utilities increase profitability and improve grid reliability as they make the transition to renewables." The company adds: "Veritone has already begun to deploy its AI energy technologies with a leading U.S. utility and is in advanced talks with other potential private and public sector customers and partners. Veritone Energy's patented solutions use AI to optimize energy distribution across diverse energy grids. By applying advanced models, rules and learning to weather forecast, energy demand, pricing, and device data, the solutions help utilities automatically predict optimal energy supply mix and pricing to meet grid demand, in real-time. The utility can now more accurately predict how much energy, at what price, to send to which device, and when. Veritone estimates this real-time forecasting capability will translate to millions of dollars of cost savings for utilities in saved energy, device longevity, and optimal energy prices."

08:21 EDT Google rebands 'G Suite' business tools as 'Google Workspace' - Google unit has rebranded its "G Suite" of business tools as "Google Workspace." In a blog post, Javier Soltero, VP and GM, Google Workspace, said: "Work itself is transforming in unprecedented ways. For many of us, work is no longer a physical place we go to, and interactions that used to take place in person are being rapidly digitized. Office workers no longer have impromptu discussions at the coffee machine or while walking to meetings together, and instead have turned their homes into workspaces... That solution is Google Workspace: everything you need to get anything done, now in one place. Google Workspace includes all of the productivity apps you know and love-Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Meet, and many more. Whether you're returning to the office, working from home, on the frontlines with your mobile device, or connecting with customers, Google Workspace is the best way to create, communicate, and collaborate." Reference Link

08:20 EDT Vir Biotechnology, GSK announce global expansion to Phase 2 of COMET-ICE study - Vir Biotechnology (VIR) and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) announced the global expansion to Phase 3 of the COMET-ICE study evaluating VIR-7831 for the early treatment of COVID-19 in patients who are at high risk of hospitalization. VIR-7831 is a fully human anti-SARS-CoV-2 monoclonal antibody that was selected based on its potential to neutralize the virus, kill infected cells, provide a high barrier to resistance, and achieve high concentrations in the lungs. Following a positive assessment of unblinded safety data from the lead-in portion of the trial by an Independent Data Monitoring Committee on September 30, 2020, the COMET-ICE registrational study will now expand globally to additional sites in North America, South America and Europe. The Phase 3 portion of the COMET-ICE study will assess the safety and efficacy of a single intravenous infusion of VIR-7831 or placebo in approximately 1,300 non-hospitalized participants globally. The primary efficacy endpoint is the proportion of patients who have progression of COVID-19 as defined by the need for hospitalization or death within 29 days of randomization. Interim analyses are planned to evaluate safety, futility and efficacy, the results of which may be available as early as the end of 2020. Results for the primary endpoint are expected in the first quarter of 2021, with current estimates at January 2021. The COMET clinical development program for VIR-7831 includes two additional planned trials - one for the treatment of hospitalized patients and another for the prevention of symptomatic infection. The companies also expect to start a Phase 1b/2a trial in the second half of 2020 evaluating VIR-7832, a second investigational SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody that shares the same characteristics as VIR-7831, plus enhanced effector function, which may confer additional efficacy in treatment or prophylaxis by stimulating a T-cell response.

08:18 EDT LCI Industries, Walk West launch Ablr joint venture - LCI Industries and Walk West announced the launch of their joint venture - Ablr. Ablr offers businesses solutions that remove the barriers for people with disabilities, ensuring that all people can browse, understand and fully participate in digital experiences that include education, healthcare, retail and employment.

08:15 EDT Cerence signs Cerence Swype contract with European automaker - Cerence announced a resurgence of the Cerence Swype keyboard, bringing this consumer favorite to the car. The company also announced that it has signed its largest Cerence Swype deal in history with a major European automaker, signaling continued desire from OEMs for simple, intuitive interaction between drivers and their cars.

08:11 EDT Agilysys, Shift4 Payments announce extension of hospitality partnership - Agilysys (AGYS) and Shift4 Payments (FOUR) announced an extension of their long-standing partnership to better enable a guest journey for hospitality operators while increasing the market presence of both companies. By adding Shift4's end-to-end payment solution, Agilysys customers can enjoy the benefits of a fully integrated payment experience at their property, connecting everything from online reservations to check-out, on-premise dining, spa services and more. Shift4's recently-announced integration with Innowi's innovative, EMV ready 7" ChecOut M mobile point of sale device also allows Agilysys customers to run a complete version of the company's InfoGenesis software on their mobile terminal.

08:09 EDT Pingtan Marine Enterprise announces 21 vessels start fishing operations - Pingtan Marine Enterprise announced that 21 of the Company's fishing vessels previously sent to the international waters of the Indian Ocean have traveled to their fishing ground and have started fishing operations. In July, the 21 fishing vessels returned to China for routine repair and maintenance. On September 16 6 seine vessels and 2 squid jigging vessels departed for their international destination. On September 23, an additional 9 seine vessels and 1 squid jigging vessel departed for their international destination. On September 28 the last 3 squid jigging vessels departed for their international destination. These vessels all started fishing operations in early October upon arrival at their final destination.

08:08 EDT SoftBank expands relationship with Medallia for additional three years - Medallia (MDLA) announced it has extended its partnership with SoftBank (SFTBY) as the telecommunications company continues to provide services for its more than 46M mobile subscribers. SoftBank last year deployed Medallia experience cloud platform across 3,000 retail locations to enhance the customer journey across key touch points such as taking out a new contract, upgrading a mobile device and updating personal information. SoftBank has now extended the relationship with Medallia for an additional three years with the Medallia experience cloud platform rolled out to include additional customer touch points across its retail environment.

08:07 EDT GoldMining commences trading on NYSE American - GoldMining is pleased to announce that, further to its news release dated October 1, its common shares will commence trading on the NYSE American under the symbol "GLDG" at the open of markets on October 6. The Common Shares will continue to trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "GOLD". Concurrent with the commencement of trading on the NYSE American, it is expected that the common shares will cease to be quoted on the OTCQX under the symbol "GLDLF".

08:05 EDT B. Riley Financial launches new business line - B. Riley Financial announced it is launching a new line of business, B. Riley Venture Capital. A subsidiary of B. Riley, the new division will be headed by Todd D. Sims, who stepped down from B. Riley Financial's board of directors to take this position. Supported by B. Riley's strong balance sheet and syndication platform, B. Riley Venture Capital will pursue investments in late-stage growth companies with a path toward public markets. The venture capital business will benefit from the depth and breadth of B. Riley's investment banking, capital markets and advisory businesses, with syndication opportunities across B. Riley's institutional, banking and retail client base.

08:05 EDT Kiniksa announces data from Phase 2 trial of mavrilimumab - Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals announced positive data from the global Phase 2 trial of mavrilimumab in giant cell arteritis. Mavrilimumab is an investigational fully-human monoclonal antibody that targets granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor receptor alpha. The trial achieved both the primary and secondary efficacy endpoints with statistical significance. The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, global Phase 2 trial consists of a 6-week screening period, a 26-week double-blind placebo-controlled treatment period, and a 12-week washout safety follow-up period. Patients age 50 to 85 years with active GCA, confirmed by temporal artery biopsy and/or imaging, with erythrocyte sedimentation rate greater than or equal to 30 mm/hour or C-reactive protein greater than or equal to 1 mg/dL, and symptoms of GCA within 6 weeks from randomization, were included. All patients were required to have achieved corticosteroid-induced remission prior to randomization. Seventy patients were randomized 3:2 to mavrilimumab 150 mg or placebo biweekly injected subcutaneously, co-administered with a protocol-defined 26-week oral corticosteroid taper. Patients were stratified by new onsetor relapsing/refractory disease. The co-principal investigators are Dr. Maria Cid, Hospital Clinic, University of Barcelona, IDIBAPS, and Dr. Sebastian Unizony of Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard University. The primary efficacy endpoint of time-to-first adjudicated GCA flare by Week 26 in all treated patients was statistically significant. Median time-to-flare by Week 26 could not be estimated in mavrilimumab recipients due to the low number of flares in the mavrilimumab treatment arm. The median time-to-flare for placebo recipients was 25.1 weeks. There was a 62% lower risk of flare in mavrilimumab recipients compared to placebo recipients. The secondary efficacy endpoint of sustained remission at Week 26 in all treated patients was also statistically significant. The sustained remission rate at Week 26 was 33.3 percentage points higher in mavrilimumab recipients compared to placebo recipients. Mavrilimumab was well-tolerated; there were no drug-related serious adverse events, and the rates of drug-related treatment-emergent adverse events between mavrilimumab recipients and placebo recipients were similar. The 12-week washout safety follow-up period and additional analyses of this Phase 2 trial are ongoing. Next steps for the development program in GCA will be further informed by anticipated discussions with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Preclinical data, previously shown at scientific conferences and available through the Science section of Kiniksa's website, support the mechanistic rationale of targeting the granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor pathway upstream in patients with GCA. GM-CSF and downstream T helper type 1 cell and T helper type 17 cell pathways were demonstrated to be activated at the ribonucleic acid and protein level in arteries from GCA patients compared to healthy controls, and mavrilimumab was demonstrated to inhibit production of inflammatory molecules characteristic of GCA pathophysiology in an ex vivo culture model of arteries from GCA patients1. Additionally, in an in vivo model of human GCA, mavrilimumab reduced arterial inflammation and gamma interferon production2. The FDA recently granted Orphan Drug designation to mavrilimumab for the treatment of GCA. Kiniksa is also evaluating mavrilimumab in severe COVID-19 pneumonia and hyperinflammation and is enrolling the Phase 2 portion of a global, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled adaptive design Phase 2/3 clinical trial. Additionally, data are expected from a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled investigator-initiated study in the U.S. in the fourth quarter of 2020.

08:03 EDT AMC Entertainment announces U.S. theatres to remain open - AMC Entertainment announced that it is currently planning for all of its theatres that are now open to remain open for business. More than 80% of AMC's U.S. theatres are currently open and an even higher percentage of AMC's international theatres across Europe and the Middle East are open and will continue to be so. In addition, AMC said it is actively planning to open more theatres, especially in New York and California, when authorized to do so by state and county officials. AMC makes this announcement in light of news reports that other movie circuits may temporarily close. Commenting on the announcement, AMC CEO and president Adam Aron said, "Some of our best partners like Disney, with its much anticipated SOUL, and Universal with THE CROODS: A NEW AGE, have new movies scheduled for theatrical release over the next month and a half. Warner Bros.' TENET has been stimulating moviegoers and is still leading the box office. And this weekend, THE WAR WITH GRANDPA, a new movie title starring the legendary Robert De Niro, will be prominent all across the U.S. on the big screens of AMC."

08:03 EDT Wanda Sports forms committee to consider acquisition proposal - Wanda Sports Group Company announced that its Board of Directors has formed an independent committee to consider the non-binding proposal that the Board received from Wanda Sports & Media on September 30 to acquire all of the outstanding Class A ordinary shares of the Company, including American depositary shares representing Class A ordinary shares, in a going private transaction on the terms and conditions set out in the Proposal. The Independent Board Committee consists of the Company's independent directors, Edwin Fung and Kenneth Howard Jarrett. The Board and the Independent Board Committee caution the Company's shareholders and others considering trading the Company's securities that the Board just received the Proposal and no decisions have been made with respect to the Company's response to the Proposal.

07:50 EDT Oxford Biomedica notes Axovant follow-up from second cohort of SUNRISE-PD trial - Oxford Biomedica (OXBDF) notes Axovant Gene Therapies' (AXGT) six-month follow-up data from the second cohort of the SUNRISE-PD Phase 2 trial of AXO-Lenti-PD gene therapy in Parkinson's disease. Key highlights from the follow-up data were as follows: AXO-Lenti-PD was well-tolerated with no treatment-related serious adverse events at 6 months; 21-point mean improvement in UPDRS Part III "OFF" score, a 40% improvement from baseline based on the two evaluable patients in the study, exceeding predefined criteria for success; Greater than 2-hour improvement from baseline in both diary "good ON time" and diary OFF time assessments; EXPLORE-PD, a randomised, sham-controlled study of AXO-Lenti-PD is expected to begin dosing in 2021. In June 2018, Oxford Biomedica out-licenced OXB-102 to Axovant through a $842.5M worldwide licence agreement. In July 2020 a three year clinical supply agreement was additionally signed with Axovant to manufacture GMP batches to support the ongoing and future clinical development of AXO-Lenti-PD.

07:44 EDT Zai Lab doses first patient in China in Phase 2/3 MAHOGANY study of margetuximab - Zai Lab announced dosing of the first patient in Greater China in the global MAHOGANY study evaluating margetuximab, an investigational, Fc-optimized monoclonal antibody targeting HER2, in combination with a checkpoint inhibitor, with or without chemotherapy, as a potential first-line treatment for patients with HER2-positive gastric cancer or gastroesophageal junction cancer. MAHOGANY is a Phase 2/3 clinical trial in two modules designed to evaluate margetuximab in combination with a checkpoint inhibitor, with or without chemotherapy, as a potential first-line treatment for patients with advanced or metastatic HER2-positive GC/GEJ. Module A is designed as a single arm study to evaluate margetuximab plus retifanlimab, an investigational anti PD-1 monoclonal antibody, in patients with HER2-positive and PD-L1-positive tumors. The primary outcome measure for efficacy is objective response rate per Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors. Module B is designed as a randomized trial to evaluate margetuximab plus a checkpoint inhibitor in combination with chemotherapy compared to standard of care therapy of trastuzumab with chemotherapy in patients with HER2-positive tumors irrespective of PD-L1 expression. Patients randomized to one of two experimental arms containing a checkpoint inhibitor will receive either retifanlimab or tebotelimab, an investigational DART molecule targeting PD-1 and LAG-3. The primary outcome measure for efficacy is overall survival.

07:40 EDT Titan Mining provides update on drilling programs at Empire State Mine - Titan Mining Corporation provided an update on its drilling programs at its 100% owned Empire State Mine located in upstate New York. Underground drilling has intersected high-grade zinc mineralization in the Mahler zone that will add to the resource and ultimately enhance ESM's production profile. Additionally, exploration drilling has commenced targeting a high priority target in the district. Highlights from the underground drilling include: 10.1 feet assaying 20.9% zinc within a larger zone of 21.4 feet assaying 13.0% zinc; 37.0 feet assaying 20.2% zinc within a larger zone of 80.2 feet assaying 15.6% zinc; 17.6 feet assaying 45.4% zinc within a larger zone of 24.1 feet assaying 36.5% zinc; 9.8 feet assaying 41.1% zinc within a larger zone of 20.8 feet assaying 25.5% zinc; 1.1 feet assaying 19.2% zinc within a larger zone of 11.9 feet assaying 13.8% zinc. Underground drilling continues to delineate high-grade zinc mineralization on the down-plunge portion of the Mahler mineralized zone. The Mahler zone consists of two mineralized horizons: Mahler Main and Mahler White Dolomite. The current ESM drilling in two drill fans consisting of 13 drill holes have extended the Mahler mineralization over a down-plunge strike length of 350 feet. An additional 40 holes are planned to further test an additional 500 feet of potential strike length by the end of Q4 2020. The results from the current and pending drill programs will be utilized to refine the current mine plan, in preparation for development in Q4 2020. In Q1 2020, the ESM exploration program was focused on delineating three significant zones of near surface mineralization. The exploration was successful and three defined zones are able to be mined by lower cost open-pit mining methods and milled at ESM's milling complex under ESM's current mining permit, subject to an update of the Mined Land Use Plan. During Q2 2020, exploration drilling was paused due to COVID-19 pandemic and a shortage of resources. In Q3 2020, ESM re-started its surface exploration drilling program with a focus to discover a new mineralized trend north-west of the Mud Pond mineralized zone located at ESM's #4 Mine. The high priority Farm to Market target has the potential to host a high-grade, large tonnage deposit and has not been drill tested. Drilling is well underway and is expected to continue through Q4 2020 into 2021. The current underground drilling program included drill holes MA20-001 - MA20-013, drilled from two underground sites. Seven holes were drilled from Site A and six holes were drilled from Site B. The 13 holes successfully extended the Mahler zone 350 feet along strike. The holes confirm the presence of high-grade mineralization and define the extents of mineralization laterally and along strike. Table 1 is a summary of the mineralized intervals from the current drilling.

07:36 EDT Kaleido Biosciences sees topline data from K031 study in 1Q21 - Kaleido Biosciences announced an update to its ongoing COVID-19 clinical development program evaluating KB109 when added to supportive self-care in outpatients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 disease. Updated projections for enrollment of the multi-center K031 clinical study of approximately 350 patients indicated that top-line data will be available in the first quarter of 2021. Previous projections had indicated the potential availability of top-line data from the study in the fourth quarter of 2020. "We are encouraged by the potential for KB109, a novel glycan developed with our MMT approach, to influence clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19," commented Michael Bonney, Executive Chair of Kaleido. "This delay in our timeline for the K031 study, while unexpected, is understandable given the dynamic nature of this emergent disease and the nature of its spread in different geographies. Results of our K032 clinical study of KB109 in approximately 50 patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19, conducted in collaboration with Massachusetts General Hospital, continue to be expected in the first quarter of 2021. Guidance for our other programs is unchanged, with data from our study of KB295 in ulcerative colitis expected in mid-2021, results with KB195 in urea cycle disorder expected in the second half of 2021. With our clinical studies, we have instituted protocols to allow for virtual visits to reach patients who may not be near a study site or when needed in order to minimize the impact of disease transmission on study enrollment. In addition, we continue to expect preclinical data from our immuno-oncology, cardiometabolic and liver diseases programs this quarter."

07:34 EDT Oragenic backs plan to file IND application by end of 1Q21 - Oragenic announced receipt of feedback to its Type B Pre-IND Meeting Request from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that it is in broad agreement with the company's planned approach to clinical development of its SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, Terra CoV-2. As a result, the company believes its timelines for both filing an Investigational New Drug application and the commencement of the Phase 1 study will proceed on schedule. Oragenics expects to file the IND by the end of the first quarter of 2021 and commence patient enrollment in the Phase 1 clinical study early in the second quarter of 2021. "We are very pleased with the FDA's response to our Type B Pre-IND meeting request as it permits us to maintain an aggressive development timeline for our Terra CoV-2 vaccine," said Alan Joslyn, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Oragenics. "Important points that are supportive of our planned approach received favorable feedback." Dr. Joslyn added, "The FDA's response is an important step as we work to provide a vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 that is focused on the stabilized prefusion spike protein, with a potential profile that may include lifetime immunity to COVID-19, and storage and distribution at refrigerated temperatures. We believe the commercial opportunity for Terra CoV-2 is robust, and that our vaccine will find its place in the global fight against this deadly virus." The FDA has requested additional preclinical animal data for inclusion in the IND filing and plans to provide final comments upon reviewing that data and the Phase 1 trial protocol. Oragenics believes that generating the additional data will not impede the overall development timeline.

07:31 EDT FuelCell says short seller claims 'contain factual inaccuracies' - The company said, "FuelCell Energy yesterday became aware of claims made by an apparent short seller about the Company that are misleading and contain factual inaccuracies. FuelCell Energy emphatically denies these claims related to its disclosures with respect to the LIPA 2 and LIPA 3 power project awards. These awards are not, and never have been, part of FuelCell Energy's backlog, and have no impact on the Company's 2022 financial goals, including revenue growth and adjusted EBITDA. As FuelCell Energy has consistently reported, its LIPA Yaphank project, currently under construction and for which there is a signed power purchase agreement, is included in the backlog and 2022 revenue projections. The Company does not believe the New York Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act should negate the LIPA 2 and LIPA 3 awards and is disputing this contention by LIPA. The Company believes these projects should move forward and it has continued to pursue them in good faith, including advancing the interconnect application process. However, there can be no assurances that any project awards, including these project awards, will result in executed power purchase agreements. When FuelCell Energy has material information to disclose as required by the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Company does so."

07:25 EDT CB2 offers primary care services via telehealth to over 100,000 patients - CB2 Insights provides the following corporate update and outlook on growth for 2020 and 2021. The company said, "The Company is positioning itself to become one of the largest national networks of health centers in the US powered by technology and telemedicine delivery mechanisms. Its fast-growing customer base will aim to reach millions in the coming years as they continue to expand on services for both insured and uninsured segments of the US population. CB2's revenue stream will be driven by membership subscription revenue and insurable services through traditional insurance payors, most notably Medicare and Medicaid, in both traditional bricks-and mortar clinics, and a proprietary virtual telemedicine offering. CB2 is led by a strong management team with over 50 years of collective experience in clinical practice management, technology and primary care in both the Canadian and US healthcare market. Further, it is well positioned to execute against its strategy. In Q2 2020, it announced positive EBITDA and free cash flow for the very first time - a trend that has continued into Q3 2020. It also recently strengthened its balance sheet with a $5.13M upsized and oversubscribed private placement, bringing total cash in the company to over $6M." The Company's growth will be focused on a 3-pronged strategic plan generating strong results both organically and through targeted, accretive M&A activity. Growth from the Current Infrastructure: Patients within the current roster will be offered a full suite of primary care and urgent care services. The Company currently generates an annual average of $150 per patient based on its historical service offering. As primary care services roll-out strategically over the next 12 months via its bricks and mortar clinics and telemedicine platform, the Company expects to grow the per-patient revenue per year; with minimal cost to the patient directly but rather billed through insurance providers. Growth from New Services: The Company has launched one of the most affordable healthcare solutions in the US to support the over 40 million Americans without access to services due to the high-cost of delivery of such services. At USD $200 a year, the Company is offering a suite of urgent healthcare services delivered solely through its telemedicine platform, to support patients that have limited options available today. This is a highly profitable means of healthcare delivery and the Company expects significant uptake of its subscription services over the next 12 months. Growth from Acquisitions: Based on its historical success of clinical acquisitions, the Company is targeting 8-10 acquisitions over the next 12 months which will lead to growth in patient count, revenue & profitability and new market expansion. The Company has developed a strong pipeline of acquisition targets, including several that it anticipates closing on within 2020, that should lead to strong revenue and profitability growth. Further, the Company expects to bolster organic growth in each of the acquisition targets through the delivery of its telehealth platform, introduction of complementary billable services, and improvement to the cost structure through technology, workflow optimization and centralization of key functions.

07:20 EDT Brunswick appoints Brent Dahl as VP, investor relations - Brunswick Corporation announced that it has named Brent Dahl Vice President, Investor Relations, replacing Al Marchetti who has been appointed to the newly created role of Senior Director, Special Finance Projects & Finance Modernization. This new strategic position at Brunswick will partner with the corporate and divisional finance functions to drive financial process improvements and efficiencies enterprise wide. Dahl joined Brunswick in 2002 and has advanced through multiple financial leadership positions, including Assistant Controller of Brunswick and Controller of the Company's former Bowling & Billiards division.

07:17 EDT Clover Health to become publicly traded via Social Capital Hedosophia merger - Clover Health Investments, which operates next-generation Medicare Advantage plans, has entered into a definitive agreement to become publicly traded via a merger with Social Capital Hedosophia Holdings III, or SCH. Upon closing, the transaction will support provide significant capital for the company to scale. Founded in 2013, Clover has pioneered an approach to Medicare Advantage that focuses on driving affordability and partnering closely with physicians. The company offers affordable Medicare Advantage plans to eligible individuals, giving consumers access to broad and open healthcare networks, rich supplemental benefits and low out-of-pocket expenses. Clover's management team, led by CEO and co-founder Vivek Garipalli and president and co-Founder Andrew Toy, will continue to lead Clover following the transaction. Chamath Palihapitiya, Founder and CEO of SCH, will act as a senior advisor to the company's management. On October 6, SCH entered into a definitive agreement to combine with Clover through a combination of stock and cash financing. The transaction values Clover at an enterprise value of approximately $3.7B. The transaction is expected to deliver up to $1.2B of gross proceeds, including the contribution of up to $828M of cash held in SCH's trust account from its initial public offering in April. The transaction is further supported by a $400M PIPE at $10.00 per share, including $100M from Palihapitiya, $50M from Hedosophia and the remainder from investors including Fidelity Management & Research and funds affiliated with Jennison, Senator Investment Group, Casdin and Perceptive Advisors. Clover will receive up to $728M of transaction proceeds, and up to $500M of cash proceeds will be allocated to existing Clover shareholders. Vivek Garipalli, Andrew Toy and other officers of the company will roll 100% of their equity into the new company. All references to cash on the balance sheet, available cash from the trust account, cash proceeds allocated to existing shareholders and retained transaction proceeds are subject to any redemptions by the public shareholders of SCH and payment of transaction expenses. The transaction, which has been unanimously approved by SCH's boards of directors and the independent directors of Clover's board of directors, is expected to close in the first quarter of 2021, and is subject to approval by SCH's shareholders and other customary closing conditions, including any applicable regulatory approvals.

07:14 EDT Xtant regains compliance with NYSE American continued listing standards - Xtant Medical Holdings announced that it received notification from the NYSE American yesterday that the Company has regained compliance with all of the continued listing standards, including in particular the requirement under NYSE American Company Guide Section 1003(a)(iii) that requires a listed issuer to maintain stockholders' equity of at least $6M if it has reported losses from continuing operations, and/or net losses, in its five most recent fiscal years. The return to compliance was achieved as a result of the Company's recently-consummated debt restructuring transaction in which the Company issued approximately 57.8 million shares of its common stock to the lenders under its credit facility in exchange for approximately $40.8M of the aggregate outstanding principal amount of loans outstanding under the credit facility, as well as, without duplication, approximately $21.1M of the outstanding amount of PIK Interest, plus all other accrued and unpaid interest on the exchanging loans outstanding as of the closing date, at an exchange price of $1.07 per share

07:13 EDT ALX Oncology announces formation of Scientific Advisory Board - ALX Oncology Holdings announced the formation of the Company's Scientific Advisory Board with three leading oncology experts. The SAB will provide valuable strategic and scientific counsel to ALX Oncology's clinical programs related to its lead product candidate, ALX148. The members of the ALX Oncology SAB include: Keith Flaherty, M.D. - Dr. Flaherty is a Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Director of Clinical Research, at the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center. Charles M. Baum, M.D., Ph.D. - Dr. Baum has been President and CEO and Board Member of Mirati Therapeutics for the last eight years. Kipp Weiskopf, M.D., Ph.D. - Dr. Weiskopf is a co-founder of ALX Oncology and a Whitehead Fellow at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research.

07:10 EDT Daimler's Mercedes-Benz announces new strategy for car business - Mercedes-Benz unveiled a new strategy for the car business at a virtual investor and analyst conference. The new strategy will enhance the Mercedes-Benz brand's luxury status, raise the product portfolio's positioning and mix, pursue significant growth for sub-brands AMG, Maybach, G and EQ and accelerate the development of electric drive and car software, the company said in a statement. Mercedes-Benz confirms its full commitment to electrification across all products and segments, unveiled new dedicated electric architectures, and announced multiple new electric product launches. Four all-new electric vehicles on new large EVA architecture set for launch from 2021, the company said, adding that new electric products are coming for AMG, Maybach and G and new "Electric first" MMA platform are in development for compact and medium sized cars. The automaker also sharpened its financial ambitions: lowering break-even point, targeting higher profitability and strong cash conversion rate. "We are set for profitable growth. Additionally we have initiated comprehensive measures to bring down the breakeven point in order to right-size our company and our operations. All measures together are designed to make our business weatherproof, address the challenges of the transformation and lead to solid profitability levels even in rough weather, with significant upside in favorable market conditions," said Harald Wilhelm, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG, responsible for Finance & Controlling/Daimler Mobility, and of Mercedes-Benz AG, responsible for Finance & Controlling.

07:10 EDT Group 1 Automotive announces new $200M share repurchase program - The company expects that any repurchase of shares will be funded from cash from operations.

07:07 EDT Lithia Motors purchases Latham Ford, expected to add $55M in annualized revenue - Lithia Motors announced the purchase of Latham Ford serving the Albany, New York metropolitan area. Latham Ford is expected to add $55M in annualized revenue, bringing Lithia's total network expansion to over $1.75B in revenue thus far in 2020. This acquisition was funded using free cash flow and existing on-balance sheet capacity.

07:05 EDT Steris to acquire Key Surgical for approx. $850M - STERIS announced that the Company has signed a definitive agreement to purchase Key Surgical, a portfolio company of Water Street Healthcare Partners, LLC, through a U.S. subsidiary for $850M. STERIS anticipates that the acquisition will qualify for a tax benefit related to tax deductible goodwill. Adjusting for the present value of the anticipated tax benefit, the purchase price is effectively reduced to approximately $810M. Key Surgical, founded in 1988, is a leading global provider of consumable products serving hospitals and surgical facilities. Annual revenue for Key Surgical in calendar 2020 is anticipated to be approximately $170M, with adjusted EBIT of approximately $50M. Under the terms of the agreement, STERIS will purchase the shares of Key Surgical at closing. The transaction will be financed through a combination of debt and cash on hand and is anticipated to close by December 31, 2020 pending customary closing conditions and regulatory approval. The transaction is expected to be immediately accretive to STERIS's adjusted earnings after close and add approximately $40M to revenue and about 10c to adjusted earnings per diluted share in STERIS's fiscal 2021 fourth quarter. STERIS expects to realize annualized pre-tax earnings synergies of $10M-$15M by year three following the close.

07:04 EDT Samsung Bioepis, Biogen announce EMA filing acceptance of SB11 - Samsung Bioepis (SSNLF) and Biogen Inc. (BIIB) announced that the European Medicines Agency has accepted for review the Marketing Authorisation Application for SB11, a proposed biosimilar referencing Lucentis. Ranibizumab is an anti-VEGF for retinal vascular disorders, which are a leading cause of blindness. If approved, SB11 will join a growing number of biosimilars developed by Samsung Bioepis and commercialized by Biogen. Samsung Bioepis announced in November 2019 that it entered into a new commercialization agreement with Biogen for two ophthalmology biosimilar candidates, SB11 and SB15, in the United States, Canada, Europe, Japan and Australia.

07:03 EDT CGI and Fennia expand strategic relationship - CGI and Fennia Mutual Insurance Company have expanded their strategic relationship. CGI will assume responsibility for a majority of Fennia's IT services under a contract valued at approximately EUR48M. Under the new agreement, CGI will manage Fennia's application development and maintenance services and also provide support services for Fennia's end-users and operating environments. Fennia will benefit from CGI's strong combination of business consulting, systems integration and managed IT services to support its ambitious digital transformation journey. The agreement also includes the transition of about 60 Fennia IT employees to CGI.

07:01 EDT Centene to expand Medicare Advantage offerings for 2021 - Centene announced it plans to expand its Medicare Advantage offerings for 2021. The company's Medicare plans - branded WellCare, Allwell, Fidelis, and Health Net - will operate in 1,249 counties across 33 states in 2021 - a 30% increase since 2020. Centene serves nearly 1M Medicare members across the country, and in 2021, the company will continue to expand its presence. Among the highlights, Centene is offering 122 new plan designs across 30 states.

06:39 EDT ChromaDex announces results from Phase 2 study of COVID-19 - ChromaDex announced that results from the study "Combined metabolic cofactor supplementation accelerates recovery in mild-to-moderate COVID-19" were published on the open access preprint publication server medRxiv.org. The Phase 2 study reported patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 experienced a 29% reduction in recovery time when receiving the standard of care in combination with a nutritional protocol including nicotinamide riboside. The additional nutritional support was designed to promote healthy mitochondrial function and reduced average recovery time to 6.6 days in comparison to average placebo recovery time of 9.3 days."This clinical study on nearly 100 subjects resulted in significantly speedier recovery time for COVID-19 patients and builds upon the existing research," said ChromaDex CEO Rob Fried. "There are currently 11 published human clinical studies showing the safety and efficacy of NR in various indications and several dozen more in the works including studies specifically focused on COVID-19." The research was conducted in partnership with ScandiBio Therapeutics, a biotechnology company originating from the Swedish national infrastructure Science for Life Laboratory.

06:33 EDT Affimed announces dosing of first patient with cbNK cells with AFM13 - Affimed announced that the first patient was successfully dosed with allogeneic cord blood-derived natural killer, or cbNK, cells preloaded with AFM13 and has moved on to the AFM13 monotherapy phase of the treatment cycle. This therapy was developed through a research collaboration with The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. This is the first in human study to combine an NK cell product with an antibody whose primary mechanism is designed to specifically bind and activate NK cells and tumors cells in a bispecific fashion.

06:32 EDT Color Star Technology signs agreements with three South Korean musicians - Color Star Technology announced that it, through its wholly owned subsidiary, Color China Entertainment, has signed separate cooperation agreements with three South Korean musicians. The three musicians, including baritone singer Sanggun Suk, singer and TV personality Jin Jung Hoon and cellist Seunghan Sung, will serve as 'Star Teachers' on Color World, the company's online paid knowledge services platform that connects users with musicians, actors and artists.

06:05 EDT Charles Schwab completes acquisition of TD Ameritrade - Charles Schwab (SCHW) announced that it has completed its acquisition of TD Ameritrade (AMTD). The integration of Schwab's and TD Ameritrade's operations is expected to occur over the next 18 to 36 months, though planning for it has been underway since the acquisition was announced on November 25, 2019. Until the integration is complete, Schwab and TD Ameritrade will continue to operate separate broker-dealers to serve their respective clients. In conjunction with the close of the acquisition, Schwab announced that effective January 1, 2021, it expects to complete the planned change in the designation of its corporate headquarters from San Francisco to its new campus in Westlake, Texas.

06:03 EDT Danaher operating company completes first antibody neutralization study - Beckman Coulter, an operating company of Danaher, announced research results that demonstrate its Access SARS-CoV-2 IgG assay shows agreement to the Genscript SARS-CoV-2 Surrogate Virus Neutralization Test which detects antibodies that block the interaction between the receptor binding domain, or RBD, of the spike, or S, protein and the ACE-2 host cell receptor that are necessary for infection. The findings come from the first in a series of research studies being conducted by Beckman Coulter, that show antibodies that target the RBD of the S protein are potentially neutralizing to the novel coronavirus. As a result, the study's findings will be included in the intended use for Beckman Coulter's CE Mark SARS-CoV-2 IgG assay. In this first study, a total of 162 individual patient samples representing 62 SARS-CoV-2 PCR positive samples and 100 blood donors samples collected before COVID-19 outbreak were used to evaluate agreement between the Access SARS-CoV-2 IgG assay and a SARS-CoV-2 surrogate viral neutralization test that can detect circulating neutralization antibodies. The findings demonstrate that Beckman Coulter's Access SARS-CoV-2 IgG serology assay may be useful as an aid in identifying patients with an adaptive immune response to SARS-CoV-2, indicating recent or prior infection in conjunction with clinical presentation and other laboratory tests. The Genscript assay utilized in the experiment uses purified RBD protein from the viral spike protein and the host cell receptor, ACE2, to mimic the virus-host interaction in an ELISA plate well. This highly specific interaction can then be blocked by specific neutralizing antibodies in patient sera in the same manner as in a conventional virus neutralization assay.

06:01 EDT Amphastar receives FDA approval for Atropine Sulfate injection - Amphastar announced that the U.S. FDA approved the company's Abbreviated New Drug Application for Atropine Sulfate injection 0.1mg/mL in the 10 mL Luer-Jet Prefilled Syringe System. For the past 40 years, the company has sold and marketed the product under the "grandfather" exception to the FDA's "Prescription Drug Wrap-Up" program. Net revenues for the company's Atropine Sulfate injection for the year ended December 31, 2019 were $12.2M.

05:29 EDT Nokia, Tampere University to collaborate on 5G chipsets - Nokia announced that it has joined forces with Tampere University to establish a 'Center of Excellence' to enhance the development of System-on-Chip, or SoC, custom processors for its ReefShark chipset portfolio. The partnership, which will be based at the University campus, aims to accelerate the introduction of the technology into Nokia's ReefShark chipset portfolio. It will also enhance Nokia's silicon capabilities and development of proprietary SoCs. The Center of Excellence is expected to open in November this year. The purpose of the partnership is to accelerate the development of proprietary SoC chipsets, including their design and manufacture, to improve time-to-market and to build a long-term SoC development competence and a foundation for technology leadership. The joint venture will also target an annual chip cadence with ecosystem partners, and see Nokia contribute to module and physical implementation. Nokia will also explore areas such as machine learning, artificial intelligence and security hardware development as well as open source hardware based SoCs. Nokia's global reach will support Tampere University with future research projects as well as guide them in their approach to educating the engineers of the future.

05:22 EDT Argenx enters new antibody engineering partnerships, expands Halozyme pact - Argenx (ARGX) announced the expansion of its technology capabilities in antibody engineering through new partnerships with Chugai and the Clayton Foundation. The company is also broadening its collaboration with Halozyme (HALO) to enable subcutaneous delivery for three additional current or future argenx product candidates. Through these partnerships, argenx gains access to technologies to advance its pipeline. Argenx has entered into two new research agreements to broaden its antibody engineering capabilities. Through these agreements, Argenx can access Fc engineering technologies to expand the therapeutic properties of future antibody candidates that emerge from its Immunology Innovation Program. The company said technologies will complement its current portfolio of Fc engineering technologies and enable the company to further differentiate and expand its pipeline of antibody candidates. Argenx and Chugai have entered into a research license and option agreement under which Argenx may access Chugai's SMART-Ig. Argenx and the Clayton Foundation have entered into a non-exclusive research agreement under which Argenx may access the Clayton Foundation's proprietary DHS mutations to extend the serum half-life of therapeutic antibodies. ability to access Halozyme's Enhanze drug delivery technology for three additional exclusive targets upon nomination bringing the total to six potential targets under the collaboration. To date, two targets have been nominated including the human neonatal Fc receptor FcRn and complement component C2. Enhanze has demonstrated across five FDA-approved products the ability to remove traditional limitations on the volume of biologics that can be delivered subcutaneously, potentially shortening drug administration time, reducing healthcare practitioner time, and offering additional flexibility and convenience for patients.

05:10 EDT Allele files patent infringement lawsuits against Regeneron, Pfizer, BioNTech - Allele Biotechnology and Pharmaceuticals filed two patent infringement lawsuits, one in New York against Regeneron (REGN) and the other in California against Pfizer (PFE) and BioNTech (BNTX). Both complaints address the infringement of Allele's patented mNeonGreen technology, a reagent used in the development of therapeutics for COVID-19. The company said its mNeonGreen protein is considered the world's brightest monomeric fluorescent protein, and the technology behind that protein was patented in 2019. Regeneron, Pfizer and BioNTech used mNeonGreen commercially without authorization from Allele. Hundreds of organizations and universities have active licenses to use Allele's mNeonGreen technology. According to the complaint, Allele reached out to Regeneron on multiple occasions to negotiate a license on reasonable terms, but all of its requests went unanswered. In fact, no defendant sought any permission in advance of using mNeonGreen in developing and testing their vaccines.