Stockwinners Market Radar for October 08, 2020 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

20:01 EDT Caesars resumes operation at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino - The company states: "In accordance with directives from Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak and the Nevada Gaming Control Board, Caesars Entertainment has resumed gaming operations daily and hospitality operations for weekend stays at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino today, Oct. 8. This follows the successful reopening of Caesars Palace Las Vegas, Flamingo Las Vegas, Harrah's Las Vegas, Paris Las Vegas, Bally's Las Vegas and The LINQ Hotel + Experience. As previously announced, the Company has also reopened The LINQ Promenade, High Roller Observation Wheel, FLY LINQ and Eiffel Tower Viewing Deck."

18:49 EDT Just Energy up over 11% at $6.25 per share after PIMCO disclosed 29% stake - Shares of Just Energy are up 11.8% at $6.25 per share after PIMCO disclosed a 28.9% activist stake in a 13D filing afterhours. PIMCO stated: "In connection with the closing of the Recapitalization, the PIMCO Entities entered into an investor rights agreement with the Issuer, Sagard Credit Partners. Pursuant to the Investor Rights Agreement, the PIMCO Entities and Sagard Entities will be entitled to designate one individual for election or appointment to the Issuer's board of directors or, whenever the PIMCO Entities and Sagard Entities collectively hold 20% or more of the Common Shares, the PIMCO Entities and Sagard Entities will be entitled to designate two individuals for election or appointment to the Issuer's board of directors. The Investor Rights Agreement also provides the PIMCO Entities and the Sagard Entities with customary demand and "piggyback" registration rights. The PIMCO Entities may exercise any of their director designation rights and registration rights pursuant to the Investor Rights Agreement in their sole discretion; however, the PIMCO Entities have agreed to consult with the Sagard Entities prior to, in each case, designating a director to the Issuer's board or exercising any registration rights under the Investor Rights Agreement."

18:26 EDT Domino's Pizza CEO: It's simply more expensive to operate during the pandemic - In an interview on CNBC's Mad Money, Ritch Allison said the company saw some cost pressures over the short term due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but he expects them to be temporary. Domino's had a "great quarter" in top-line growth with strong sales of specialty pizzas, Allison noted. "We've seen a nice tailwind for pizza deliveries in the markets that remained open," he said.

17:53 EDT Facebook removes fake account networks based in U.S., Myanmar, Nigeria - Facebook shared an update on the enforcement actions it has taken since its last monthly report on coordinated inauthentic behavior. This includes both its September CIB report and a set of enforcement actions the company has taken in the last few days. In total, Facebook is publishing its findings about 10 networks - six operations we removed in September, most of which it has already announced, and four new operations that it removed since October 1. Facebook said it has removed 200 Facebook accounts, 55 Pages and 76 Instagram accounts for violating its policy against coordinated inauthentic behavior. This activity originated in the U.S. and focused primarily on domestic U.S. audiences and also on Kenya and Botswana. The company also removed 17 Pages, 50 Facebook accounts and 6 Instagram accounts for violating its policy against coordinated inauthentic behavior. This domestic-focused activity originated in Myanmar. Facebook also removed 589 Facebook accounts, 7,906 Pages and 447 accounts on Instagram that were involved in coordinated inauthentic behavior. This network originated in Azerbaijan and focused primarily on domestic audiences. In addition, the company removed 79 Facebook accounts, 47 Pages, 93 Groups and 48 Instagram accounts engaged in coordinated inauthentic behavior. This activity originated primarily in Nigeria and focused on domestic audiences. Reference Link

17:19 EDT Analog Devices, Maxim Integrated shareholders approve merger - Analog Devices (ADI) and Maxim Integrated Products (MXIM) announced that, at their respective special meetings of shareholders, ADI and Maxim shareholders voted to approve their respective proposals relating to the pending combination of ADI and Maxim. The companies continue to expect that the transaction will be completed in the summer of 2021.

17:13 EDT NEJM publishes ph.3 trial data for Gilead's remdesivir showing faster recovery - The company states: "The New England Journal of Medicine published the final results from the NIAID's double-blind, placebo-controlled, Phase 3 ACTT-1 trial of Gilead's investigational antiviral Veklury, or remdesivir, for the treatment of adults hospitalized with mild-moderate or severe COVID-19. The final ACTT-1 study results build on the preliminary results published in NEJM in May 2020, showing that treatment with Veklury resulted in consistent, clinically meaningful improvements across multiple outcome assessments compared with placebo in COVID-19 patients. The final results demonstrate that treatment with Veklury resulted in a faster time to recovery than previously reported. In the preliminary Day 15 results, Veklury plus standard of care shortened the time to recovery by four days, compared with placebo plus standard of care - 11 vs. 15 days. The primary endpoint of the study was time to clinical recovery through Day 29. The study met its primary endpoint, demonstrating Veklury plus standard of care was superior in shortening the time to recovery through Day 29 compared with placebo plus standard of care. In the final Day 29 results, patients receiving Veklury achieved clinical recovery five days faster than those receiving placebo, with a median time to recovery of 10 days with Veklury and 15 days with placebo and an increased recovery rate by 29% compared with placebo . This result was most pronounced in patients who required oxygen support at baseline; in this group, patients receiving Veklury achieved clinical recovery seven days faster than those receiving placebo, with a median time to recovery of 11 days with Veklury and 18 days with placebo. The key secondary study endpoint of clinical status at Day 15 was also met. Patients receiving Veklury were 50% more likely to have improved by Day 15 compared with those receiving placebo, and the effect was maintained through Day 29. The benefit of Veklury was greater when given within 10 days of symptom onset, though benefit was observed across most ranges of symptom duration. In the overall study population, there was a trend toward reduced mortality, a secondary study endpoint, at Day 15 and Day 29 in Veklury-treated patients compared with placebo. Given the range of disease severity in the overall study population, a post-hoc analysis with no adjustment for multiple testing was conducted to determine whether there were differences in mortality based on patients' baseline clinical status and to better understand where Veklury may have the most benefit. In this analysis, patients requiring low-flow oxygen at baseline who received Veklury achieved a statistically significant 72% reduction in mortality at Day 15 and a statistically significant 70% reduction in mortality at Day 29. The difference in mortality in other subgroups based on baseline clinical status was not statistically significant."

17:03 EDT HCA Healthcare sees Q3 facility admissions down 4% - The company states: "Same facility admissions for the third quarter of 2020 are expected to decline 4%, and same facility equivalent admissions are expected to decline 9%, when compared to the third quarter of 2019. Same facility emergency room visits for the third quarter of 2020 are expected to decline 20% from the prior year's third quarter."

17:01 EDT Advantage Oil & Gas raises FY20 capital guidance to $147M-$162 from $130M-$145M - Advantage Oil & Gas Ltd. announced a modest increase in 2020 capital guidance, as a result of continued strengthening of the corporation's outlook. Spending for 2020 is now projected to be between $147M and $162M, an increase of approximately $17 million, primarily to accelerate a four-well pad into Q4 2020 and augment natural gas production through the winter season. Advantage's 2021 production is expected to grow between 5% and 10%, with exceptional growth anticipated in adjusted funds flow based on current natural gas futures pricing. Directionally, Advantage expects that 2021 net capital expenditures will be approximately 75% of AFF, and that net debt to AFF ratio will approach 1x by year-end 2021. The Corporation plans to provide formal 2021 guidance during the fourth quarter of 2020.

16:57 EDT Hecla Mining reports Q3 production - Hecla Mining reported Q3 production results and its cash position at quarter end. Q3 silver production was up9% year-over-year to 3.5 million ounces, gold production was down 47% year-over-year at 41,174 ounces, and equivalent production for silver of 9.0 million ounces or gold of 114,998 ounces. Reports Q3 lead production up 60% to 9,750 tons; zinc production up 17% year-over-year to 17,997 tons. The company had cash and cash equivalents of approximately $97M at September 302020. CEO Phillips Baker stated, "Hecla's strong operating performance was from increasing silver production at Greens Creek and Lucky Friday and managing COVID-19 at all the mines. This operating performance combined with higher silver prices allowed us to close the quarter with $97M of cash and cash equivalents while fully repaying our revolving credit facility. Given our free cash flow generation, we expect to spend about $5M more in exploration, and based on our realized silver price for the quarter being above $25, we expect the silver-linked dividend to be triggered."

16:46 EDT Veeva officer Zuppas sells 4,099 company shares - Veeva officer Eleni Nitsa Zuppas sold 4,099 shares on October 6 at $287.73 per share for a transaction total of $1,179,386.

16:41 EDT FIS names Ido Gileadi as COO - Effective October 7, the Board of Directors of Fidelity National Information Services appointed Ido Gileadi to be the company's COO. Gileadi has served as the Chief Information Officer of the company since 2014, during which time he set and managed the company's technology strategy and its internal and external facing systems. Prior to his role as CIO for the company, Gileadi was a senior partner at The Capital Markets Company, which was acquired by, and became a subsidiary of, the company in 2010, and he continued in that role through 2013.

16:29 EDT NXP Semiconductors jumps 6% after providing improved Q3 revenue view - Shares of shares NXP Semiconductors jumped over 6% or to more than $8.00 per share to $143 in after-hours trading on Thursday, after the chip-maker said it sees Q3 revenue of $2.27B, compared with an earlier mid-point forecast of $2B. Analysts were expecting Q3 revenue of $2B.

16:18 EDT Columbia Property, Allianz Real Estate complete JV for San Francisco property - Columbia Property and Allianz Real Estate announced that they have completed the formation of a joint venture, or JV, to recapitalize 221 Main Street in San Francisco. Allianz contributed cash of $180M for a 45% ownership interest in the joint venture, which values 221 Main Street at $400M. Consistent with most of the other ventures between Columbia and Allianz, Columbia will retain a 55% ownership stake and function as general partner for the venture. Columbia will also continue to oversee the day-to-day operations of the asset. 221 Main Street is a 381,000-square-foot, LEED Platinum and Energy Star-certified office building in San Francisco's South Financial District. Acquired by Columbia in 2014, the property features Bay views and outdoor space. The building is fully leased. With this transaction, 221 Main Street has become the fifth office asset owned by joint ventures between Columbia and Allianz Real Estate, which now have a collective gross asset value of approximately $2.3B.

16:14 EDT Selecta, IGAN in research and option pact to study combo treatment of IgAN - Selecta Biosciences and IGAN Biosciences announced that they have entered into a Research License and Option agreement to study Selecta's ImmTOR immune tolerance platform in combination with IGAN's immunoglobulin A, IgA, protease for the treatment of IgA Nephropathy, IgAN. In advance of exercising its option to enter into an exclusive license agreement, Selecta will conduct preclinical research to evaluate the utility of the combination of ImmTOR and IGAN's IgA protease. Previous studies in animal models conducted at independent laboratories established the ability of IGAN's IgA protease to remove injurious IgA from kidneys and improve markers of renal dysfunction. These results suggest that it is an excellent candidate to decrease the rate of disease progression and possibly even reverse the disease. The barrier to IgA protease commercialization is the bacterial origin of the protease, which makes it immunogenic. Selecta's proprietary immune tolerance platform, ImmTOR, has shown in clinical studies the ability to mitigate the formation of anti-drug antibodies, ADAs,to immunogenic enzymes. This has been demonstrated with its phase 3 lead product candidate, SEL-212, which is a combination of ImmTOR and pegadricase, an immunogenic proprietary pegylated uricase for the treatment of chronic refractory gout. Selecta and IGAN intend to combine IGAN's IgA protease with Selecta's ImmTOR platform to develop a novel combination product to treat IgA nephropathy, a disease with significant unmet medical need. "We are excited to build on our learnings from SEL-212 in combining an immunogenic enzyme with our ImmTOR platform to develop a product candidate for IgA nephropathy," said Carsten Brunn, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Selecta Biosciences. "IGAN's IgA protease has shown tremendous promise in preclinical studies and combining it with ImmTOR to prevent ADAs could lead to a transformational product for patients with this debilitating disease."

16:10 EDT GenMark ePlex RP2 test receives EUA from FDA - GenMark has received Emergency Use Authorization, or EUA from the FDA for its ePlex Respiratory Pathogen Panel 2, or RP2. In less than two hours, the test provides results for more than 20 viruses and bacteria that cause common and often serious respiratory infections, including COVID-19, flu, bronchitis and the common cold. A multiplex, or syndromic, test, the RP2 Panel provides rapid results for infections with similar symptoms such as fever, cough and body aches, which will be essential in preparing for fall and winter as the flu season coincides with the ongoing risk of COVID-19.

16:09 EDT Emergent BioSolutions Covid-19 candidate to be included in NIH sponsored trial - Emergent BioSolutions announced the initiation of the Phase 3 clinical trial that will evaluate plasma-derived therapy COVID-HIG as a potential treatment for hospitalized patients with coronavirus disease, COVID-19. The INSIGHT-013 clinical study called "Inpatient Treatment with Anti-Coronavirus Immunoglobulin, ITAC," is sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIAID, part of the National Institutes of Health, NIH. The study will evaluate the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of hyperimmune globulin products derived from plasma of individuals who have recovered from COVID-19 and have developed neutralizing antibodies to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The randomized controlled clinical trial assigns participants to receive infusions of either a placebo or one of four hyperimmune globulin products, which includes Emergent's COVID-HIG, with a background therapy of remdesivir in all groups. "Emergent is proud to continue our partnership with NIAID/NIH and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, BARDA, to advance potential therapeutic solutions for COVID-19 in hospitalized patients," said Dr. Laura Saward, SVP and therapeutics business unit head at Emergent BioSolutions. "We are drawing from decades of experience developing treatments on our well-established hyperimmune platform to address this serious public health threat."

16:08 EDT Terreno Realty reports Q3 quarter-end occupancy 97.3% vs. 96.0% prior quarter - The company states: "As of September 30, 2020, Terreno Realty Corporation owned 219 buildings aggregating approximately 13.1 million square feet and 22 improved land parcels consisting of approximately 85.0 acres. In addition, Terreno Realty Corporation had one property under redevelopment that upon completion will contain approximately 234,000 square feet: The operating portfolio, excluding one property under redevelopment, was 97.3% leased at September 30, 2020 to 476 tenants as compared to 96.0% at June 30, 2020 and 97.2% at September 30, 2019; The same-store portfolio of approximately 12.0 million square feet was 98.5% leased at September 30, 2020 as compared to 96.5% at June 30, 2020 and 98.1% at September 30, 2019. The increase in occupancy as compared to the prior quarter was driven primarily by the commencement of a 192,000 square foot lease at the Company's 130 Interstate property; The improved land portfolio of 22 parcels totaling approximately 85.0 acres was 98.5% leased at September 30, 2020 as compared to 98.5% at June 30, 2020 and 93.2% at September 30, 2019."

16:05 EDT Oyster Point chairperson Michael Ackermann steps down, Ali Behbahani succeeds - Oyster Point Pharma announced changes to its board, consistent with the company's strategic evolution. Effective immediately, Ali Behbahani, who has served as a member of Oyster Point's board since July 2017, will step into the role of chairperson of the board, replacing Michael Ackermann, who will step down to focus on new company creation and his positions as CEO of Presidio Medical and chairperson of Tarsus Pharmaceuticals, two earlier-stage healthcare companies. Ackermann will continue to provide Oyster Point his expertise as an external strategic consultant going forward.

16:01 EDT CyrusOne names Katherine Motlagh CFO - CyrusOne announced that the company's Board of Directors has elected Katherine Motlagh as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Effective October 30, 2020, Motlagh will succeed Diane Morefield, who announced her retirement earlier this year. Morefield will work with Motlagh to ensure a seamless transition, remaining full time with the company until December 31, and then part time through March 1, 2021. Motlagh is currently Chief Financial Officer for the Europe, Africa and Latin America regions at American Tower Corporation, a global infrastructure REIT which develops, owns, and operates multitenant communications real estate.

15:25 EDT Southwest announces winter flight schedule with new destinations - Southwest primed its winter flight schedule with service details for new destinations in Florida, California and in the Colorado Rockies. The carrier announced new seasonal service to Montrose Regional Airport on the Western Slope of Colorado, begins December 19, the same day as previously announced seasonal service to Steamboat Springs. Service to Miami and Palm Springs both will begin November 15. New routes to Miami, Palm Springs and Montrose now available on Southwest.com. The number of seats are limited by days of week and market, from the first date of service through March 4, 2021, if booked by 11:59 p.m. on October 15. Blackout dates apply. Beginning Sunday, November 15, Southwest will offer nonstop service to Miami from Tampa, Baltimore, Houston and Chicago and Palm Springs from Oakland, Phoenix and Denver. Beginning Saturday, December 19 and mirroring the flight schedule previously announced for Steamboat Springs, Southwest will operate new service seasonally through April 5, 2021:As low as $49 one-way nonstop between Montrose and Denver and as low as $79 one-way nonstop between Montrose and Dallas. Southwest also reestablished service to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, offering the airline's inaugural international nonstop service from Phoenix. The carrier is now operating daily service between Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and both Los Cabos and Puerto Vallarta. Southwest flight schedules are currently published through April 11, 2021, offering connecting international service to customers in the majority of its airports across the United States through a dozen gateway airports with international departures: Austin, Baltimore/Washington, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Indianapolis, Nashville, Orlando, Phoenix, Sacramento, St. Louis and Tampa. Southwest currently offers published service to five countries: three cities in Mexico-Cancun, Los Cabos and Puerto Vallarta-Aruba, Montego Bay in Jamaica, Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic and Havana in Cuba. Southwest recently revised its published flight schedule for November and December and added new routes linking existing Southwest cities across the country with nonstop service.

14:53 EDT Google debuts Sound Notifications, Android push notifications for critical sound - Google said in part in an earlier blog posting :"Sound Notifications is a new feature on Android that provides push notifications for critical sounds around you. Designed for the estimated 466 million people in the world with hearing loss, Sound Notifications makes important and critical household sounds more accessible with push notifications, a flash from your camera light, or vibrations on your Android phone. This feature can also be helpful if someone is unable to hear temporarily as a result of an injury, wearing earplugs or headphones...Developed with machine learning, Sound Notifications works completely offline and uses your phone's microphone to recognize ten different noises-including baby sounds, water running, smoke and fire alarms, appliances beeping and door knocking. This expands our sound detection work in Live Transcribe which shows over 30 sound events alongside real time captions, to provide a better picture of overall sound awareness." Reference Link

14:23 EDT GameStop up 21.5% to $11.37 after announcing Microsoft cloud partnership

14:21 EDT GameStop trading resumes

14:09 EDT Waymo opens driverless service to general public in Phoenix - Alphabet's Waymo said that, starting October 8, it is opening up its fully driverless offering to Waymo One riders in Phoenix, Arizona. " In 2017, we began our early rider program in the Metro Phoenix area with the next generation of our technology, using the full-size hybrid Chrysler Pacifica," the company said in a blog post. "This 4th-generation Waymo Driver was significantly more sophisticated than Firefly's technology, and for the last year, has pioneered fully driverless, paid rides on high-speed roads across a service area larger than the city of San Francisco." Reference Link

14:06 EDT Morgan Stanley fined $60M by OCC for oversight failures - The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency has assessed a $60M civil money penalty against Morgan Stanley Bank, N.A., and Morgan Stanley Private Bank, N.A. The OCC took these actions based on the banks' failure to exercise proper oversight of the 2016 decommissioning of two Wealth Management business data centers located in the U.S. Among other things, the banks failed to effectively assess or address risks associated with decommissioning its hardware; failed to adequately assess the risk of subcontracting the decommissioning work, including exercising adequate due diligence in selecting a vendor and monitoring its performance; and failed to maintain appropriate inventory of customer data stored on the decommissioned hardware devices. In 2019, the banks experienced similar vendor management control deficiencies in connection with decommissioning other network devices that also stored customer data. The OCC found the noted deficiencies constitute unsafe or unsound practices and resulted in noncompliance. The OCC penalty will be paid to the U.S. Treasury.

14:02 EDT GameStop moves to Microsoft cloud solutions in multi-year partnership - GameStop (GME) announced that it has entered into a multi-year partnership agreement with Microsoft (MSFT). "Through this partnership, GameStop will standardize the Company's business operations on Microsoft's cloud solutions and hardware products to deliver rich new digital experiences to customers, creating the "ultimate gaming destination" for gamers in its vision to be the premier omni-channel customer access point for video game products," the company said in a statement. Under the agreement, GameStop will standardize its back-end and in-store solutions on Dynamics 365. Additionally, its associates will be equipped with new Microsoft Surface devices. "As part of its transformation, GameStop plans to roll out Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Teams to its stores, empowering more than 30,000 store associates with enhanced productivity and collaboration tools," the company added.

13:57 EDT Best Buy kicks off Black Friday sales on October 13 - Best Buy said it is kicking off Black Friday sales next week. For two days, on Oct. 13 and 14, shoppers can get dozens of deals straight from the not-yet-released Black Friday ad. The rest of Best Buy's Black Friday ad, and more opportunities to score Black Friday deals, will come later this month, the company said. Reference Link

13:39 EDT ACM Research says J Capital Research report 'contains numerous misstatements' - ACM Research responded to the issuance of a report by J Capital Research USA with respect to ACM and its operations. The company said, "The report contains numerous misstatements of historical facts regarding ACM's business and operations, including, among others, errors regarding revenue, tool ASPs, gross margins, key suppliers, inventory, and other balance sheet-related items. ACM expects to release its financial results for the third quarter of 2020 and to host its quarterly earnings conference call in early November 2020. ACM expects to respond in more detail to the report's misstatements during the upcoming earnings call, when ACM's current disclosure quiet period will end."

12:05 EDT Famous Dave's signs 25-unit development deal - Famous Dave's recently signed a 25-unit development agreement to grow the BBQ brand in select locations across the U.S. - adding to its 125 existing locations. The BBQ franchise is partnering with Bluestone Hospitality Group to open both Famous Dave's ghost kitchens and dual restaurant concepts with the group's Italian brand, Johnny Carino's. Famous Dave's is also looking to implement a drive-thru while it focuses on improving current locations and growing into new territories. Famous Dave's of America, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of BBQ Holdings.

12:00 EDT Acuity Brands falls -10.1% - Acuity Brands is down -10.1%, or -$11.42 to $101.84.

12:00 EDT Yalla rises 12.5% - Yalla is up 12.5%, or $1.01 to $9.09.

12:00 EDT Eaton Vance rises 47.8% - Eaton Vance is up 47.8%, or $19.58 to $60.52.

11:43 EDT Taysha Gene Therapies granted orphan designation by FDA - Taysha Gene Therapies was granted FDA orphan designation for its treatment for Rett syndrome, according to a post to the agency's website. Reference Link

11:42 EDT Eli Lilly, Incyte: Baricitinib has effect on COVID-19 patients requiring oxygen - Eli Lilly and Company (LLY) and Incyte (INCY) shared additional data showing baricitinib in combination with remdesivir reduced time to recovery and improved clinical outcomes for patients with COVID-19 infection compared with remdesivir. This finding was part of additional efficacy and safety data from the Adaptive COVID-19 Treatment Trial sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health presented today by John Beigel, M.D., associate director for clinical research in the Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases at NIAID. These data were presented at a special International Society for Influenza and other Respiratory Virus Diseases Antiviral Group Virtual Conference on 'Therapeutics for COVID-19.' The largest benefits were observed in patients requiring supplemental oxygen and those who required high-flow oxygen/non-invasive ventilation at baseline. A numerical decrease in death through Day 29 was observed in patients treated with baricitinib plus remdesivir compared to remdesivir in the overall population. The reduction in mortality was more pronounced for patients receiving oxygen, as mortality at Day 29 was 60% lower and 43% lower for the OS5 and OS6 subgroups respectively. No new safety signals were observed for baricitinib-treated patients in this study. NIAID authors are working to have the full analysis completed and a peer-reviewed manuscript will be made available soon.

11:27 EDT CBS announces brand refresh across all divisions, platforms - CBS has unveiled a new brand identity that "evolves, simplifies and elevates the look and feel of all its divisions across platforms while creatively featuring iconic elements of the brand's rich history," announced by President and CMO Mike Benson. The updated brand identity for entertainment programming debuted on the Network this week in advance of the upcoming fall season. Viewers can expect to see it rolled out across CBS News leading up to the 2020 election and for CBS Sports by the Network's broadcast of Super Bowl LV on Sunday, Feb. 7, 2021. Similar iterations are being developed for CBS Television Stations and CBS Television Distribution. The company said, "New elements of the CBS brand strategy and its evolved look, feel and sound: The iconic CBS Eye will be used across the brand identity in a flexible style that elevates it as a standalone logo and leans into the shapes and elements that make it up - separating and rejoining in unity via lively animation. Brand attribution will be applied to programming and promotion that drives better connection between the CBS core brand, its sub-brands and our premium content available across CBS-owned and third-party platforms. Content on CBS and CBS-owned platforms will be tagged with 'CBS Original,' 'CBS News,' 'CBS Sports' or 'CBS Presents' to reinforce its role as a leading creator and content provider for its platforms and many others. Content produced by CBS Studios will also include "A CBS Studios Production" and CBS Studios branded marks. An audio expression of the updated brand identity comes to life in a five-note mnemonic written by assigning musical notes to the historic 'This is CBS' voiceover slogan, creating a new melody and animation that will appear at the top of the hour during primetime programming on CBS. Unified logos and graphics that simplify and closely identify CBS as the core brand across divisions. Updated avatars and watermarks to be used across all CBS social media handles. "

11:14 EDT Biosynthetic Technologies, Univar enter distribution agreement for BioEstolides - Biosynthetic Technologies announced a distribution partnership with Univar Solutions for Europe, Middle East and Africa. This partnership will extend Biosynthetic Technologies' footprint for the personal care market outside of the U.S. market to meet the demand for biobased personal care ingredients with its' BioEstolides product line. Biosynthetic Technologies entered in a distributor agreement with Univar Solutions for the USA earlier this year. Under the terms of the new agreement, Univar Solutions will market, sell, warehouse and support Biosynthetic Technologies full BioEstolide product portfolio starting September 30, 2020.

11:02 EDT GoodRx, Kroger Health announce renewal agreement - GoodRx (GDRX) announced it had agreed with Kroger Health - the healthcare division of The Kroger Co. (KR) - to a three-year renewal of their relationship, "enabling customers across the country to continue to use the Kroger Rx Savings Club program to help reduce costs for prescription drugs." Jim Sheninger, GoodRx's Pharmacy Strategy Officer, said, "Kroger is the largest supermarket chain in the U.S. and is visited by millions of consumers every day, so we're proud to continue working together to further our mission of providing Americans with access to affordable and convenient healthcare."

10:36 EDT Lilly provides additional details on SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody programs - Eli Lilly and Company announced additional details on its SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody programs - including interim data on combination therapy in recently diagnosed patients with mild- to moderate COVID-19 - and plans to make these therapies broadly available to patients. Data from a new interim analysis of the BLAZE-1 clinical trial showed that combination therapy with two of Lilly's SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies reduced viral load, symptoms, and COVID-related hospitalization and ER visits. The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 2 study evaluated LY-CoV555 and LY-CoV016, which bind complementary regions of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, for the treatment of symptomatic COVID-19 in the outpatient setting. The combination cohort enrolled recently diagnosed patients with mild- to moderate COVID-19, who were assigned to 2800 mg of each antibody or placebo. The combination therapy significantly reduced viral load at day 11, meeting the primary endpoint of the study. Most patients, including those receiving placebo, demonstrated near complete viral clearance by day 11. Further, combination treatment reduced viral levels at day 3 and day 7-earlier time points during the course of infection when higher viral loads are typically seen. Combination therapy also significantly reduced the time-weighted average change from baseline from day 1 to 11. An exploratory analysis showed that the proportion of patients with persistent high viral load at day 7 for combination therapy was lower versus placebo, corresponding to a nominal p value of pless than0.0001 without multiplicity adjustment. No emergent putative resistance variants have been observed thus far in patients treated with combination therapy. Combination therapy also met prespecified clinical endpoints, including the time-weighted average change from baseline in total symptom score from day 1 to 11. The improvement in symptoms was observed as early as three days after dosing and was similar in magnitude and timing to improvements previously seen with LY-CoV555 monotherapy. The rate of COVID-related hospitalization and ER visits was lower for patients treated with combination therapy versus placebo, a relative risk reduction of 84.5 percent. This was also similar to observations for LY-CoV555 monotherapy. Combination therapy has been generally well tolerated with no drug-related serious adverse events. In LY-CoV555 monotherapy studies there have been isolated drug-related infusion reactions or hypersensitivity that were generally mild (two reported as serious infusion reactions, all patients recovered). Treatment-emergent adverse events were comparable to placebo for both LY-CoV555 monotherapy and combination therapy. Lilly is working to publish the monotherapy and combination therapy data in peer-reviewed journals as soon as possible. To be able to quickly provide treatment to patients around the world, Lilly invested in large-scale manufacturing of both antibodies at risk - even before data demonstrated their potential to become a meaningful therapeutic option for COVID-19. For monotherapy, Lilly is focused on the 700 mg dose of LY-CoV555 since similar clinical effects were seen across all dose levels tested in BLAZE-1. Lilly anticipates it could supply as many as one million doses of 700 mg LY-CoV555 monotherapy in Q4 2020, with 100,000 available in October. With respect to the supply of combination therapy, Lilly anticipates it will have 50,000 doses available in Q4 2020. The supply of combination therapy will increase substantially beginning in Q1 2021, as additional manufacturing resources come online throughout the year, including Lilly's recently announced manufacturing collaboration with Amgen (AMGN). Lilly is also pursuing additional partnerships to provide antibodies to resource-limited countries. Based on the combination therapy data, along with the previously disclosed findings for LY-CoV555 monotherapy, Lilly has engaged global regulators, including the FDA, regarding potential Emergency Use Authorization. Lilly has now submitted an initial request to the FDA for EUA for LY-CoV555 monotherapy in higher-risk patients who have been recently diagnosed with mild- to moderate COVID-19. We expect to submit a subsequent request for EUA for combination therapy in November, pending clinical trial enrollment, once additional safety data accumulate and sufficient supply is manufactured. Lilly anticipates having data to support a biologics license application submission for combination therapy as early as Q2 2021. Conversations with global regulators, including Health Canada, are ongoing. The BLAZE-1 clinical trial continues to enroll a confirmatory cohort of higher-risk patients who have been recently diagnosed with mild- to moderate COVID-19, testing the ability of the antibody combination to reduce the number of patients with persistently high viral load and reduce COVID-related hospitalizations. In addition, Lilly is studying lower doses of combination therapy and alternative delivery options in planned or ongoing clinical trials. Other ongoing clinical trials include a Phase 3 study of LY-CoV555 monotherapy for the prevention of COVID-19 in residents and staff at long-term care facilities. In addition, LY-CoV555 monotherapy is being tested in the National Institutes of Health-led ACTIV-2 and ACTIV-3 studies of ambulatory and hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Data from these other ongoing trials are not yet available. Thus far, over 850 trial participants have been dosed with LY-CoV555, contributing to the safety data supporting this potential treatment. To generate additional efficacy and safety data, Lilly plans to initiate a pragmatic, open-label study in the coming weeks, enrolling patients treated with either monotherapy or combination therapy, with a focus on collecting data regarding hospitalizations, deaths and safety. Moving forward, LY-CoV555 and LY-CoV016 will be referred to as bamlanivimab and etesevimab, respectively.

10:27 EDT Domino's Pizza sees FY20 G&A expense $405M-$410M

10:17 EDT Sonic Automotive sinks after CEO arrested, charged with assaulting a female - Shares of Sonic Automotive are lower in Thursday morning trading after the company's CEO, David Bruton Smith, was arrested on several charges Monday, including assault by strangulation, assault on a female, false imprisonment and interfering with emergency communications, according to records publicly available from the Mecklenburg County Jail. The jail's records indicate that Smith was released on Tuesday, October 6. The official arrest report states the victim was a 22-year-old woman who told officers Smith "assaulted an unlawfully restrained her without her consent," according to a report from WBTV 3. When reached for comment about the arrest, a Sonic Automotive spokesperson released the following statement to local news station WBTV 3: "The Board of Directors of Sonic Automotive remains steadfast in its support of our CEO, David Smith. We believe in David's leadership, honesty and transparency, which he has demonstrated throughout his tenure as Chief Executive Officer and over 20 years of service to the Company. David has informed the Board that he is innocent of these charges and expects to be fully exonerated." In Thursday morning trading, shares of Sonic Automotive are down $2.41, or 5.35%, to $42.56. Reference Link

10:00 EDT Renren falls -7.9% - Renren is down -7.9%, or -38c to $4.40.

10:00 EDT UMC rises 10.3% - UMC is up 10.3%, or 54c to $5.77.

10:00 EDT Eaton Vance rises 46.3% - Eaton Vance is up 46.3%, or $18.96 to $59.90.

09:52 EDT Dick's Sporting to hire up to 9,000 seasonal associates - Dick's Sporting announced it will hire up to 9,000 associates for the 2020 holiday season. DICK'S third-annual "National Signing Day" on October 14 launches the company's recruiting efforts for positions nationwide. All Dick's Sporting Goods, Golf Galaxy and Field & Stream store locations and the company's distribution centers will be closed on Thanksgiving Day, November 26, allowing teammates to spend the holiday with their families. Black Friday offers will be available on Thanksgiving Day at dicks.com, golfgalaxy.com and fieldandstreamshop.com with stores re-opening on Black Friday to serve customers nationwide.

09:24 EDT Waitr Holdings shares move up after announcing the addition of dine in function - Shares of Waitr Holdings are up 2% in pre-market trading to $3.75 per share after announcing that it has launched tableside service technology for restaurants. Through the scanning of a QR code on a smartphone, the new product allows diners to access the menu from the table, place an order, pay and tip all in the Waitr app without contact. "Contactless service has become increasingly important amid the pandemic for safety reasons. This new product will serve the need of restaurants that are bolstering their safety protocol, and will help make diners feel safer since the ordering process is contact free," said Carl Grimstad, CEO and chairman of the Board of Waitr. "This product also has the potential to increase the number of times a table can turnover due to the lack of waiting on the diner side." Grimstad continued, "Waitr is diversifying its' product offerings to include a further integrated payment solution that with my experience in the payments industry is of great importance today. I believe this is a natural next step to better position Waitr for the long term, and best support our restaurant partners in these trying times and beyond." Since Mr. Grimstad has taken over at Waitr in January 2020, Waitr has quickly implemented many strategic initiatives around service and profitability. Waitr also began delivering same-day groceries, offering No-Contact delivery for all restaurant and grocery orders and now Dine-In service capabilities.

09:20 EDT Chicken Soup for the Soul's Screen Media acquires rights to 'Skyfire' movie - Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainmentannounced that Screen Media has acquired all North American rights to Simon West's big-budget action/disaster film Skyfire and will release the film in theaters and on demand in December 2020.

09:18 EDT Carnival expects to dispose of 18 ships - The company expects future capacity to be moderated by the phased re-entry of its ships, the removal of capacity from its fleet and delays in new ship deliveries. Since the pause in guest operations, the company has accelerated the removal of ships in fiscal 2020 which were previously expected to be sold over the ensuing years. The company now expects to dispose of 18 ships, ten of which have already left the fleet. In total, the 18 ships represent approximately 12 percent of pre-pause capacity and only three percent of operating income in 2019. The sale of less efficient ships will result in future operating expense efficiencies of approximately two percent per available lower berth day and a reduction in fuel consumption of approximately one percent per ALBD. The company expects only two of the four ships originally scheduled for delivery in 2020, following the start of the pause, to be delivered prior to the end of fiscal 2020, including Enchanted Princess which was delivered last week. The company currently expects only five of the nine ships originally scheduled for delivery in fiscal 2020 and 2021 to be delivered prior to the end of fiscal year 2021. The company currently expects nine cruise ships and two smaller expedition ships of the 13 ships originally scheduled for delivery prior to the end of fiscal year 2022 to be delivered by then. Based on the actions taken to date and the scheduled newbuild deliveries through 2022, the company's fleet will be more efficient with a roughly 13 percent larger average berth size per ship and an average age of 12 years in 2022 versus 13 years, in each case as compared to 2019.

09:17 EDT Carnival says advanced bookings for 2H21 at 'higher end' of historical range - Carnival said, "While the company believes bookings in the first half of 2021 reflect expectations of the phased resumption of its guest cruise operations and anticipated itinerary changes, as of September 20, 2020, cumulative advanced bookings for the second half of 2021 capacity currently available for sale are at the higher end of the historical range. The company believes this demonstrates the long-term potential demand for cruising. Pricing on these bookings are lower by mid-single digits versus the second half of 2019, on a comparable basis, reflecting the effect of future cruise credits from previously cancelled cruises being applied. The company continues to take bookings for both 2021 and 2022. The company is providing flexibility to guests with bookings on sailings cancelled by allowing guests to receive enhanced FCCs or elect to receive refunds in cash. Enhanced FCCs increase the value of the guest's original booking or provide incremental onboard credits. As of September 20, 2020, approximately 45 percent of guests affected by the company's schedule changes have received enhanced FCCs and approximately 55 percent have requested refunds. Total customer deposits balance at August 31, 2020, was $2.4 billion, the majority of which are FCCs, compared to total customer deposits balance of $2.9 billion at May 31, 2020. The decline in customer deposits is consistent with previous expectations. As of August 31, 2020, the current portion of customer deposits was $2.1 billion with $0.1 billion relating to fourth quarter sailings. Approximately 60 percent of bookings taken during the three weeks ended September 20, 2020 were new bookings as opposed to FCC re-bookings, despite minimal advertising or marketing."

09:11 EDT Cemtrex receives $500,000 upgrade order in Advanced Technology Segment - Cemtrex has received a $500,000 order to upgrade a security technology system through its Advanced Technology Segment for a large Tennessee based corrections facility. The mission-critical enterprise-class system is an upgrade from Cemtrex's legacy system to its latest offering, which includes a state-of-the-art video surveillance security system, Valerus software solution, cameras and related storage hardware.

09:10 EDT Sykes Enterprises appoints David Brain as CDO - Sykes Enterprises announced the appointment of David Brain as chief digital officer, effective immediately. As CFO Brain will be responsible for reconstituting and leading SYKES' portfolio of best-in-class digital capabilities gained largely through strategic acquisitions under one roof. Since co-founding Symphony Ventures in 2014, which was later acquired by SYKES, Brain has specialized in developing innovative solutions that leverage Intelligent Automation and Robotic Process Automation to digitize the back, middle and front office operations of enterprises.

09:08 EDT CSX appoints Thomas Bostick to board of directors - CSX Corp. (CSX) announced that Lt. General Thomas Bostick has been appointed to the company's board of directors, effective immediately. Bostick served in the U.S. Army for 38 years. He served as the Chief of Engineers and Commanding General of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. After retiring from the military, Bostick was COO of Intrexon and President of Intrexon Bioengineering (XON).

09:06 EDT American Vanguard acquires Australian crop protection firm - American Vanguard announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary American Vanguard Australia Pty Ltd has acquired all shares of the Australian specialist agrochemical company, AgNova Technologies Pty Ltd. Details of the transaction were not disclosed. AgNova is focused on serving customers primarily in the value-added fruit and vegetables segment of the Australian market. It has a growing product portfolio and ample R&D resources to create a pipeline of tailored solutions to meet the needs of Australian growers.

09:05 EDT Tecogen announces additional sales of TecoChill systems - Tecogen announced multiple sales of TecoChill STx series chillers, including a 200 ton TecoChill for a school in Connecticut, and two 150 ton TecoChill units to a public works utility in Virginia. These systems will provide a total of 500 tons of natural gas engine driven cooling and reduce electric demand by 300 kW using inexpensive natural gas instead of electricity. By using the free heat recovery from the TecoChill systems, the aggregate greenhouse gas reduction potential from the projects is estimated to be approximately 150 tons of CO2 per year.

09:05 EDT NanoVibronix receives positive Nasdaq listing determination - NanoVibronix announced that the company has received formal notification that the Nasdaq Hearings Panel has granted the Company's request for continued listing on The Nasdaq Capital Market pursuant to an extension through December 15, 2020, to evidence compliance with the minimum $2.5 million stockholders' equity requirement set forth in Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(b) for continued listing on The Nasdaq Capital Market. As previously disclosed, the Company earlier received notice from the Listing Qualifications Staff of The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC indicating that the Company no longer satisfied the Rule and was therefore subject to delisting. In response, the Company timely requested a hearing before the Panel, which request stayed any further action by the Staff. The hearing was held on September 24, 2020.

09:03 EDT OpenText expands electronic signature offering - OpenText announced that it has expanded its electronic signature offering, which is now available to small and medium-sized businesses, large enterprises and developers. The offering includes a full feature, low-cost option of Core Signature for small and medium-sized businesses and the Core Signature Service for developers looking to integrate e-signature into custom-built applications.

09:02 EDT Qualigen Therapeutics enters agreement with Yi Xin Zhen Duan Jishu - Qualigen Therapeutics announces it has entered into an agreement with Yi Xin Zhen Duan Jishu Ltd, of Suzhou, China to develop, manufacture and sell new generations of diagnostic test systems based on Qualigen's core FastPack "laboratory in a pouch" technology. In addition, Yi Xin Zhen Duan Jishu will have the rights to manufacture and sell Qualigen's current generations of rapid point-of-care FastPack diagnostic products in China. Under the terms of this agreement, Qualigen is to receive net cash payments this quarter and next quarter totaling in the mid- to high-hundreds of thousands of dollars, plus low- to mid-single-digit royalties on net sales. Qualigen will provide technology transfer and patent/know-how license rights to facilitate Yi Xin's development and commercialization.

08:53 EDT Nordson director Puma sells over $366K in shares - Nordson director Mary Puma sold 1,848 shares of company stock on October 6 for $198.12 per share for a total transaction of $366,126.

08:51 EDT Sunrun completes acquisition of Vivint Solar - In a regulatory filing, Vivint Solar (VSLR) disclosed that on October 8, 2020, Sunrun (RUN) completed the acquisition of Vivint Solar pursuant to their merger agreement, pursuant to which merger sub merged with and into Vivint Solar, with Vivint Solar continuing as the surviving corporation. As a result of the merger, Vivint Solar became a direct wholly owned subsidiary of Sunrun. In connection with the completion of the merger, on October 8 Vivint Solar notified the New York Stock Exchange that the transaction had closed and requested that the NYSE suspend trading of the Vivint Solar common stock on the NYSE, withdraw the Vivint Solar common stock from listing on the NYSE and file with the SEC a notification on Form 25 to delist the Vivint Solar common stock from the NYSE. As a result, the Vivint Solar common stock will no longer be listed on the NYSE.

08:42 EDT Sunrun completes acquisition of Vivint Solar - Sunrun has completed its acquisition of Vivint Solar which was initially announced on July 6, 2020. This follows approval by regulators and stockholders of both companies. With the transaction complete, Sunrun solidifies its position as the leader in home solar and energy services across the United States and a top owner of solar assets globally with more than three gigawatts of solar energy and more than 500,000 customers. Sunrun will be a meaningful contributor to a fully renewable and electrified energy system. Our growing fleet of solar homes and batteries will be networked to provide greater benefits to the grid and energy consumers. Generating energy at the point it is used reduces the need for dirty energy being produced far away that is increasingly expensive to transmit. Our customers have already and will continue to help shut down inefficient carbon-producing power plants. Over the coming months, product offerings will be transitioned to offer customers the best solutions, including expanded access to Sunrun's leading Brightbox rechargeable battery solution which enables homeowners to power through grid outages. Vivint Solar will continue to operate as a Sunrun company for the immediate future and will be integrated into the Sunrun organization over the coming quarters. Sunrun estimates annual cost synergies of approximately $90M to be realized over 12 to 18 months. As previously announced, Vivint Solar stockholders will receive 0.55 shares of Sunrun common stock for each share of Vivint Solar common stock they own immediately prior to the consummation of the acquisition. The combined company will continue to trade on The Nasdaq Global Select Market under the ticker symbol RUN. Post-closing, Sunrun now has a market capitalization of approximately $17B based on the closing prices of Sunrun common stock on October 7, 2020 and an enterprise value of approximately $22B on a fully-diluted basis pro-forma for the transaction as of the most recently reported quarter.

08:40 EDT Vivint Solar trading halted, news dissemination

08:38 EDT AMA Insurance, EXL announce strategic relationship for LifePro deployment - EXL announced that AMA Insurance has selected EXL LifePRO to provide leading edge new business and policy administration platform services. The cloud-based deployment will be hosted by EXL along with ongoing application management support.

08:36 EDT Phunware announces MaaS contract extension by U.S. real estate company - Phunware announced a Multiscreen-as-a-Service, MaaS, contract extension by one of the largest, privately held real estate companies in the United States for its Smart Shopper Solution to enhance their retail shopping experience on mobile. The Customer specializes in shopping, entertainment and residential developments, while also developing parks, plazas integrated with retail environments and mixed-use developments that feature a blend of shopping, dining and entertainment alongside residential living. "Real estate companies, real estate investment trusts and retailers are great partners for Phunware because there is a growing trend in favor of mixed-use development blending business, retail and residential living in pedestrian-friendly environments," said Randall Crowder, COO of Phunware. "These types of complex user experiences demand the kind of tech-enabled mobile engagement that our MaaS platform was specifically designed to achieve, and it's increasingly clear that the COVID-19 pandemic has greatly accelerated adoption curves for digital transformation on mobile as businesses of all types look to foster Healthy Spaces for their customers to work, live and shop again."

08:34 EDT Acuity Brands CEO expects weakness in nonresidential building activity - CEO Neil Ashe commented, "We continued to demonstrate the durability of our business and our ability to generate cash despite challenging market conditions. We believe the uncertainty around the economic recovery due to the COVID-19 pandemic remains and, as a result, we expect weakness in nonresidential building activity based on current construction indicators. As we look forward to fiscal 2021, we see an opportunity to leverage our expanded product portfolio in lighting, lighting controls, and intelligent buildings along with our investment in our digital transformation to expand market share."

08:33 EDT LSB Industries announces new 7 year nitric acid contract - LSB Industries announced that it has signed a new long term nitric acid supply contract with a customer. Under the agreement, LSB will supply between 70,000 to 100,000 tons of nitric acid per year. Sales are expected to begin in the first quarter of 2021. "We are very pleased to have been chosen as key long-term supplier of nitric acid to an important customer," stated Mark Behrman, LSB's President and Chief Executive Officer. "Notably, his contract advances one of our key operating initiatives to leverage our underutilized nitric acid production capacity at our El Dorado facility. This contract, along with the previously released CO2 and LDAN agreements, is the result of our focused marketing efforts to sell our excess production capacity and change product mix in order to enhance our margins. We expect these agreements, when combined with the impact of a new fertilizer storage facility that we completed construction on in April, will provide a meaningful increase in incremental annual EBITDA when fully implemented."

08:31 EDT Lazydays acquiring Camp-Land - Lazydays has signed a letter of intent to acquire Camp-Land, located in Burns Harbor, Indiana. Camp-Land RV is an RV dealership with RV brands including Grand Design, Jayco, Coachmen, Thor and Winnebago. The acquisition of Camp-Land RV is expected to be finalized within 45 days.

08:25 EDT U.S. GSA deploys BIO-key's PortalGuard IAM solution - BIO-key International announced that the U.S. Government Services Agency selected BIO-key's PortalGuard IAM solution to deliver flexible, secure and compliant two-factor authentication for a public facing central communication application.

08:21 EDT OncoCyte, Fondazione Michelangelo enter immune therapy biomarker collaboration - Oncocyte Corporation announced a strategic collaboration with the Fondazione Michelangelo in Milan, Italy to evaluate DetermaIO as a biomarker for response in the NeoTRIPaPDL1 trial. The biomarker trial is a prospectively designed, retrospective study of archived study material from the therapeutic trial in triple-negative breast cancer, one of the new frontiers for immune therapy treatment. At recently held scientific conferences, The Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer Annual Meeting 2019 and American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting 2020, researchers from the West Clinic and MD Anderson Cancer Center, respectively, presented results on the predictive performance of DetermaIO in response to PD-1 therapies in advanced non-small cell lung cancer and TNBC. In these initial studies, the test outperformed the two currently available biomarkers, PD-L1 and TMB, most commonly used to inform patient selection for immunotherapy.

08:18 EDT Cisco, Qwilt, Digital Alpha collaborate for open caching solution - Cisco, Qwilt and Digital Alpha announced how they are disrupting the commercial Content Delivery Network market with a new as-a-service offering based on Open Caching, with BT as the flagship customer. Open Caching, an open architecture developed and endorsed by the Streaming Video Alliance, offers a platform that federates content delivery infrastructure deployed deep inside service provider networks, into a global CDN with open APIs for content publishers. It is designed to help service providers easily deploy an edge CDN footprint, offering them more control over content flows. It also caters to the needs of global and regional content providers for more capacity, consistency in content delivery and performance assurance. Featuring Digital Alpha as the investing partner providing a unique funding solution, this partnership combines Qwilt's innovative content delivery platform based on Open Caching, with Cisco's edge compute and networking infrastructure to deliver the solution as-a-service to service providers of all sizes around the world.

08:16 EDT Amneal, PL Developments ship store brand equivalent Voltaren Arthritis Pain Gel - Amneal Pharmaceuticals and PL Developments, PLD, announced that they have commenced shipments of store brand equivalent Voltaren Arthritis Pain Gel, diclofenac sodium topical gel, 1%, in 50, 100 and 150g laminate tubes following FDA clearance. Amneal and PLD have partnered to bring this important product to US retailers.Voltaren Arthritis Pain was switched OTC in February of 2020, making it available to US consumers without a prescription. prior to switching OTC, sales of diclofenac sodium topical gel, 1% totaled approximately $250M. We, along with our partners at PLD, are excited to announce the launch of the first brand matching portfolio of store brand Voltaren OTC," said Chirag and Chintu Patel, Co-Chief Executive Officers. "We were the first to market generic Voltaren Gel in 2016 and are pleased to launch an OTC version. This represents another example of Amneal's commitment to bringing affordable generic medicines to US consumers."

08:15 EDT NIO Inc. selects Cerence for collaboration on voice technologies - Cerence (CRNC) announced that NIO (NIO) has selected Cerence for collaboration to deploy voice technologies in its products.

08:11 EDT Bank OZK reports resignation of Chief Credit Officer of the bank - In a regulatory filing, Bank OZK disclosed that on October 5, John Carter notified Bank OZK of his decision to resign as Chief Credit Officer of the bank to pursue an opportunity with a real estate development and construction company. "To ensure a smooth transition of his duties, Mr. Carter has agreed to continue to serve as the Bank's Chief Credit Officer until October 29, 2020, the effective date of his resignation. Effective October 29, 2020, Tim Hicks, the Bank's Chief Administrative Officer and Executive Director of Investor Relations, will assume the role of Chief Credit Officer in addition to his current duties... Mr. Carter's resignation was not a result of any disagreement with the Bank or any matter relating to its operations, policies or procedures. The Bank appreciates Mr. Carter's hard work and dedication throughout his 11 years of service to the Bank and wishes him success in his new endeavor," the filing added.

08:10 EDT X4 Pharmaceuticals granted Fast Track Designation for mavorixafor - X4 Pharmaceuticals announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted Fast Track Designation to its lead asset, mavorixafor, for the treatment of adult patients with WHIM syndrome, a rare, inherited, primary immunodeficiency disease caused by genetic mutations in the CXCR4 receptor gene. Mavorixafor is a potential first-in-class, once-daily, oral, small molecule antagonist of chemokine receptor CXCR4, currently being investigated in a global pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial, 4WHIM, for the treatment of WHIM syndrome. In addition to Fast Track Designation, mavorixafor was previously granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation by the FDA, as well as Orphan Drug status by the FDA and the European Commission for the treatment of WHIM syndrome.

08:09 EDT Caladrius opens PoC study of CLBS119 in COVID-19-induced lung damage - Caladrius Biosciences announced that it has opened its proof-of-concept study of CLBS119 as a treatment for COVID-19-induced lung damage and begun screening prospective patients for inclusion at NYU Langone Health. This planned 12-patient open-label clinical trial is designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a single administration of CLBS119 for the treatment and repair of COVID-19-induced lung damage in adults. The study will target patients who are experiencing hypoxia due to prior infection with SARS-CoV-2 and who require supplemental oxygen.

08:07 EDT AerCap reports financing transactions for $2.2B in Q3 - AerCap Holdings reported its Q3 major business transactions: signed financing transactions for approximately $2.2B, signed lease agreements for 28 aircraft, including 3 widebody aircraft and 25 narrowbody aircraft; purchased 9 new aircraft, including 8 Airbus A320neo Family aircraft and 1 Boeing 787-9; executed sale transactions for 7 owned aircraft, including 2 Airbus A320 Family aircraft, 1 Boeing 737NG, 1 Boeing 747, 2 Boeing 767s and 1 Boeing 777-200ER.

08:06 EDT Corbus to reduce workforce by 54%, extend cash runway to mid-2022 - Corbus Pharmaceuticals Holdings announced a restructuring of its workforce designed to reallocate capital to certain clinical and preclinical programs. Corbus will allocate resources towards its lenabasum clinical development program in dermatomyositis and systemic lupus erythematosus, and our pipeline of other novel ECS-targeting drug candidates. The pipeline includes cannabinoid receptor type 1 inverse agonists, follow-on cannabinoid receptor type 2 agonists, as well as other programs with their own unique mechanism of action in the ECS field. The Company is allocating resources and implementing cost reductions designed with the objective of extending its cash runway to mid-2022. Corbus recorded cash and cash equivalents of approximately $83M at September 30, 2020. The Company intends to reduce ongoing expenses and extend its existing cash runway through the following restructuring initiatives and to prioritize its pipeline: Implementing a restructuring program which will result in a reduction of its workforce by 54%; Focusing on those tasks on the critical path for lenabasum in DM and SLE; and Prioritizing its preclinical pipeline based on what the Company believes is its most promising candidates.

08:05 EDT Cornerstone OnDemand appoints Duane La Bom chief diversity officer - Cornerstone OnDemand announced the appointment of Duane La Bom as the company's first Chief Diversity Officer. In this role, La Bom is responsible for driving the company's diversity, equity and inclusion, DEI, strategy by introducing new programs that foster an inclusive workplace environment and ensure the entire global Cornerstone team is doing its part to contribute to lasting, cultural change. La Bom joins Cornerstone today as a seasoned leader in the DEI space. He brings nearly 20 years of experience leading successful HR and DEI programs at both emerging, high-growth organizations and established Fortune 100 companies. Most recently, he was the Executive Director of Global Diversity & Inclusion for Texas Instruments, and prior to that, he was the Chief Diversity Officer and VP of Talent Management for Andeavor. He also held HR and DEI leadership positions at Rackspace, Toyota Motors Manufacturing North America and Willamette Industries.

08:04 EDT Xenon on track to initiate Phase 3 trial with KCNQ2-DEE before year-end - Xenon Pharmaceuticala provided regulatory updates on its proprietary pediatric neurology program, XEN496, a Kv7 potassium channel modulator that is a proprietary pediatric formulation of the active ingredient ezogabine being developed for the treatment of KCNQ2 developmental and epileptic encephalopathy. With the U.S. Food and Drug Administration having completed its review of the clinical trial protocol, Xenon is on track to initiate the XEN496 Phase 3 clinical trial in pediatric patients with KCNQ2-DEE before year-end. In addition, Xenon has received a positive opinion from the Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products of the European Medicines Agency, which recommends the granting of an orphan medicinal product designation for XEN496 for the treatment of KCNQ2-DEE. This European designation is in addition to the FDA granting Fast Track designation for XEN496 for the treatment of seizures associated with KCNQ2-DEE as well as Orphan Drug Designation for the treatment of KCNQ2-DEE. The XEN496 Phase 3 "EPIK" clinical trial is titled "A Phase 3 Study of Adjunctive XEN496 in Pediatric Subjects with KCNQ2 Developmental and Epileptic Encephalopathy." This study is designed as a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel group, multicenter clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy, safety and tolerability of XEN496 administered as adjunctive treatment in approximately 40 pediatric patients aged one month to less than 6 years with KCNQ2-DEE. After screening, patients will enter a baseline period to assess the frequency of seizures. Eligible subjects will be randomized on a 1:1 basis to receive either XEN496 or placebo for approximately 15 weeks. At the end of treatment, there will be a period of tapering off of study drug, followed by a 28-day safety monitoring period. Patients may be considered for an open-label extension if they meet all requirements. The primary endpoint is the percent change from baseline in monthly countable motor seizure frequency during the blinded treatment period, as recorded by caregivers in a daily seizure diary. Key secondary endpoints include the proportion of patients experiencing greater than or equal to 50 percent reduction in monthly seizure frequency from baseline, caregiver global impression of change scores, and caregiver global impression of severity scores.

08:03 EDT Berry Global is investing in a Reicofil R5 asset to serve Asia market - Berry Global Group announced that it is investing in a state-of-the-art Reicofil R5 asset to provide incremental capacity to serve the fast growing Asia healthcare markets. The investment is targeted to meet forecasted market and customer growth and will be focused on high performance applications in the desired healthcare markets. The nonwovens investment supports Berry's strategy to further its leadership position in healthcare. The new asset will be installed at Berry's Nanhai, China, facility, which is strategically positioned to serve customers in the rapidly growing Southeast Asia region. Current projections are for startup in the September quarter of 2022. "We are committed to further partnering with our customers to pursue growth opportunities around the world. The added capacity achieved through this asset is a next step in advancing our market leading position in healthcare material solutions," said Curt Begle, President of Berry's Health, Hygiene, and Specialties Division. "This investment comes on the heels of the successful commercialization of the first of its kind R5 asset in Berry's Nanhai, China, facility, serving the high-loft soft material needs of the premium hygiene markets throughout the Asia region." Berry will be the first company in the world to secure two state-of-the-art R5 assets. Once installed, the asset will be critical in the manufacturing of healthcare nonwoven materials, primarily surgical drapes and gowns.

08:02 EDT Thor Industries appoints Josef Hjelmaker as Chief Innovation Officer - Thor Industries created a new executive leadership team position of Chief Innovation Officer and has appointed Josef Hjelmaker. Most recently, Hjelmaker led the global cooking product development organization at Whirlpool Corporation.

08:01 EDT McDonald's reports Q3 total SSS down 2.2% - Reports Q3 International SSS down 4.4%.

07:58 EDT McDonald's reports Q3 SSS up 4.6% in U.S.

07:53 EDT Johnson & Johnson: EC approves Advance Purchase Agreement with Janssen - Johnson & Johnson announced the European Commission, acting on behalf of the European Union Member States, has approved an Advance Purchase Agreement in which the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies will supply 200M doses of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate to EU Member States following approval or authorization from regulators. The EU Member States also have the option to secure up to 200M additional doses. This contract follows the conclusion of exploratory talks with the EC. The company is in ongoing discussions with other stakeholders, including national governments and global organizations, as part of its efforts to meet its commitment to make its vaccine candidate accessible globally, provided the vaccine has a good safety profile, is efficacious and receives approval or authorization from regulators. Separate to the agreement with the EC, as part of the company's larger commitment to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, Johnson & Johnson has also announced plans to allocate up to 500M vaccine doses toward international efforts to ensure access for lower income countries, with delivery beginning mid next year following approval or authorization from regulators.

07:39 EDT NuZee forms sales advisory team to implement sales strategies - NuZee announced that it has formed an Advisory Team to help develop and implement enhanced sales strategies to fuel growth and to identify potential operational efficiencies. Selected by NuZee's management for their industry knowledge, alignment with the goals of the company, expertise in packaging, B2B sales, production efficiencies, and dedication to coffee, the team members will make themselves available from time to time to make introductions to companies who could benefit by doing business with NuZee.

07:37 EDT Domino's Pizza reports Q3 global retail sales growth, ex-FX, of 14.8%

07:36 EDT Bioceres says Argentina approves HB4 Wheat 'event' for growth and consumption - Bioceres Crop Solutions announced that Argentina's Ministry of Agriculture has granted approval of the Company's HB4 Wheat 'event' for growth and consumption. Argentina is Latin America's largest wheat producer and the world's first country to adopt HB4 drought tolerance technology for this staple crop. The country's regulatory clearance follows approval of HB4 Soybean, which has been approved in other major production geographies, including the US and Brazil which, together with Argentina, represent nearly 80% of the world's total soybean acreage. Commercialization of HB4 Wheat in Argentina is contingent upon import approval in Brazil, which purchases just over 85% of its wheat from Argentina. Currently, regulatory processes for HB4 Wheat also continue advancing in the US, Uruguay, Paraguay and Bolivia. Bioceres intends to initiate regulatory processes in Australia and Russia as well as certain countries in Asia and Africa.

07:35 EDT Morgan Stanley to acquire Eaton Vance for $7B in cash, stock transaction - Morgan Stanley (MS) and Eaton Vance (EV) have entered into a definitive agreement under which Morgan Stanley will acquire Eaton Vance for an equity value of approximately $7B. Morgan Stanley Investment Management, or MSIM, will be an asset manager with approximately $1.2T of AUM and over $5B of combined revenues. The company said MSIM and Eaton Vance are highly complementary with limited overlap in investment and distribution capabilities. The combination will also bring Eaton Vance's U.S. retail distribution together with MSIM's international distribution. The combination will position Morgan Stanley to generate financial returns through increased scale, improved distribution, cost savings of $150M and revenue opportunities. By financing the transaction with 50% cash, Morgan Stanley will utilize approximately 100bps of excess capital, and the firm's common equity tier 1 ratio is expected to remain approximately 300bps above the firm's stress capital buffer requirement of 13.2%. The transaction is expected to be breakeven to earnings per share immediately and marginally accretive thereafter, with fully phased-in cost synergies, and add approximately 100bps to return on tangible common equity. Under the terms of the merger agreement, Eaton Vance shareholders will receive $28.25 per share in cash and 0.5833x of Morgan Stanley common stock, representing a total consideration of approximately $56.50 per share. Based on the $56.50 per share, the aggregate consideration paid to holders of Eaton Vance's common stock will consist of approximately 50% cash and 50% Morgan Stanley common stock. The merger agreement also contains an election procedure allowing each Eaton Vance shareholder to seek all cash or all stock, subject to a proration and adjustment mechanism. In addition, Eaton Vance common shareholders will receive a one-time special cash dividend of $4.25 per share to be paid pre-closing by Eaton Vance to Eaton Vance common shareholders from existing balance sheet resources. It is anticipated that the transaction will not be taxable to Eaton Vance shareholders to the extent that they receive Morgan Stanley common stock as consideration. The transaction has been approved by the voting trust that holds all of the voting common stock of Eaton Vance. The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions, and is expected to close in Q2 of 2021.

07:34 EDT SAIC wins $49.5M U.S. Navy contract for RSN C4ISR upgrades and refurbishment - The U.S. Navy awarded Science Applications International a $49.5M single-award task order to continue to provide the Royal Saudi Naval Forces support services for command, control, communications, computers, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, C4ISR, upgrade and refurbishment. Work will take place in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Under the cost-plus fixed-fee task order, awarded as part of the SeaPort-NxG contract, SAIC will leverage repeatable solutions such as engineering, design and integration, integrated product support and sustainment capabilities on critical networks. These networks fulfill the Naval Information Warfare Systems Command's requirement for Program Executive Office C4I International Integration Program Office Royal Saudi Naval Forces RSNF, In-Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Support Services. "For more than 40 years, SAIC has supported the Navy's mission to help maintain the Royal Saudi Naval Forces' C4ISR capability modernization, engineering and logistics," said Jim Scanlon, SAIC executive vice president and general manager of the Defense Systems Group. "As a leader in technology integration, SAIC is excited to continue its assistance to the Navy as it continues to build this strategic partnership with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia."

07:33 EDT Jazz Pharmaceuticals reports positive Phase 3 results of Xywav in hypersomnia - Jazz Pharmaceuticals announced positive top-line results from the Phase 3 withdrawal study evaluating the efficacy and safety of an investigational use of Xywav oral solution in adult patients with idiopathic hypersomnia. Patients entering the study had excessive daytime sleepiness typical of the idiopathic hypersomnia population. All patients were treated with Xywav during the open-label titration period and clinically meaningful improvements in the Epworth Sleepiness Scale were observed. Those who were administered Xywav showed clinically meaningful maintenance of efficacy for ESS, PGIc and IHSS, and there were highly statistically significant worsenings in patients administered placebo compared with Xywav. The safety profile in this study was consistent with the known safety profile of Xywav with no new safety signals observed in this population. Jazz will submit the Phase 3 study data for presentation at an upcoming medical meeting and these data will be included in the planned submission of a supplemental New Drug Application to the FDA as early as 1Q21. The FDA granted Fast Track designation to Xywav in September.

07:31 EDT Domino's Pizza reports Q3 U.S. same store sales growth of 17.5% - Reports Q3 International same store sales growth of 6.2%; Global net store growth of 83.

07:14 EDT Mesa Air operates first revenue cargo flight for DHL Express - Mesa Air Group operated its first revenue cargo flight for DHL Express from its crew and maintenance base at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. Mesa Airlines is the first regional airline to operate narrow-body aircraft like the Boeing 737. The company is currently completing the introduction of the Boeing 737 into the Mesa aircraft fleet. Under the previously announced agreement, Mesa will operate two Boeing 737-400F aircraft on behalf of DHL for a five-year term. Monday marked the official start of that agreement as Mesa begins operations with its first Boeing 737-400F aircraft. The second aircraft is scheduled to enter service in November.

07:12 EDT JPMorgan commits $30B to advance racial equity including 'affordable' housing' - JPMorgan Chase announced new long-term commitments to advance racial equity. "The firm will harness its expertise in business, policy and philanthropy and commit an additional $30B over the next five years to provide economic opportunity to underserved communities, especially the Black and Latinx communities. Structural barriers in the U.S. have created profound racial inequalities that have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The existing racial wealth gap puts a strain on families' economic mobility and restricts the U.S. economy. Building on the firm's existing investments, this new commitment will drive an inclusive economic recovery, support employees and break down barriers of systemic racism, added JPM. The firm has made commitments to :Promote and Expand Affordable Housing and Homeownership for Underserved Communities Originate an additional 40,000 home purchase loans for Black and Latinx households. To do this, the firm is committing $8 billion in mortgages. Provide an additional 15,000 loans to small businesses in majority-Black and -Latinx communities. To do this, the firm will deliver $2B in loans. The firm will also provide $2B in philanthropic capital over the next five years to drive an inclusive economic recovery and support Black, Latinx and other underserved communities. This extends and increases the firm's current five-year $1.75B philanthropic commitment made in 2018. It will also include an emphasis on supporting Black- and Latinx-led organizations.

07:11 EDT Ascot Resources intercepts 1,320 g/t silver at Silver Hill - Ascot Resources announced high-grade silver intercepts at the Silver Hill prospect at the Company's Premier Gold Project. These holes are from drill pad SH-02 at Silver Hill located 260 metres to the northeast of last year's intercepts from SH-01, demonstrating the presence of wide-spread mineralization in the area. Highlights from Silver Hill include: 1,320g/t Ag over 1.00m in hole P20-2211; 154.3g/t Ag over 7.12m in hole P20-2220; 4.31g/t Au over 1.00m in hole P20-2219. The Company completed six drill holes from three pads at Silver Hill in August 2020. This news release summarizes the results from four drill holes (for a total of 1,005m). Assays for the other two holes at Silver Hill and for additional holes from the Day Zone are pending and will be released as soon as they are available. We are experiencing delays at our assay lab caused by end of season crunch and reduced capacity for sample preparation due to Covid-19 procedures.

07:08 EDT Quanex appoints William Waltz to board of directors - Quanex Building Products (NX) announced the appointment of William Waltz to its Board of Directors effective October 7, 2020. Waltz has been the President and CEO of Atkore International Group (ATKR) since 2018.

07:08 EDT Auto Experience proposes to buy Consumer Portfolio for $135M in cash - Auto Experience announced it has informed the board of directors of Consumer Portfolio Services of its interest in acquiring the company in an all-cash transaction valued at $135M. An acquisition at that price would nearly double the current value of the Nasdaq-listed company. In an October 7, letter to the company formally conveying an "indication of interest," Auto Experience said it proposes to acquire CPS for approximately $6.18 per share of common stock. CPS shares closed at $3.35 on October 7. In its letter to CPS, Auto Experience said it would add value to the company and its shareholders by re-engineering aspects of CPS's operations, applying proprietary technology and enhanced digital capabilities as the market increasingly shifts online, and employing a combination of existing resources and new leadership steeped in automobile financing and digital commerce. In its letter to the company, Auto Experience asked for a response from the CPS Board by October 30.

07:06 EDT Silence Therapeutics initiates search for CFO - Silence Therapeutics announces that, following its successful Nasdaq listing in September 2020, it has initiated a search for a CFO based in the United States. Rob Quinn, the current CFO who is based in the United Kingdom, will leave the Company in January 2021 to take up a new position, following an orderly transfer of work. A search for the new U.S. based CFO has commenced and a further announcement will be made in due course.

07:05 EDT Atlas Technical Consultants appoints Laura Strunk as CLO, Britni Aucoin as CIO - Atlas Technical Consultants (ATCX) announce Laura Strunk as the new Chief Legal Officer and Britni Aucoin as the new Chief Information Officer. Strunk previously served as Associate General Counsel and Assistant Corporate Secretary at USA Compression (USAC) Partners, LP in Austin. Aucoin, a former Digital Practice & Offering Developer Senior Manager at Accenture (ACN) North America, has worked with clients in Oil & Gas and Food & Beverage industries to develop digital strategies for operational technology and manufacturing.

07:03 EDT LiveXLive Media adds linear OTT channel to Samsung TV Plus - LiveXLive Media (LIVX) announced that Samsung Electronics (SSNLF) will add the LiveXLive linear streaming channel to Samsung TV Plus, its free Smart TV video service that delivers instant access to 145 channels and growing in news, sports, entertainment and more. Samsung TV Plus is one of the top apps on Samsung Smart TVs and is also available in the Galaxy Store and Google Play for select Galaxy smartphones.

07:01 EDT Target announces exclusive collection with FAO Schwarz - Target announces an exclusive collection with FAO Schwarz, alongside the largest Bullseye's Top Toys list ever. Whether shopping in store or on Target.com, guests can enjoy more than 600 exclusives and incredible value all season long. And in the season of giving, Target will donate up to $1M as it continues its partnership with Toys for Tots. Later this month, Target and FAO Schwarz's exclusive 70-piece toy collection will be available at Target stores nationwide, on Target.com and at the FAO Schwarz store in New York City, with many items under $20. Known for over 150 years as the most famous toy store in the world, the famed FAO Schwarz store in New York City also will carry more than 300 Target items from the retailer's exclusive brands, including kid-favorites Cat & Jack and Pillowfort.

06:57 EDT Carrier Global, AWS collaborate to co-develop Lynx digital platform - Amazon Web Services, an Amazon.com company (AMZN), and Carrier Global (CARR), announced a multi-year agreement to co-develop Carrier's new Lynx digital platform. This suite of tools will provide Carrier customers around the world with enhanced visibility, increased connectivity, and actionable intelligence across their cold chain operations to improve outcomes for temperature-sensitive cargo, including food, medicine, and vaccines. The collaboration builds on Carrier's selection of AWS as its preferred cloud services provider in February, 2020.

06:53 EDT Moderna awarded $56M from DARPA - Moderna announced an agreement for a commitment of up to $56M from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to fund development of a mobile manufacturing protype leveraging Moderna's existing manufacturing technology that is capable of rapidly producing vaccines and therapeutics. The agreement builds on a previous assistance grant with DARPA established in 2013.

06:52 EDT Helen of Troy CEO Julien Mininberg to continue through February 29, 2024 - Helen of Troy CEO Julien R. Mininberg intends to extend his employment with the company through February 29, 2024. The company and Mininberg are working to finalize an amended employment agreement. CFO Brian Grass intends to retire to pursue entrepreneurial interests and will step down from his position effective November 1, 2021, after more than 15 years at the company and more than seven years in the CFO role.

06:50 EDT Eli Lilly arranges for potential COVID-19 therapy supply to low-income countries - Eli Lilly (LLY) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, as part of the COVID-19 Therapeutics Accelerator, have entered into an agreement to facilitate access to future Lilly therapeutic antibodies under development for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19, the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 novel coronavirus, to benefit low- and middle-income countries. Therapeutic antibodies have the potential to prevent and treat COVID-19, reducing the burden on healthcare systems worldwide. This effort to bring equitable access to novel treatments is part of the COVID-19 Therapeutics Accelerator, an initiative launched by the Gates Foundation, Wellcome, and Mastercard (MA) to speed the development of and access to therapies for COVID-19. Commercial manufacturing will commence in April 2021 at the Fujifilm (FUKIY) Diosynth Biotechnologies facility in Denmark, where the Therapeutics Accelerator reserved manufacturing capacity in an agreement announced in April. The Gates Foundation based its decision to collaborate with Lilly for the manufacturing capacity on pre-set criteria, including available information regarding safety, efficacy and ability to implement in lower-resource settings. Lilly has already started the manufacturing technology transfer at risk, in anticipation of regulatory authorization for its antibody therapy. In the interest of making supply of COVID-19 therapeutic innovations available globally as quickly as possible, Lilly will make certain volumes of its antibody therapeutic manufactured in other facilities available to lower-income countries prior to April 2021, pending the timing of regulatory authorization. Lilly and its collaboration partners will continue to be responsible for research and development of the product. Lilly's collaborators, AbCellera Biologics, Shanghai Junshi Biosciences and Columbia University have agreed to waive their royalties on the Lilly therapeutic antibodies distributed in low- and middle-income countries as part of this initiative.

06:47 EDT Pfizer, Opko Health: C0311002 Phase 3 study met primary endpoint - Pfizer (PFE) and OPKO Health (OPK) announced that C0311002, a Phase 3, randomized, multicenter, open-label, crossover study evaluating somatrogon dosed once-weekly in children 3 to less than18 years of age with growth hormone deficiency, met its primary endpoint of improved treatment burden compared to GENOTROPIN for injection administered once-daily. Top-line results from the study demonstrated that treatment with somatrogon once-weekly improved the mean overall Life Interference total score after 12 weeks of treatment (8.63) compared to treatment with somatropin administered once-daily (24.13). The point estimate of the treatment difference was -15.49 in favor of somatrogon at the nominal 0.05 level. In addition, key secondary endpoints showed an overall benefit in treatment experience with the somatrogon once-weekly dosing regimen compared to the somatropin once-daily dosing regimen.

06:37 EDT IBM to execute spin-off of Managed Infrastructure Services unit - IBM announced it will accelerate its hybrid cloud growth strategy. Additionally, IBM will separate its Managed Infrastructure Services unit of its Global Technology Services division into a new public company. The separation is expected to be achieved as a tax-free spin-off to IBM shareholders, and completed by the end of 2021. IBM will focus on its open hybrid cloud platform. With tighter integration and focus on its open hybrid cloud and AI solutions, IBM will move from a company with more than half of its revenues in services to one with a majority in cloud software and solutions. IBM will also have more than 50% of its portfolio in recurring revenues. As part of this strategic acceleration, IBM is taking action to simplify and optimize its operating model for speed and growth. This includes streamlining its geographic model and transforming its go-to-market structure. IBM is also continuing to consolidate its shared services. The company said this operating model will support accelerated innovation for the hybrid cloud, and provide more flexibility to increase investment in growth areas. The new company has relationships with more than 4,600 technology-intensive clients in 115 countries, including more than 75% of the Fortune 100 and a backlog of $60B. The new company will be entirely focused on managing and modernizing client-owned infrastructures. It will leverage its expertise to offer hosting and network services, services management, infrastructure modernization, and migrating and managing multi-cloud environments. With a streamlined business model, the new company will help enterprises optimize their performance through AI and automation. NewCo will also be able to partner fully across all cloud vendors, while maintaining a strong strategic partnership with IBM and continuing to serve existing and new clients. The proposed separation is expected to be effected through a pro-rata spin-off to IBM shareowners that will be tax-free for U.S. federal income tax purposes. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including Form 10 registration with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, receipt of a tax opinion from counsel, and final approval by IBM's board. The separation is currently expected to be completed by the end of 2021. Following separation, the companies together are initially expected to pay a combined quarterly dividend that is no less than IBM's pre-spin dividend per share. Following the completion of the separation, each company's dividend policy will be determined by its respective board. One-time transaction costs are expected to include tax charges, operational separation activities, and other customary items.

06:25 EDT Evotec receives $6M payment from Bristol-Myers following portfolio expansion - Evotec (EVTCY) announced that the company has received a $6M payment from Bristol-Myers (BMY) following the decision to expand the portfolio by another drug discovery project. Evotec and Bristol-Myers initiated the collaboration in 2016 to identify disease-modifying treatments for a broad range of neurodegenerative diseases. Currently approved drugs only offer short-term management of patients' symptoms and there is a huge unmet medical need for therapies that slow down or reverse disease progression in the field of neurodegenerative diseases. This collaboration pursues an approach to the discovery and development of novel medicines by leveraging several of Evotec's technology platforms in conjunction with the human iPSC-based platform. The partnership between Bristol-Myers and Evotec has already found several access points into neurodegenerative diseases. Adding yet another approach with direct relevance to Alzheimer's disease further complements the portfolio, which currently covers a range of incurable neurodegenerative conditions.

06:21 EDT Facebook to suspend U.S. political ads after polls close on Election Day - Facebook will suspend indefinitely all political and social-issue advertising in the U.S. after the polls close November 3. "While ads are an important way to express voice, we plan to temporarily stop running all social issue, electoral or political ads in the US after the polls close on November 3, to reduce opportunities for confusion or abuse. We will notify advertisers when this policy is lifted," the company said. Facebook also said it would add restrictions to posts about poll-watching operations that use militarized language or suggest an aim to intimidate voters. Reference Link

06:06 EDT Kroger launches two on-premise ghost kitchens at stores in Indiana, Ohio - Kroger announced the launch of two on-premise kitchens, respectively at stores in Metro Indianapolis, Indiana and Metro Columbus, Ohio. Developed in partnership with ClusterTruck, a technology start-up that operates delivery-only restaurants, the kitchens will provide a variety of freshly prepared meals on-demand with no service or delivery fees. Kroger and ClusterTruck's on-premise kitchens were developed from the momentum and insights of a pilot launched in December 2019 in Carmel and Indianapolis, Indiana and Columbus, Ohio. Different from the off-premise concept, the new concept will repurpose approximately 1,000 square feet at each participating store to create a culinary space for ClusterTruck staff to prepare meals for quick delivery and in-store pickup. Customers can order from a menu of more than 80 meals, spanning a variety of ingredients. The expansion of Kroger's relationship with ClusterTruck reflects the retailer's ongoing investments in providing a variety of prepared fresh food options and creating an experience for customers. Kroger experienced a 127% digital sales lift in Q2, as customers continued to use digital ordering options, including pickup, delivery and ship to home.

05:30 EDT Gilead, European Commission sign JPA to enable access to Veklury in the EU - Gilead and the European Commission signed a joint procurement agreement, or JPA, that will enable access to Veklury, the first antiviral drug proven to be effective for the treatment of COVID-19 in the European Union, or EU. The JPA enables participating countries in the EU and the European Economic Area, or EEA, and the UK to purchase Veklury for both real-time demand and stockpiling needs, coordinated by the European Commission. The agreement covers purchases of Veklury over the next six months and has the option to be extended. In the EU, EEA and UK, Veklury is indicated for the treatment of COVID-19 in adult and adolescent patients with pneumonia requiring supplemental oxygen. The JPA replaces an emergency support instrument, or ESI, that enabled the European Commission to procure Veklury for EU Member States, including the UK, from August through October. Both the ESI and JPA temporarily remove the need for country-by-country reimbursement processes that typically follow marketing authorization, in recognition of the current health crisis. Gilead will begin fulfilling orders the week of October 12. The European Commission granted conditional marketing authorization of Veklury on July 3, based on data from the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled ACTT-1 trial that demonstrated the clinical efficacy and safety of Veklury in COVID-19 patients with pneumonia requiring supplemental oxygen. The filing was also supported by data from two randomized clinical trials demonstrating the efficacy and safety of Veklury in five-day and ten-day dosing durations. The increased supply of Veklury will expand access to the medicine to additional appropriate patients with COVID-19, offering the potential for patients to recover faster, thereby reducing hospital stays and healthcare resource utilization. Supply of Veklury is expected to meet global demand by the end of this month, enabling the purchase of Veklury both to treat patients and to support national stockpiling of the medicine for current and future surges of COVID-19. The significant increase in Veklury supply is the result of early investments that Gilead made to increase internal manufacturing capacity, expand external contract manufacturing network and shorten the production timeline through process improvements. More than 40 contract manufacturing organizations, including more than 10 partner sites in Europe, support the production of Veklury supply for patients and clinical trials around the world. Through these efforts, Gilead is on track to produce more than 2M treatment courses of Veklury this year, increasing supply by more than 400-fold since January and will produce several million more treatment courses in 2021, if required.

05:20 EDT Sam's Club to hire 2,000 associates for holiday shopping season - Sam's Club, owned by Walmart, is adding more days of deals, introducing more newness, more often in clubs and online. And, as Sam's Club gears up for a busy shopping season, it is hiring 2,000 supply chain associates to support the expected demand. Additionally, Sam's will unveil all its November deals in a single savings book, mailed to members' homes the week of October 21. The deals for the December events will also be shared with members in just one book that is mailed to members' homes in late November. Sam's Club is hiring 2,000 permanent, full-time associates across the country for its supply chain operations in both its fulfillment centers and distribution centers. All fulfillment center hourly associates will receive a $2 hourly premium during the holiday season. Hundreds of those new hires will work at the retailer's new fulfillment center in Perris, California, just outside of Los Angeles, which opened last month. This will be the first holiday season that club associates will fulfill online orders. The program, called Ship from Club, will utilize more than 100 clubs across the country to pick online orders from club inventory and ship directly to members' homes. Ship from Club is expected to speed up the fulfillment of orders and account for about one-fifth of all online orders. Also new this year, members will be able to shop online and pick up at their club in all 597 locations. Launched earlier this year, curbside pickup is the latest contactless shopping offer from Sam's Club. As always, Sam's Club members can use its Scan & Go technology for a contactless experience when shopping in clubs.

05:07 EDT AeroVironment completes Sunglider HAPS stratospheric test flight - AeroVironment (AVAV) announced the Sunglider solar-powered high-altitude pseudo-satellite, or HAPS reached an altitude of more than 60,000 feet above sea level and demonstrated mobile broadband communication. Sunglider's development and testing is funded by HAPSMobile, a joint venture majority-owned by SoftBank (SFTBY) and minority-owned by AeroVironment. During the test flight, which began at 5:16 a.m. MDT on September 21 and concluded at 1:32 a.m. MDT on September 22, the AeroVironment team piloted Sunglider to a stratospheric altitude of 62,500 feet above Spaceport America in New Mexico. Sunglider achieved test objectives relating to propulsion, power systems, flight control, navigation and datalink integrity, as well as structural performance during the most turbulent phases of the flight as it entered and exited the jet stream. The broadband communication demonstration linked teams in Tokyo, Spaceport America and Silicon Valley using an LTE payload jointly developed by Alphabet's Loon LLC and HAPSMobile. Employing standard LTE smartphones, a team at Spaceport America conducted multiple video calls via the Sunglider's payload while the aircraft circled for more than five hours in the stratosphere. The Sunglider, a solar-powered HAPS, has a wingspan of 262 feet and is propelled by 10 electric motors powered by solar panels covering the surface of the wing and rechargeable battery packs, resulting in zero emissions. Flying at an altitude of approximately 65,000 feet above sea level and above the clouds, the Sunglider can carry payloads weighing as much as 150 pounds and is designed for continuous, extended missions of months without landing.