Stockwinners Market Radar for December 21, 2022 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

20:06 EST Cathie Wood's ARK Investment bought 8K shares of Roku today

20:06 EST Cathie Wood's ARK Investment bought 22K shares of Intellia Therapeutics today

19:06 EST Moderna finalizes strategic partnership with U.K. government - Moderna announced the finalization of a strategic partnership with the UK government to establish a state-of-the-art mRNA research, development, and manufacturing facility in the UK. This milestone follows the agreement in principle between Moderna and the UK government, announced in June 2022. "Our new state-of-the-art facility will bring mRNA manufacturing to UK shores, providing the UK public with access to pandemic response capabilities through Moderna COVID-19 vaccines and future respiratory virus vaccine candidates," said Stephane Bancel, Chief Executive Officer of Moderna. "We look forward to being part of the UK's world-renowned science and innovation community, contributing to the UK health ecosystem through significant investments in R&D activities and expanding our clinical trial footprint across the country." Construction is expected to commence in early 2023, with the facility expected to become operational by 2025, subject to planning and regulatory approvals.

18:11 EST Zenvia announces agreement with SenseData to extend payments - Zenvia announced the successful renegotiation of its remaining payments linked to the SenseData acquisition. Shay Chor, Zenvia's CFO, stated: "With this agreement with SenseData, we close the year with all earn out payments extended, positively impacting our funding gap and significantly reducing payments until the end of 2023. This allows us to focus on our profitability path and improving the company's capital structure while maximizing cashflow." The payment of R$23.7M, due at the end of December 2022, was reduced to R$18M, with the remaining amount to be paid in 12 fixed installments over 2023, and subject to accrued interests in line with Zenvia's current bank financing costs. Also, for 2023, the total amount of remaining payments will continue to be related to the achievements of gross profit targets, as defined in the original agreement. Zenvia agreed to pay a fixed amount of R$20M in December 2023, with the remaining amount to be paid in 24 installments, subject to accrued interests in line with Zenvia's current bank financing costs. SenseData's founding partners will continue to manage the company as per the original agreement, until the end of 2023. With the conclusion of this transaction, the total earnout for the acquisition of Sirena, D1, Movidesk and SenseData to be paid until the end of 2023 was reduced from estimated BRL444M to BRL81M, with the balance to be paid in installments until the end of 2026.

17:51 EST Oric Pharmaceuticals jumps 44% to $4.31 on collaboration deal with Pfizer

17:35 EST Regeneron's Dupixent shows disease remission in Phase 3 esophagitis trial - Regeneron (REGN) and Sanofi (SNY) announced the New England Journal of Medicine has published results from a positive Phase 3 trial showing adults and adolescents treated with Dupixent - dupilumab - 300 mg weekly experienced significant improvements in signs and symptoms of eosinophilic esophagitis - EoE -, which were sustained for up to one year. EoE is a chronic, progressive inflammatory disease that damages the esophagus and prevents it from working properly. These data formed the basis for the FDA approval of Dupixent in May 2022. Dupilumab is being jointly developed by Regeneron and Sanofi under a global collaboration agreement. These Phase 3 data have been submitted to the EMA to support regulatory approval for adults and adolescents with EoE. The EMA's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use recently adopted a positive opinion recommending approval, with a final decision expected in the coming months. Patients receiving Dupixent weekly experienced improvement in the ability to swallow and achieved histological disease remission. Additionally, these patients experienced improved anatomic, cellular, molecular and health-related quality of life measures sustained for up to one year. Patients treated with Dupixent every two weeks experienced histological disease remission but did not experience improvement in the ability to swallow. Safety results were generally consistent with the known safety profile of Dupixent in its approved indications. Adverse events more commonly observed with Dupixent included injection site reactions, nasopharyngitis and rash.

17:26 EST Sports Ventures Acquisition goes into liquidation - Sports Ventures Acquisition announced that, due to its inability to consummate an initial business combination within the time period required by its charter, the company intends to dissolve and liquidate and will redeem all of the outstanding shares of Class A common stock included in the units issued in its initial public offering at a per-share redemption price of approximately $10.12. Record holders will receive their pro rata portion of the proceeds of the trust account by delivering their Public Shares to Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, the company's transfer agent. Beneficial owners of Public Shares held in "street name," however, will not need to take any action in order to receive the redemption amount. The redemption of the Public Shares is expected to be completed by December 29. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to the company's warrants, which will expire worthless.

17:14 EST Micron suspends share buybacks - The company said, "Until market conditions and our cash flows improve, we will focus our capital return on dividends and have suspended our share repurchases for now." Comments taken from Q3 prepared remarks.

17:07 EST General Dynamics awarded $5.13B Navy contract modification - General Dynamics was awarded a $5.13B cost-plus-fixed-fee and cost-plus-incentive-fee modification to previously awarded contract. This modification procures missile tube long-lead-time material; missile tube manufacturing; additional advance procurement, including advance construction and multi-program material-procurement, and production backup units; planned program equipment replacement and spare material for follow-on Columbia-class submarines; and logistics/sustainment support for the U.S. and United Kingdom programs. This modification also includes additional Submarine Industrial Base, or SIB, enhancements as part of the Integrated Enterprise Plan and multi-program material procurement supporting Columbia-class ballistic missile submarines and the nuclear shipbuilding enterprise. The industrial base development work is for the furtherance of the Navy's plan of serial production of Columbia and Virginia submarines. Pursuant to the president's budget for FY23, the requirements are included for SIB investment for strategic sourcing, supplier development, workforce development, and technology opportunities. Funding is pursuant to the president's budget for fiscal 2023 and the Further Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2023. Work was expected to be completed by June 2028. No funding will be obligated at the time of award. The Naval Sea Systems is the contracting activity.

17:04 EST Mirati Therapeutics jumps 6% to $43.69 after adagrasib breakthrough designation

17:01 EST Mirati Therapeutics gets FDA breakthrough therapy designation from FDA in CRC - The company states: "Mirati Therapeutics announced that the FDA has granted BTD to adagrasib in combination with cetuximab in patients with KRASG12C-mutated, advanced CRC whose cancer has progressed following prior treatment with chemotherapy and an anti-VEGF therapy. This designation is supported by results from the Phase 1b cohort of the KRYSTAL-1 trial. The FDA program grants BTD to expedite the development and regulatory review of drugs that have demonstrated preliminary clinical evidence of a substantial improvement over available therapy in the treatment of patients with serious diseases on at least one clinically significant endpoint. In addition, today, the NEJM published findings from the ongoing multicohort KRYSTAL-1 Phase 1/2 study evaluating adagrasib as monotherapy or combined with cetuximab in patients with KRASG12C-mutated metastatic colorectal cancer. These data reported promising clinical activity and demonstrated a favorable tolerability profile with reversible adverse events."

16:58 EST Orange County Bancorp CFO Robert Peacock to retire, Michael Lesler to succeed - Orange County Bancorp announced the retirement of Robert Peacock, senior executive VP and CFO, effective March 15, 2023. He will be succeeded by Michael Lesler, who currently serves as senior VP and chief accounting officer and controller. Lesler joined the Bank in 2021 with over 20 years of banking industry experience, including extensive executive leadership roles in financial and operational management. Prior to joining, Lesler served as executive VP and COO of BCB Bank.

16:57 EST MasTec announces CFO Pita retires March 31, promotion of Paul DiMarco to CFO - MasTec announced that George L. Pita, MasTec's CFO is retiring, effective March 31. Additionally, the company is proud to announce the planned promotion of Paul DiMarco to Executive Vice President and CFO, effective upon Mr. Pita's retirement. Jose Mas, MasTec's CEO, commented, "When George joined MasTec ten years ago, we had annual revenue of approximately $3.7B, and as he exits in 2023, we expect annual revenue to approximate $13B. During his tenure, George has provided strategic thinking and partnership, as well as financial acumen and leadership to support our incredible growth. He also developed a strong financial team with an established succession plan. I would like to thank George for his vision and dedication to MasTec and wish him well in retirement." Mr. Mas added, "We are excited to announce that long-time MasTec financial executive, Paul DiMarco, has been identified to succeed George. Paul has been with MasTec approximately 15 years, serving as Corporate Treasurer for over 10 years. He is currently serving as the CFO of our Power Delivery Segment and has been instrumental in the integration efforts of last year's Henkels & McCoy acquisition. Paul has strong relationships with our banking, public debt, surety and insurance partners, and we look forward to introducing him to the street over the next few months.

16:51 EST Team completes one-for-ten reverse stock split - Team announced that it has completed the previously announced reverse stock split of the outstanding shares of the company's common stock, par value 30c per share, at a ratio of one-for-ten, effective at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The common stock will begin trading on a split-adjusted basis at market open on December 22. Trading in the common stock will continue on the New York Stock Exchange with a new CUSIP number. The reverse stock split also effected a proportionate reduction in the company's authorized shares of common stock from 120M shares to 12M shares and reduced the number of shares of common stock outstanding from approximately 43,429,089 shares to approximately 4,342,724 shares. Proportionate adjustments are being made to the number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise or conversion of the company's outstanding warrants, equity awards and convertible securities, as well as the applicable exercise prices.

16:44 EST Astrotech adopts stockholder rights plan amid 'significant' accumulations - Astrotech announced that its Board of Directors has unanimously adopted a limited-duration stockholder rights plan to protect the interests of all stockholders. The Rights Plan is effective immediately.The Board adopted the Rights Plan in response to recent significant accumulations of portions of Astrotech outstanding common stock. The Rights Plan is similar to other rights plans adopted by publicly held companies and is intended to enable all Company stockholders to realize the long-term value of their investment in the Company and is designed to protect all stockholder interests by reducing the likelihood that any person or group could gain control of the Company through rapid open-market purchases of the Company's shares without paying an appropriate premium.

16:40 EST Lexicon announces results from proof-of-concept study of LX9211 for neuralgia - Lexicon Pharmaceuticals announced topline results of RELIEF-PHN-1, its Phase 2 proof-of-concept study of LX9211 in postherpetic neuralgia. LX9211 achieved a reduction in average daily pain score, ADPS, of 2.42 from baseline at week 6 compared to a reduction of 1.62 in the placebo arm, with a placebo adjusted difference of 0.80 . Although these results did not reach statistical significance on the primary endpoint of the study, overall study results demonstrated clear evidence of effect. Separation of LX9211 from placebo on ADPS was seen at week 1 and maintained consistently thereafter, with an average placebo adjusted reduction over the 6 Week dosing period of 0.80 ."These results in postherpetic neuralgia achieve our goal for this small, 79-patient study of establishing clear evidence of effect supporting the further development of LX9211 in another neuropathic pain condition," said Craig Granowitz, M.D., Ph.D., Lexicon's senior vice president and chief medical officer. "The RELIEF-PHN-1 study results are broadly consistent with the results achieved in our positive Phase 2 study of LX9211 in painful diabetic neuropathy which enrolled over 300 patients. These results bolster our confidence in moving the LX9211 clinical program forward in hopes of delivering a potential solution for neuropathic pain patients in need of additional treatment options." A full analysis of the results from RELIEF-PHN-1 will be submitted for publication at an upcoming medical conference and in a peer-reviewed journal.

16:35 EST Micron slips about 1% to $50.70 after Q1 earnings miss and guidance

16:32 EST Braemar Hotels & Resorts sees Q4 net income $0.5M-$3.5M - Sees Q4 adjusted EBITDA $36M-$39M. Expects December RevPAR similar to 2019.

16:31 EST Synchronoss messaging platform reaches over 30M subscribers in Japan - Synchronoss announced a new milestone in Japan for its Synchronoss Advanced Messaging platform. In collaboration with mobile operators, the Japanese consortium now supports 32.5M subscribers of +Message, the cross-operator RCS service powered by Synchronoss Advanced Messaging. The current milestone represents a 62% increase in subscribers since Synchronoss noted the progress of the Japanese consortium's deployment of its Rich Communications Service, or RCS, in November 2020.

16:29 EST U.S. Global Investors announces renewal of current stock repurchase program - The company announced that the board has approved the renewal of its current stock repurchase program, which allows the company to purchase up to $5M of its stock per calendar year. As of December 14, the company modified the algorithm used to purchase stock so it may buy back shares of GROW stock when the price is flat or down from the previous trading day, which may increase the number of trading days it can buy back shares.

16:24 EST Pole/Zero awarded $53M plus contract by DoD - Pole/Zero, part of Microwave Products Group and Dover, is being awarded a $53,544,462 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. This contract provides for the procurement of antenna interface units and communications trays, technical data, assemblies, subassemblies, and spares for the P-8A Poseidon communications suite in support of the Navy, Foreign Military Sales customers and the government of Australia. Work will be performed in West Chester, Ohio and is expected to be completed by October 2028.

16:20 EST Nanobiotix ends liquidity contract with Gilbert Dupont - Nanobiotix announced that it has ended the liquidity contract signed on October 23, 2012 with Gilbert Dupont. The termination is effective from December 20 after the close of Euronext market.

16:18 EST TuSimple sees one-time restructuring charge of $10M-$11M - Key points of the restructuring plan: Focus on capital discipline given macroeconomic conditions and industry readiness. Strategic investments on highest value-added projects, namely the validation and commercialization of TuSimple's leading autonomous trucking technology. Restructuring impacts approximately 350 employees, or 25% of TuSimple's workforce; 80% of the remaining approximately 1,100 TuSimple employees are in R&D functions. One-time restructuring charge of approximately $10 million to $11 million, with the majority recognized in the fourth quarter of 2022 and paid in the first quarter of 2023. Compensation related restructuring savings expected to be $55 million to $65 million on an annual basis.

16:17 EST TuSimple announces restructuring, 25% workforce reduction - TuSimple announced a restructuring plan designed to set the company on the course to long-term success as a leader in the autonomous trucking industry. The announced restructuring plan involves a 25% reduction of TuSimple's total workforce. 80 percent of the remaining staff are in research and development, and many of these are engineers critical to hardware and software resilience, reliability, safety, and information security. TuSimple plans to actively work with key shipping partners to operationalize its autonomous technology, and in an effort to help ensure capital efficiency, the company also plans to scale back freight expansion, including unprofitable freight lanes and respective trucking operations. Trucking operations along those lanes utilize previous generation autonomous software that provides limited value to the Company's on-going technology development. The majority of the restructuring is in the Company's U.S. operations as the Company continues its plan to explore strategic alternatives for its Asia business, including a divestiture.

16:15 EST Micron lowers FY23 capex view to $7.0B-$7.5B from $8B-$12B - The company states: "We are reducing our capex investments to reduce bit supply growth in 2023 and 2024. Our fiscal 2023 capex is being lowered to a range between $7.0 to $7.5 billion from the earlier $8 billion target and from the $12 billion level in FY22. This represents an approximately 40% reduction year on year, and we expect fiscal 2023 wafer fab equipment (WFE) capex to be down more than 50% year on year. We are now significantly reducing our fiscal 2024 capex from earlier plans to align with the supply-demand environment. We expect fiscal 2024 WFE to fall from fiscal 2023 levels, even as construction spending increases year on year."

16:13 EST Micron sees 2023 industry demand growth of 10% in DRAM and 202 in NAND - The company states: "We expect calendar 2022 industry bit demand growth in the low to mid single-digit percentage range for both DRAM and NAND. For calendar 2023, we expect industry demand growth of approximately 10% in DRAM and around 20% in NAND. For both years, demand in DRAM and NAND is well below historical trends and future expectations of growth, largely due to reductions in end demand in most markets, high inventories at customers, the impact of the macroeconomic environment, and the regional factors in Europe and China. Near term, over the next few months, we expect gradually improving demand trends for memory, as customer inventory levels improve further, new CPU platforms are launched, and China demand starts to grow as its economy reopens. Longer term, we continue to expect strong demand growth across diverse end markets, with DRAM bit demand CAGR in the mid-teens percentage range and NAND bit demand CAGR in low to mid 20s percentage range. Our long-term demand bit growth expectations for both DRAM and NAND have declined from our expectation earlier this year primarily due to lowered growth expectations from PC and smartphone markets and some moderation in the strong long-term growth in the cloud."

16:12 EST Micron now sees 2022 smartphone unit volume decline of 10% y/y - The company states: "In mobile, we now expect calendar 2022 smartphone unit volume to decline 10% year over year, versus our high single-digit percentage decline projection in our last earnings call. We forecast calendar 2023 smartphone unit volume to be flattish to slightly up year over year, driven by improvements in China following the reopening of its economy. Micron continues to build on its strong product momentum in mobile. As of fiscal Q1, 1alpha comprised nearly 90% of mobile DRAM bits, and 176-layer made up nearly all of our mobile NAND bit shipments. We are also well-positioned for the LP5 transition, and in FQ1, the majority of our mobile DRAM bit shipments were LP5. In fiscal Q1, our LP5X was validated for Qualcomm's latest platform and integrated into Snapdragon 8 Gen2 reference designs. In addition, we shipped the industry's first 1ss DRAM qualification samples with our 16Gb LP5."

16:10 EST IsoPlexis Corp trading halted, news pending

16:08 EST Akero completes enrollment in Phase 2b efruxifermin study for treatment of NASH - Akero Therapeutics announced that it has completed enrollment of the Phase 2b SYMMETRY main study evaluating efruxifermin, EFX, for the treatment of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, NASH, in patients with compensated cirrhosis fibrosis stage 4. Enrollment is also complete for the expansion cohort, known as Cohort D, evaluating EFX in combination with GLP-1 therapy in patients with fibrosis stage 1-3 and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus."We are encouraged by the strength of our EFX data to date, including histology data from a Phase 2a proof-of-concept study in patients with cirrhosis due to NASH, and believe EFX has the potential to show favorable histology results in the SYMMETRY main study despite other investigational drugs having shown limited efficacy," said Andrew Cheng, M.D., Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of Akero. "We look forward to reporting SYMMETRY data later next year as we evaluate EFX's potential to slow or reverse progression of cirrhosis." long-term follow up, patients will continue to receive EFX or placebo from 36 to 96 weeks.The primary goal of the 12-week Cohort D expansion, in which 32 patients have been randomized, is to assess safety and tolerability of EFX compared to placebo when added to an existing GLP-1 receptor agonist in patients with T2D and F1-F3 liver fibrosis due to NASH. Demonstrating that EFX could accelerate NASH resolution and reversal of fibrosis among those patients already on GLP-1 therapy would help address an important unmet medical need. Consistent with prior guidance, results from the Cohort D expansion cohort are expected in the second quarter of 2023, while results from the main study remain on track to be reported in the fourth quarter of 2023.Following designation of EFX as a Breakthrough Therapy by the FDA, an End-of-Phase 2 meeting has been scheduled for March 2023 to review the HARMONY F2/3 data as well as the proposed Ph3 clinical program.

16:05 EST Okta says code repositories copied in early December GitHub hack - Okta said today in a blog post: "In alignment with our core value of transparency, we are sharing context and details around a recent security event affecting Okta code repositories. There is no impact to any customers, including any HIPAA, FedRAMP or DoD customers. No action is required by customers. SCOPE: The security event detailed below pertains to Okta Workforce Identity Cloud code repositories. It does not pertain to any Auth0 products. EVENT: In early December 2022, GitHub alerted Okta about possible suspicious access to Okta code repositories. Upon investigation, we have concluded that such access was used to copy Okta code repositories. Our investigation concluded that there was no unauthorized access to the Okta service, and no unauthorized access to customer data. Okta does not rely on the confidentiality of its source code for the security of its services. The Okta service remains fully operational and secure. As soon as Okta learned of the possible suspicious access, we promptly placed temporary restrictions on access to Okta GitHub repositories and suspended all GitHub integrations with third-party applications. We have since reviewed all recent access to Okta software repositories hosted by GitHub to understand the scope of the exposure, reviewed all recent commits to Okta software repositories hosted with GitHub to validate the integrity of our code, and rotated GitHub credentials. We have also notified law enforcement." Reference Link

16:04 EST MoneyGram merger with Madison Dearborn receives penultimate regulatory approval - MoneyGram provided an update on its agreement to be acquired by funds affiliated with Madison Dearborn Partners, which was approved with over 99% of shareholder votes cast in favor of the merger in May of this year. Over the past few months, the company and MDP have made significant progress toward completing the closing conditions to the merger and expect to complete the transaction early in 1Q23. To date, money transmission regulators in all applicable U.S. states and territories have provided their approval or non-objection of the transaction. In addition, the parties have obtained all but one approval from international money transmission regulators and have received approval from the Financial Conduct Authority in the U.K. and the National Bank of Belgium where MoneyGram holds its European license. The Hart-Scott-Rodino waiting period has expired. Once the final international money transmission regulatory approval is obtained, the parties will engage in a financing marketing period. Under the terms of the merger agreement, the marketing period will commence no sooner than January 3, 2023, and may last for as long as fifteen consecutive business days.

15:25 EST Autoscope Technologies Corp trading resumes

15:09 EST FDA approves Genentech's Actemra for treatment of COVID-19 hospitalized adults - Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Actemra intravenous for the treatment of COVID-19 in hospitalized adult patients who are receiving systemic corticosteroids and require supplemental oxygen, non-invasive or invasive mechanical ventilation, or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. "Actemra is the first FDA-approved monoclonal antibody to treat COVID-19 and is recommended for use as a single 60-minute IV infusion," the company stated. "With new variants emerging, FDA-approved treatments including Actemra remain essential to the continued fight against COVID-19. Actemra is the first FDA-approved monoclonal antibody for treating patients with severe COVID-19, providing an important option for hospitalized patients and their healthcare providers who continue to be on the frontlines treating COVID-19," said Levi Garraway, M.D., Ph.D., chief medical officer and head of Global Product Development.

14:53 EST Autoscope Technologies to voluntarily delist from Nasdaq, hikes dividend - Autoscope Technologies announced that it intends to voluntarily delist its common shares from the Nasdaq Capital Market and to subsequently deregister its common stock under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. "The company is eligible to suspend these reporting obligations because it has fewer than 300 shareholders of record. The company intends to continue to provide shareholders with timely financial information following the conclusion of the of delisting and deregistration," it stated. Frank Hallowell, interim Chief Executive Officer of Autoscope Technologies, commented, "As the company's supply chain constraints have passed, the business's profitability has returned to its normal levels. Due to these factors, along with the expected reduction of administrative and other expenses due to the delisting and deregistration, the Board has determined that it will increase the company's quarterly dividend amount going forward from $0.12 to $0.13 per share." The company is currently in compliance with all of its Nasdaq listing requirements. "Consistent with cash management and cost discipline measures that have been implemented by the company, the Board of Directors concluded that the costs of compliance, the demands of management's time, and the company resources required to continue its reporting obligations with the Securities and Exchange Commission and maintain its Nasdaq listing were significantly greater than the benefits received by the company and its shareholders from being a listed company. The company expects to file a Form 25, Notification of Removal from Listing and/or Registration under Section 12(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, with the SEC and Nasdaq on or about December 30, 2022. The Form 25 will become effective 10 days after it is filed. Upon its effectiveness, the company anticipates that its common stock will be quoted on the OTCQX, a centralized electronic quotation service for over-the-counter securities. The company expects its common stock will continue to trade on the OTCQX. The company also intends to deregister its common stock with the SEC and become a non-reporting company under the Exchange Act," Autoscope stated.

14:45 EST Albertsons says Washington State Supreme Court Set to hear appeal on February 9 - Albertsons Companies (ACI) announced that on December 19, the State of Washington Supreme Court set a date for the review of the temporary restraining order against the company's previously announced $6.85 per common share special dividend. The Washington Supreme Court, sitting en banc, will review the appeal of the Attorney General of the State of Washington on February 9, 2023. The TRO will remain in effect until there is a further order issued by the Washington Supreme Court. Albertsons Cos. has filed a motion to further expedite the Washington Supreme Court's en banc review. The company further announced that on December 20, the U.S. Circuit Court for the District of Columbia denied the motion filed by the California, Illinois and District of Columbia Attorneys General for an injunction pending appeal and an administrative stay of the payment of the special dividend. On November 8, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia denied the request by the California, Illinois and District of Columbia Attorneys General for a temporary restraining order against the payment of the special dividend. "Albertsons Cos. continues to maintain that the claim brought by the Attorney General of the State of Washington, and the similar lawsuit brought by the Attorneys General of California, Illinois, and the District of Columbia, are meritless and provide no legal basis for preventing the payment of the special dividend. Albertsons' position has been supported by favorable rulings in both Circuit and District courts in the District of Columbia and a Washington State court. Albertsons Cos.' proposed merger with The Kroger Co. is continuing through required regulatory review, including seeking clearance under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976," the company stated.

14:17 EST Washington state AG files lawsuits against pharmacy chains over opioid crisis - Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson filed a lawsuit against Albertsons (ACI), Krogers (KR) and Rite Aid (RAD), whose pharmacy chains helped fuel Washington state's opioid epidemic. Ferguson asserts the pharmacies served as the last line of defense in the opioid supply chain and failed in their collective responsibility to prevent the overuse of opioid prescriptions. Ferguson also announced resolutions with five other companies that produced or sold opioids. This will bring Washington state's total recoveries to more than $1.1B for funding opioid abatement and treatment programs. Ferguson filed the lawsuit in King County Superior Court against Albertsons, Kroger and Rite Aid. Those companies also acquired pharmacy chains like Safeway, QFC, Fred Meyer and Bartell Drugs. The lawsuit asserts they collectively ignored federal regulations, put profits over safety and knowingly oversupplied prescription opioids into Washington state. This oversupply led to a separate illegal market that flooded communities with highly addictive and dangerous drugs and local governments are still coping with the damage these pharmacies helped cause. Ferguson also recently signed multistate resolutions with five other companies, which the Attorney General's Office estimates could total: CVS (CVS): $110.6M to Washington state over 10 years; Walgreens (WBA): $120.3M to Washington state over 15 years; Walmart (WMT): $62.6M to Washington state and 97% of that paid in the first year; Teva (TEVA): $90.7M to Washington state over the next 13 years; and Allergan (ABBV): $50M to Washington state over the next seven years. Reference Link

13:34 EST North American rail traffic down 2.9% for the week ending December 17 - The Association of American Railroads, AAR, reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending December 17. For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 476,232 carloads and intermodal units, down 5.5% compared with the same week last year.Total carloads for the week ending December 17 were 226,977 carloads, down 3.2% compared with the same week in 2021, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 249,255 containers and trailers, down 7.5% compared to 2021. North American rail volume for the week ending December 17, on 12 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 330,786 carloads, up 0.2% compared with the same week last year, and 329,112 intermodal units, down 5.7% compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 659,898 carloads and intermodal units, down 2.9%. North American rail volume for the first 50 weeks of 2022 was 33,849,073 carloads and intermodal units, down 1.8% compared with 2021. Publicly traded companies in the space include CSX (CSX), Canadian National (CNI), Canadian Pacific (CP), Kansas City Southern (KSU), Norfolk Southern (NSC), Union Pacific (UNP), Trinity Industries (TRN), Greenbrier (GBX), FreightCar America (RAIL) and Wabtec (WAB). Reference Link

13:00 EST OceanPal Inc trading resumes

12:47 EST Remark Holdings announces 1-for-10 reverse stock split - Remark Holdings announced a reverse stock split of its issued and outstanding shares of common stock at a ratio of 1-for-10 and that it had filed a Certificate of Amendment of its Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware to effect the reverse split. The reverse split will be effective after the market closes on December 21, 2022, at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Beginning with the opening of trading on Thursday, December 22, 2022, Remark's common stock will continue to trade on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol "MARK," but will trade on a split-adjusted basis under a new CUSIP number, 75955K300. Remark's stockholders approved the reverse split at a special meeting of stockholders held on December 6, 2022. In connection with approving the reverse split, Remark's stockholders granted authority to the company's Board of Directors to determine, in its sole discretion, the exact ratio of the reverse split within the range of 1-for-10 to 1-for-20. The Board of Directors approved the reverse split on September 15, 2022, and the ratio of 1-for-10 on December 9, 2022.

12:00 EST BlackBerry falls -8.4% - BlackBerry is down -8.4%, or -35c to $3.80.

12:00 EST Lanvin Group falls -8.4% - Lanvin Group is down -8.4%, or -62c to $6.72.

12:00 EST Natuzzi rises 12.9% - Natuzzi is up 12.9%, or 82c to $7.20.

12:00 EST Nine Energy Service rises 14.3% - Nine Energy Service is up 14.3%, or $1.51 to $12.06.

11:20 EST HTG Molecular trading resumes

11:07 EST Natuzzi trading resumes

10:35 EST Orezone Gold provides results from drill program at Maga Hill - Earlier, Orezone Gold provided results from its Phase III resource definition drill program from Maga Hill, Maga Main and Siga zones at its Bombore Gold Mine in Burkina Faso. The focus of the Phase III drilling was the conversion of Inferred Resources into Measured & Indicated ahead of the upcoming sulphide expansion study. "A key aspect of this infill program at Maga Hill was targeting higher grade granodiorite folded structures which were intercepted in the near surface oxide zones. Recent drilling continues to return positive results confirming the following: Preliminary results at Maga Hill returned several high-grade intercepts within the sulphide zone, with additional results still to come.Drilling at the main hanging wall Siga Zone continues to show excellent down-dip continuity. Drilling within the Inferred mineralized zones at Siga South and Siga West has been very successful, and preliminary results at Maga Main and Maga Hill are also very promising, with additional results still to come. Core drilling has been completed at P8P9 with results expected in the coming weeks. RC drilling will also be completed this week which targeted both Inferred and new oxide targets. Results are expected during Q1-2023. Modelling of the resources is ongoing as part of the upcoming sulphide expansion study which is expected to be completed in early H2-2023," the company stated.

10:17 EST Novavax to initiate phase 2 influenza CIC trial by end 2022 - In investor presentation slides, Novavax indicated that the company expects to initiate a Phase 2 influenza and COVID-19-Influenza Combination, or CIC, dose confirmation trial by the end of 2022 with data by mid-year and has an ongoing development plan to support readiness for a Phase 3 influenza efficacy trial in 2023. Novavax sees filing for a U.S. BLA in 2023, the slides stated. Reference Link

10:04 EST AMC says negotiations with Cineworld lenders not continuing - In a regulatory filing, AMC Entertainment (AMC) disclosed that it participated in discussions with certain of the lenders of Cineworld (CNNWF) regarding a potential strategic acquisition by AMC, through a consensual plan in Cineworld's ongoing Chapter 11 cases, including following the announcement in the Cineworld Chapter 11 proceedings that the Cineworld debtors were exploring strategic alternatives. "The discussions focused on the acquisition of certain strategic theatre assets of Cineworld in the United States and Europe, which acquisition would be financed, in part, through the issuance by AMC of APEs and debt financing provided by the lenders, and conditioned upon a liability management exercise with respect to certain indebtedness of AMC. During the course of discussions, the company did not provide any confidential or non-public information, analyses, compilations, forecasts, studies or other documents to the lenders. A definitive agreement with the lenders has not been reached regarding the terms of any proposal to be presented to the debtors in the Cineworld cases, and at this time negotiations are not continuing. While AMC reserves the right to continue to explore the acquisition of value enhancing strategic assets, there can be no assurance that AMC will resume any discussions with the lenders or, if it were to do so, that it would be able to agree with lenders or any other party as to the terms of a mutually acceptable proposal. The company has provided this statement pursuant to the terms of non-disclosure agreements with certain of the lenders," the filing stated.

10:00 EST Rite Aid falls -11.0% - Rite Aid is down -11.0%, or -48c to $3.92.

10:00 EST Carnival plc rises 7.2% - Carnival plc is up 7.2%, or 52c to $7.73.

10:00 EST Nike rises 14.6% - Nike is up 14.6%, or $15.09 to $118.30.

09:47 EST Pebblebrook Hotel falls -5.8% - Pebblebrook Hotel is down -5.8%, or -83c to $13.60.

09:47 EST Six Flags rises 9.8% - Six Flags is up 9.8%, or $2.06 to $22.98.

09:47 EST Nike rises 13.5% - Nike is up 13.5%, or $13.96 to $117.17.

09:43 EST Knightscope announces receipt of five new contracts - Knightscope said it continues to accelerate market expansion with five new contracts for its Autonomous Security Robot and Blue Light Emergency Communication services across multiple U.S. states. The contracts and deployment locations are as follows: A property management group in Chicago will have a K5 ASR patrolling the parking lot of a mixed-use facility with both retail and professional clients as tenants. A police department in North Carolina has purchased a K1 Call Box to aid in direct emergency communications for its citizens. Knightscope scored another Tribal casino client, which will be the first contract in Oklahoma. There are 39 Tribal Nations in Oklahoma alone, and they collectively have over 80 casinos. An airport in New Jersey is replacing a competitor's product with a K1 Blue Light Emergency Phone. 4 K1 Call Boxes will be going to a construction company in Texas completing a new bridge.

09:31 EST CF Acquisition Corp. IV announces change for special meeting of stockholders - CF Acquisition Corp. IV announced that its special meeting in lieu of an annual meeting of the stockholders will be postponed from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time on December 22, 2022. The record date for determining the Company stockholders entitled to receive notice of and to vote at the Meeting remains the close of business on November 17, 2022. Stockholders who have previously submitted their proxies or otherwise voted and who do not want to change their vote need not take any action. Stockholders as of the Record Date can vote, even if they have subsequently sold their shares. Stockholders who wish to withdraw their previously submitted redemption request may do so prior to the rescheduled meeting by requesting that the Company's transfer agent return such shares by 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time on December 22, 2022. Additionally, to mitigate the current uncertainty surrounding the implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, in the event that the extension of the time period the Company has to complete an initial business combination is implemented, as described in the Company's definitive proxy statement, CF Acquisition Corp. IV, the sponsor of the Company, or a designee, will indemnify the Company against any excise tax liabilities with respect to any future redemption opportunities that are provided after December 31, 2022 and prior to or in connection with a Business Combination or liquidation of the Company. Additionally, if the Extension is implemented, the Company plans to maintain the remaining amount in its trust account in an interest-bearing demand deposit account at a bank. If the Extension is implemented, the Sponsor has agreed to deposit into the Trust Account: the lesser of $500,000 per month or $0.045 per month for each public share that is not redeemed plus if the Business Combination is not consummated by January 28, 2023, the Monthly Amount for each calendar month that is needed by the Company to complete the Business Combination until June 28, 2023.

09:22 EST Carnival sees Q1 capacity growth 3.7% compared to 2019 - The company's capacity growth is expected to be 3.7% for the first quarter of 2023 compared to the first quarter of 2019 and 3.3% for the full year 2023 compared to the full year 2019.

09:20 EST TC Energy says Keystone recovery rates have potential to slow due to weather - TC Energy said it continues to progress its response and oil recovery effort at its Keystone Pipeline System Milepost 14 Incident site in Washington County, Kansas. "As of Dec. 20, 5 p.m. CT, we have recovered an estimated 7,599 barrels of oil from the creek -- 15,488 barrels of oil and water. We safely removed the impacted pipeline segment and have sent it to an independent lab for metallurgical testing as directed by the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, or PHMSA. Like many in the U.S. we are expecting significant winter weather impacts over the upcoming days. We continue to prioritize the safety of people and the environment and will be working safely according to weather conditions. Recovery rates have the potential to slow due to the upcoming weather. The affected segment of the Keystone Pipeline System remains safely isolated as investigation, recovery, repair and remediation continue to advance. This segment will not be restarted until it is safe to do so and when we have regulatory approval from PHMSA," TC Energy said. Reference Link

09:19 EST Blink Charging enters deal with Bosch as official EV charging solutions provider - Blink Charging announced a collaborative agreement with Bosch as its official EV charger provider for General Motors dealerships in Mexico to deploy the Blink IQ 200 family of charging products and services. Blink is currently a member in the Bosch GM Dealer Equipment Program, the most comprehensive program for workshop equipment in the market. The program aims to broaden the products offered and improve cost effectiveness for GM after sales services. This agreement will focus on providing the charging infrastructure needed by GM dealerships as EV sales continues to grow in Mexico, with potential to expand the program as the electric mobility market advances throughout Latin America.

09:16 EST Carnival sees Q1 occupancy '90% or slightly higher' - The company's occupancy for the first quarter of 2023 is expected to be 90% or slightly higher, a 14 percentage point gap, or better, from 2019 levels, which is an improvement from a 19 percentage point gap for the fourth quarter of 2022 compared to the fourth quarter of 2019. The company continues to expect to close the gap to 2019 levels, with occupancy returning to historical levels in the summer of 2023, which has historically been well over 100%.

09:11 EST Lexaria says DehydraTECH-CBD achieves superior human blood absorption levels - Lexaria Bioscience announce it has demonstrated superior cannabidiol blood absorption levels from its patented DehydraTECH-CBD relative to those of published, pharmaceutical-grade CBD industry comparators in its recently completed, multi-week human clinical hypertension study HYPER-H21-4. In a 2017 randomized clinical trial that evaluated a non-Lexaria, pharmaceutical-grade, plant-derived CBD formulation published by Devinski et. al., an average blood plasma CBD level of 23.0 ng/mL was evidenced after 22 days of daily dosing at a 5 mg/kg CBD dose level. By comparison, in Lexaria's 2022 HYPER-H21-4 hypertension study, a 45.8% higher average blood plasma level was reached at DehydraTECH-CBD's lowest dose level tested of just 3.38 mg/kg, climbing to a blood plasma level that was 133.4% higher at its highest dose level tested of 4.46 mg/kg. The Devinsky publication also examined higher CBD dosing at a level of 10 mg/kg, evidencing a blood level of 62.1 ng/mL. Although Lexaria's HYPER-H12-4 study did not see the need to dose as high as 10 mg/kg, the data trend observed at its 3.38 and 4.46 mg/kg dose levels extrapolated linearly to 10 mg/kg would be expected to reach a level of 149.5 ng/mL; a 141% improvement over the Devinsky CBD formulation. Similarly, a 2019 study published by Wheless et. al., also evaluated average CBD levels in blood following dosing to steady-state1 over a multi-day period, using a different pharmaceutical-grade, synthetic CBD formulation. At a 10 mg/kg dose level in the Wheless study, the non-Lexaria synthetic CBD reached a level within blood plasma of 91 ng/mL.; DehydraTECH-CBD absorption outperformed this synthetic CBD by 64% improvement upon linear extrapolation. Additional study endpoint analyses as described in the complete study protocol are still underway and any relevant material findings will be reported upon in due course as these findings become available. It is highly likely that multiple additional datasets will be released in January through March of 2023. Lexaria's HYPER-H21-4 study was a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, cross-over study of a total of 66 male and female volunteers between the ages of 40-70. All study participants received DehydraTECH-CBD every day for a total of 5 weeks. Blood CBD levels reported herein from DehydraTECH-CBD administration were measured prior to dosing, as was the case reported in the Devinsky article, whereas the Wheless article did not specify blood sampling timing relative to dosing. The complete HYPER-H21-4 study protocol has been published and is available at PubMed.

09:11 EST Super Micro Computer to be added to S&P MidCap 400 Index - Supermicro announced that the company is being added to the S&P MidCap 400 Index, effective prior to the opening of trading on Thursday, December 22.

09:10 EST eXp World Holdings's eXp Realty opens operations in Dubai - eXp Realty, the core subsidiary of eXp World Holdings, has expanded into Dubai, strengthening its presence in the Middle East. eXp Realty now operates in 24 markets with more than 86,000 agents around the world. "This is a proud moment for eXp Realty, as we open our 24th location, with the long anticipated addition of Dubai, one of the Middle East's most exciting cities," said Michael Valdes, Chief Growth Officer. "Dubai has a rich and vibrant multicultural population with an equally diverse economy, offering a strong foundation for our entry point into the United Arab Emirates. We are thrilled to empower agents in Dubai by enabling their success with our unique agent-centric model and attractive value proposition." eXp Realty's brokerage operations in Dubai will be led by Dounia Fadi who joins the company with over 18 years of real estate broker experience in Dubai.

09:09 EST Srax says Nasdaq panel grants company request for continued listing - In a regulatory filing last night, Srax disclosed that on December 16, the company received a determination from the Nasdaq Hearings Panel granting the company's request for the continued listing of its Class A common stock on The Nasdaq Stock Market, subject to the company evidencing compliance with Nasdaq's filing requirement, as set forth in Nasdaq Listing Rule 5250(c)(1), on or before February 28, 2023, and certain other conditions. "The company is working to file its delinquent periodic reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission as soon as practicable and thereby timely evidence compliance with the terms of the Panel's decision. There can be no assurances however that the company will be able to do so," the filing stated.

09:09 EST Sintx Technologies awarded Phase I contract from missile defense agency - SINTX Technologies announced that is has received a Phase I contract for $150K from the U.S. Missile Defense Agency to enhance the performance of electrochemical machining, ECM, of critical components for aerospace. The project calls for SINTX to develop and demonstrate the advantages of corrosion resistant, dielectric, insulating multilayer coatings that will ultimately enable unprecedented tool life and exceptional ECM machining performance. The proposal was originally submitted by Technology Assessment and Transfer, TA&T, which is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of SINTX. In the Phase I MDA contract, SINTX will develop thin-sputtered alternating multilayers to produce dense, pinhole-free coatings with lower residual stress and reduced thermal conductivity, when compared to single-layer coatings. The multilayer coatings will be deposited onto a stainless-steel substrate. "SINTX Technologies Inc., through its subsidiary TA&T, has been developing high-temperature, multilayer coatings for metals, ceramic matrix composites and other high-temperature materials for over 30 years," said Dr. Sonny Bal, President and CEO, SINTX Technologies. "We believe that this concept has strong merit, and that the MDA contract will allow SINTX to move the technology towards scale-up and commercialization."

09:07 EST Y-mAbs Therapeutics enters distribution agreement with WEP Clinical - Y-mAbs Therapeutics announced that it has entered into a distribution agreement with WEP Clinical in connection with an early access program for DANYELZA 40mg/10mL Injection in Europe. DANYELZA is a humanized, monoclonal antibody that binds to the glycolipid GD2. GD2 is a disialoganglioside that is overexpressed on neuroblastoma cells and other cells of neuroectodermal origin, including the central nervous system and peripheral nerves. DANYELZA is administered on days 1, 3, and 5 of each treatment cycle as an intravenous infusion after dilution. Treatment cycles are repeated every 4 weeks until complete response or partial response, followed by 5 additional cycles every 4 weeks.

09:06 EST Eqonex announces receipt of Nasdaq notification regarding minimum bid price - As announced on July 26, 2022, EQONEX received a notice from The Nasdaq Stock Market on July 21, 2022 that the Company was not in compliance with Listing Rule 5550(a)(2) as the bid price of the Company's listed securities had closed at less than US$1.00 per share over the last 30 consecutive business days from June 7, 2022 to July 20, 2022. In accordance with Listing Rule 5810(c)(3)(A), the Company was provided 180 calendar days, or until January 17, 2023, to regain compliance with Listing Rule 5550(a)(2). On December 19, 2022, the Company received another notice from Nasdaq that for the past 13 consecutive trading days, the closing bid price of the Company's common stock has been below $0.10. Accordingly, pursuant to Listing Rule 5810(c)(3)(A)(iii), this matter serves as an additional basis for delisting the Company's securities from Nasdaq. The Company will present its views with respect to this additional deficiency at its hearing with the Nasdaq Hearings Panel. The Company intends to monitor the closing bid price of its ordinary shares and may, if appropriate, consider implementing available options to regain compliance with the minimum bid price requirement under the Nasdaq Listing Rules for continued listing on Nasdaq.

09:04 EST OceanPal amends effective date of reverse stock split - OceanPal announced that the Company is amending the date for its previously announced reverse stock split, which was to be effective as of the opening of trading on December 21, 2022, due to the delay in a necessary regulatory approval outside of the Company's control, and which approval has now been obtained. The reverse stock split will take effect, and the Company's common shares will begin trading on a split-adjusted basis on NASDAQ, as of the opening of trading on December 22, 2022, under the existing trading symbol "OP". The CUSIP number of Y6430L 160 will be assigned to the Company's common shares when the reverse stock split becomes effective. The CUSIP number of Y6430L 152 will be assigned to the Company's Class A Warrants when the reverse stock split becomes effective. When the reverse stock split becomes effective, every ten of the Company's issued common shares will be combined into one issued common share, without any change to the par value per share and without any change in the total number of authorized common shares. The number of outstanding common shares will be reduced from approximately 101.8M shares to approximately 10.2M shares.

09:02 EST Clearmind granted U.S. patent for psychedelic-based alcohol substitute - Clearmind Medicine announced that it has been granted a patent from the United States Patent and Trademark Office for the use of its proprietary MEAI as an alcoholic beverage substitute. Similar patents have already been granted to Clearmind for the MEAI-based alcohol substitute in Europe and India. The development-U.S. Patent No. 11,077,072 B2 - is a major milestone, given the increasing popularity and growth in sales of non-alcoholic wine, beer and spirits. According to the information services firm NielsenIQ, the market for such non-alcoholic beverages in the U.S. in August 2022 stood at $395 million per year, showing a year-on-year growth of +20.6%.

09:01 EST RCI Hospitality acquires food hall in Colorado for $5.2M - RCI Hospitality announced the acquisition of a food hall with a full service bar, brewery, and videogame arcade, as well as the associated real estate, in Greenwood Village, CO as part of RCI's expansion in the greater Denver area. Consideration paid was $5.2M, consisting of $1.875M in cash and a 5-year, 6.67% bank financing note with a 25-year amortization. The food hall at the popular 12,500 square foot location at 6575 Greenwood Plaza Boulevard offers sushi, charcuterie, Italian artisanal sandwiches, Korean dumplings, Mexican dishes, ramen, pizza, and Mediterranean specialties.

09:01 EST Boeing launches O3b mPOWER satellite, milestone for Vicor - The December 16 launch of Boeing's O3b mPOWER communication satellite marks a milestone for Vicor Corporation (VICR), whose high-performance, radiation-tolerant modules support Boeing's (BA) satellite mission. Boeing's O3b satellite will help deliver broadband internet access to the "other 3 billion" people around the globe where access is limited or nonexistent. High density, radiation tolerant power delivery network for NewSpace. The complete source-to-point-of-load solution comprises four SM-ChiP modules powering advanced ASICs and FPGAs from a 100V bus: the BCM3423, a 100V input, 300W, K=1/3 bus converter; the PRM2919, a 33V input 200W regulator; a VTM2919 150A current multiplier with an output of 0.8V; and a VTM2919 50A current multiplier with an output of 3.3V. The modules are available in high-density SM-ChiP BGA packages. ChiPs are rated for operation from -40 to 125 degrees C.

08:47 EST BioNTech prepares shipping containers for first BioNTainer for shipment - BioNTech reached the next milestone in the establishment of scalable mRNA vaccine production in Africa. The six ISO-sized shipping containers for the first BioNTainer have finished construction in Europe, underwent quality checks by BioNTech experts and are being prepared for shipment to Kigali, Rwanda, where they are expected to arrive in the first quarter of 2023. In parallel, BioNTech continues to develop and build its state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Kigali, Rwanda, following the groundbreaking in June 2022. The facility will be housing the first BioNTainers and is expected to become a node in a decentralized and robust end-to-end manufacturing network in Africa. BioNTech also expects to ship BioNTainers to Senegal and potentially South Africa in close coordination with each respective country and the African Union. Vaccines to be manufactured in this Africa-wide network will be dedicated to people residing in member states of the African Union, with the aim to support access to novel medicines. In addition, BioNTech is advancing mRNA-based vaccine candidates to address malaria and tuberculosis, based on the company's mRNA platform. The vaccine candidates are expected to enter first-in-human trials in late 2022 or early 2023.

08:38 EST Rekor Systems enters term sheet for issuance of up to $15M in notes - Rekor Systems executed a term sheet providing for the issuance of up to $15M in notes to solidify its cash position and to accelerate its growth plan. Proceeds will provide necessary funding for Company's execution plan across its public safety, urban mobility, and transportation management business. The Company's Chairman and CEO, Robert Berman, has arranged and will participate in this financing. The financing will provide funds to continue the Company's current business initiatives, including further development of the Company's Rekor One platform, which has been designed to serve as a unified source of roadway intelligence, aggregating and analyzing multiple pools of historical and real-time data to provide insights that make transportation networks safer, smarter and greener. The Company also announced that it has retained Three Twenty-One Capital as financial advisor to assist in ongoing discussions with several large multinational companies, including current business partners. These discussions concern potential strategic investments in Rekor to enhance the company's future growth and accelerate the development of the Rekor One platform. There can be no assurance that a specific transaction will result from the discussions. The term sheet provides for a closing in early January. The Notes will have a maturity date of 30 months from the closing date and will be a senior secured debt obligation of Rekor and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. They may be subordinated on certain terms and conditions to a tier-one bank facility not to exceed $15M. They will bear interest payable quarterly from the date of issuance at 12% per annum. Noteholders will also receive 100% warrant coverage to purchase Rekor common stock at $2.00 per share, with a five-year exercise period. The term sheet is subject to the good faith negotiation and execution of definitive documentation. After closing, the Company expects to file a report on Form 8-K providing final details of the transaction.

08:35 EST Camber Energy announces effectiveness of 1-for-50 reverse stock split - Camber Energy announced that its 1-for-50 reverse stock split of the Company's issued and outstanding shares of common stock, par value $0.001 per share, accompanied by a corresponding decrease in the Company's authorized shares of common stock, which the Company previously disclosed was approved by the Board of Directors on December 14, 2022, became effective as of 12:01 a.m. Central Standard Time today, and will be reflected in the marketplace as of the open of trading. In connection with the Reverse Stock Split, the Company's shares of common stock will continue to trade on the NYSE American under the symbol "CEI" but will trade under a new CUSIP number, 13200M 607. The Reverse Stock Split, under Section 78.207 of the Nevada Revised Statutes, proportionally adjusted both the Company's authorized shares of common stock and issued and outstanding shares of common stock. As a result of the Reverse Stock Split, every 50 pre-split shares of common stock outstanding were automatically combined into one new share of common stock without any action on the part of the holders, and the number of outstanding shares of common stock was reduced from approximately 887.7 million shares to approximately 17.8 million shares. The Reverse Stock Split did not affect the par value of the common stock.

08:32 EST Stran & Company completes acquisition of Premier NYC - Stran & Company announced the completion of its acquisition of the assets and business of Premier Business Services, New York, under its previously-announced asset purchase agreement. Andy Shape, President, and CEO of Stran, commented, "We remain committed to our M&A growth strategy, and with over 30 years of experience in the promotional products industry, we expect Premier NYC to complement our capabilities and customer base. Moreover, this acquisition is expected to further establish our brand in the Northeast. Premier NYC has developed a reputation for creative, timely, and accurate delivery of promotional products. In addition, Premier NYC's customers include one of the largest global stock exchanges, an Ivy League university, several of the largest U.S. and international law firms, and more. Consistent with our prior acquisitions, we look forward to leveraging our technology and sales infrastructure to help accelerate the growth and improve operating efficiency of this business." Shape continued, "Overall, 2022 has been a transformative year for the Company, starting with the G.A.P. Promotions assets acquisition in February, followed by our assets acquisition of Trend Brand Solutions in August, and rounding out the year with this latest acquisition. We remain committed to growing Stran both organically and through accretive acquisitions and we believe that this growth strategy will help drive value for shareholders in 2023 and beyond."

08:29 EST Otis Worldwide achieves Gold-level TRUE certification for zero waste efforts - Otis Worldwide achieved Gold-level TRUE, or Total Resource and Use Efficiency, certification for zero waste efforts at its manufacturing facility in Florence, S.C. The Otis plant is the first in the elevator industry to be TRUE certified. It is also the first building-infrastructure facility to be certified in South Carolina. As part of its previously announced ESG targets, Otis aims to have all its factories eligible for zero-waste-to-landfill certification by 2025. Administered by Green Business Certification.

08:19 EST Progressive announces updated loss estimates from Hurrican Ian - The Progressive Corporation reported updated incurred loss estimates related to Hurricane Ian, which made multiple landfalls beginning in late September 2022. As of December 20, 2022, our estimate, which is subject to change, for our vehicle losses, including boats and recreational vehicles, is essentially unchanged from November 2022. For our Property business, prior to giving effect to reinsurance, our loss and allocated loss adjustment expenses is estimated to be $1B, which reflects favorable development of $400M from our estimated loss and ALAE of $1.4B reported as of September 30, 2022. Given that we exceeded our $200M retention threshold under our reinsurance contracts in September 2022, this change in estimate for our Property losses and ALAE will not impact our results of operations for December.

08:15 EST OceanPal Inc trading halted, news pending

08:13 EST Bigg Digital Assets subsidiary Netcoins launches in the U.S. - BIGG Digital Assets, owner of Netcoins, reports that Netcoins has launched service in the United States effective immediately, initially available in California, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Missouri. BIGG CEO, Mark Binns, commented, "The US market represents a very significant opportunity for Netcoins, especially in today's environment as US traders and investors seek a safe and regulated platform for their crypto trading. Mr. Matthews and the Netcoins team are bringing a proven product, strengthened under Canadian regulation, to the US market at a great time. We look forward to expanding the Netcoins presence and brand in the US throughout 2023."

08:11 EST Guest Supply, Innvision Hospitality partner for interior design services - Guest Supply and Innvision Hospitality have announced a 10-year partnership to bring Innvision's Furniture, Fixtures, and Equipment project services and expertise to Guest Supply's entire US customer network. The new strategic partnership enables Guest Supply to scale their full spectrum solutions with FF&E project services, offering interior design, project procurement and project management services to customers through their dedicated account team. As part of the framework, Innvision project teams will work in partnership with Guest Supply to better support customers, as well as their external contractors to deliver a precise combination of FF&E products and services designed to help them achieve their FF&E project goals.

08:09 EST Enphase Energy expands IQ8 microinveter deployments in Colorado - Enphase Energy announced that installers of Enphase products in Colorado have seen growing deployments of Enphase Energy Systems powered by IQ8TM Microinverters.

08:07 EST Solid Power expands joint development agreement with BMW - Solid Power (SLDP) announced it has deepened its partnership with the BMW Group (BMWYY). Under an expanded Joint Development Agreement, Solid Power has granted the BMW Group a research and development license to Solid Power's all-solid-state cell design and manufacturing know-how. The broadened relationship provides significant benefits to both companies, including conducting complementary cell development and manufacturing activities at both Solid Power and the BMW Group to further advance the capability of Solid Power's technology. The BMW Group intends to duplicate Solid Power's pilot production lines at its own facility in Germany and produce prototype cells based on Solid Power's proprietary technology. Prior to the installation of the BMW Group's prototype line, the BMW Group's personnel will work hand-in-hand at Solid Power's facilities to optimize cell manufacturing processes. The BMW Group has agreed to pay Solid Power $20 million through June 2024, subject to achieving certain milestones. The expanded Joint Development Agreement includes sharing of proprietary all-solid-state electrode and cell manufacturing know-how but does not include a license to intellectual property related to Solid Power's electrolyte material, which remains its core business. Once the BMW Group installs its prototype production line, Solid Power expects to supply its electrolyte material to the BMW Group for prototype cell production.

08:05 EST ProSomnus announces full enrollment in FLOSAT study - ProSomnus announced full enrollment in the First Line Obstructive Sleep Apnea Treatment study, FLOSAT. FLOSAT is a prospective, independent, head-to-head, crossover study comparing the effectiveness of precision oral appliance therapy as first-line treatment versus continuous positive airway pressure therapy. ProSomnus precision intraoral medical devices are being used exclusively for the precision OAT arm of the study. The enrollment target is 121 patients with moderate and severe OSA. All 121 patients have already completed the OAT arm of the study. The researchers expect to have the full results of the study in early 2023. "At a time when medicine is moving toward patient-centric care models to optimize outcomes, a lack of validated therapeutic options has limited sleep clinicians to chiefly prescribing CPAP, particularly as first-line treatment," said Len Liptak, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of ProSomnus. "One of the strategic objectives of FLOSAT is to evaluate whether precision OAT is viable as a first-line treatment option for patients with moderate and severe OSA. If validated, FLOSAT should represent an important contribution toward a more patient-centric approach to treating OSA and away from the current one-size-fits-all modality."

08:05 EST Baosheng Media receives non-compliance notification from Nasdaq - Baosheng Media Group announced that the Company received a written notification from the Nasdaq Stock Market on December 19, 2022, notifying the Company that it is not in compliance with the minimum bid price requirement set forth in Nasdaq Rules for continued listing on the Nasdaq. Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(a)(2) requires listed securities to maintain a minimum bid price of US$1.00 per share, and Listing Rule 5810(c)(3)(A) provides that a failure to meet the minimum bid price requirement exists if the deficiency continues for a period of 30 consecutive business days. Based on the closing bid price of the Company's ordinary shares for the 30 consecutive business days from November 2, 2022 to December 16, 2022, the Company no longer meets the minimum bid price requirement. The Notification Letter does not impact the Company's listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market at this time. In accordance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5810(c)(3)(A), the Company has been provided 180 calendar days, or until June 19, 2023, to regain compliance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(a)(2). To regain compliance, the Company's ordinary shares must have a closing bid price of at least US$1.00 for a minimum of 10 consecutive business days. In the event the Company does not regain compliance by June 19, 2023, the Company may be eligible for additional time to regain compliance or may face delisting. The Company's business operations are not affected by the receipt of the Notification Letter. The Company intends to monitor the closing bid price of its ordinary shares and may, if appropriate, consider implementing available options, including, but not limited to, implementing a reverse share split of its outstanding ordinary shares, to regain compliance with the minimum bid price requirement under the Nasdaq Listing Rules.

08:04 EST Nikola and E.ON plan to make competitive hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles - Nikola Energy and E.ON Hydrogen, confirmed their goal of making hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles, or FCEVs, cost competitive to diesel trucks, in terms of total cost of ownership. This is an important step on the road to decarbonizing heavy-duty transport. Nikola Energy is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Nikola Corporation. E.ON Hydrogen is a wholly-owned subsidiary of E.ON SE, one of Europe's largest operators of energy networks and energy infrastructure and a provider of innovative customer solutions. By 2027 and progressing thereafter, the partnership plans to supply green hydrogen to power up to 5,000 hydrogen-powered Nikola Tre FCEV cabovers with a range of up to 800 km. As a result, up to 560,000 metric-tons of CO2 is expected to be saved annually by 2027, further increasing the following years, making an important contribution to the EU's sustainability goals.

08:03 EST Vuzix signs distribution agreement with Elmark Automation - Vuzix announced that it has entered into a distribution agreement with Elmark Automation, an established Poland-based distributor of a broad range of industrial and electronic products. Vuzix has received and shipped against an initial six-figure volume purchase order from Elmark, who will distribute Vuzix products to its customers across Europe.

08:02 EST MingZhu Logistics enters into SPA to acquire Feipeng Global for $15M - MingZhu Logistics announced it has entered into a Share Purchase Agreement, or SPA, to acquire Feipeng Global, a services provider of slack coal transportation for the "first and last mile" by road-railway intermodal system in Xinjiang, China. The acquisition is valued at approximately $15M and is expected to be immediately accretive to MingZhu's revenue, gross margin and net income. The transaction is subject to the conditions that are customary for transactions of this type. Under terms of the SPA, MingZhu acquired 100% of Feipeng for approximately $15M, of which $10M will be paid in cash upon closing in form of cash. Feipeng shall receive a certain number of shares valued at approximately $5M if it achieves a targeted net income of $2.4M during the calendar year 2023.

08:01 EST Arthur J. Gallagher acquires Interbrok Group, terms not disclosed - Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. announced the acquisition of Sao Paulo, Brazil-based Interbrok Group. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Founded in 1976, Interbrok Group is a retail insurance broker offering a variety of commercial and personal insurance products and services to clients throughout Brazil.

07:38 EST Marathon Gold files technical report for Valentine Gold project - Marathon Gold reports that it has filed a technical report in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects for the Valentine Gold Project in central Newfoundland, available on SEDAR. The technical report is entitled "Valentine Gold Project, NI 43-101 Technical Report and Feasibility Study" and has an effective date of November 30, 2022. The technical report presents the results of an Updated Feasibility Study for the Project with a 3-pit mine plan based on the Marathon, Leprechaun and Berry Deposits, with increased Mineral Resources, increased Mineral Reserves, an extended mine life, and a higher gold production profile. The Updated FS incorporates the same conventional open pit mining and milling strategy previously presented in the Company's previous April 2021 Feasibility Study, with updated capital and operating cost estimates based on current-market pricing, and updated metal price assumptions. The Valentine Gold Project was released from provincial and federal environmental assessment earlier in 2022 based on mining at the Leprechaun and Marathon Deposits, and early works construction commenced in October of this year. The Updated FS incorporates an amended permitting strategy to allow for the Berry Deposit to be included in the mining schedule by the first year of mine operations.

07:37 EST Orezone Gold provides results from drill program at Maga Hill - Orezone Gold provides results from its Phase III resource definition drill program from Maga Hill, Maga Main and Siga zones at its Bombore Gold Mine in Burkina Faso. The focus of the Phase III drilling was the conversion of Inferred Resources into Measured & Indicated ahead of the upcoming sulphide expansion study. A key aspect of this infill program at Maga Hill was targeting higher grade granodiorite folded structures which were intercepted in the near surface oxide zones. Recent drilling continues to return positive results confirming the following: Preliminary results at Maga Hill returned several high-grade intercepts within the sulphide zone, with additional results still to come.Drilling at the main hanging wall Siga Zone continues to show excellent down-dip continuity. Drilling within the Inferred mineralized zones at Siga South and Siga West has been very successful, and preliminary results at Maga Main and Maga Hill are also very promising, with additional results still to come. Core drilling has been completed at P8P9 with results expected in the coming weeks. RC drilling will also be completed this week which targeted both Inferred and new oxide targets. Results are expected during Q1-2023. Modelling of the resources is ongoing as part of the upcoming sulphide expansion study which is expected to be completed in early H2-2023. Maga Hill Drilling Highlights: 42.00 m of 1.11 g/t Au from 198.00 m including 10.00 m of 1.72 g/t Au from 219.00 m in hole BBD1217; 17.20 m of 1.38 g/t Au from 260.00 m in hole BBD1218; 20.00 m of 3.30 g/t Au from 166.00 m in hole BBD1219; 21.00 m of 5.35 g/t Au from 150.00 m in hole BBD1220; 11.00 m of 1.73 g/t Au from 111.00 m and 18.00 m of 1.04 g/t Au from 193.00 m in hole BBD1241; 7.20 m of 8.50 g/t Au from 124.00 m including 1.20 m of 48.27 g/t Au in hole BBD1246; 18.00 m of 3.01 g/t Au from 194.00 m in hole BBD1247; 11.75 m of 2.16 g/t Au from 184.00 in hole BBD1248; 10.50 m of 2.86 g/t Au from 29.00 m including 1.50 m of 16.61 g/t Au from 31.00 m and a further 6.50 m of 6.16 g/t Au from 133.50 m including 2.80 m of 13.03 g/t Au from 137.20 m in hole BBD1249. Siga Drilling Highlights: 6.25 m of 3.46 g/t Au from 67.75 m including 1.00 m of 16.66 g/t Au from 70.00 m and 12.90 m of 1.40 g/t Au from 156.10 m including 1.00 m of 9.71 g/t Au from 168.00 m in hole BBD1145; 4.00 m of 4.36 g/t Au including 1.00 m of 16.05 g/t Au from 92.00 m in hole BBD1148.; 18.30 m of 1.17 g/t Au from 3.60 m including 1.10 m of 14.94 g/t Au from 4.70 m in hole BBD1150; 4.00 m of 5.82 g/t Au from 87.00 m including 1.00 m of 19.79 g/t Au from 89.00 m in hole BBD1157; 4.00 m of 3.52 g/t Au from 78.00 m including 1.00 m of 12.43 g/t Au from 81.00 m in hole BBD1158; 24.00 m of 1.18 g/t Au from 21.00 m including 2.90 m of 3.96 g/t Au from 31.00 m and 1.00 m of 6.02 g/t Au from 41.00 m in hole BBD1161; 12.70 m of 1.01 g/t Au from 74.30 m and 10.20 m of 1.38 g/t Au from 124.20 m in hole BBD1162; 13.00 m of 1.25 g/t Au from 71.00 m in hole BBD1163; 25.00 m of 1.04 g/t Au from 275.00 m including 8.00 m of 1.79 g/t Au from 285.00 m in hole BBD1169; 4.00 m of 5.32 g/t Au from 12.00 m including 1.40 m of 14.50 g/t Au from 14.60 m in hole BBD1174; 4.00 m of 4.16 g/t Au including 1.00 m of 10.16 g/t Au from 73.00 m in hole BBD1180; 29.00 m of 1.11 g/t Au from 205.00 m, including 1.00 m of 10.97 g/t Au from 227.70 m in hole BBD1186; 28.75 m of 1.01 g/t Au from 203.00 m including 12.75 m of 1.55 g/t Au from 219.00 m in hole BBD1191; 14.70 m of 1.75 g/t Au from 265.00 m in hole BBD1195; 14.00 m of 1.07 g/t Au from 283.00 m including 8.00 m of 1.49 g/t Au from 284.00 m in hole BBD1196; 19.20 m of 1.19 g/t Au from 248.00 m including 10.60 m of 1.67 g/t Au from 253.00 m in hole BBD1198; 32.45 m of 1.17 g/t from 213.80 m, including 14.00 m of 1.80 g/t Au from 224.00 m in hole BBD1199; 18.20 m of 1.43 g/t Au from 228.80 m including 8.00 m of 2.20 g/t Au from 237.00 m in hole BBD1200.

07:35 EST Performant and CAQH announce strategic partnership - Performant Healthcare Solutions and Council for Affordable Quality Healthcare CAQH an industry alliance of nearly 1,000 health plans, 2 million providers, and other healthcare stakeholders working to solve healthcare business challenges, today announced a partnership to improve payment integrity and coordination of benefits COB programs for health plans, including regional and community-based health plans. This initiative reflects both organizations' commitment to driving savings, claims accuracy, and administrative simplification. The partnership leverages Performant's proprietary software platform and services, and CAQH's one-of-a-kind registry of member coverage information to enable participating health plans to identify third-party healthcare coverage before paying claims. This prospective approach improves payment accuracy and delivers significant savings for health plans within months. Both organizations have a long history of improving payment accuracy for health plans and providers, and saw an opportunity to provide regional and community-based health plans more tailored support.

07:34 EST Marimed adds Candy Cane flavored vape pen to InHouse brand lineup - MariMed announced the addition of a Candy Cane flavored disposable vape pen to the InHouse brand line-up of vapes and gummies launched earlier this year. The limited edition InHouse Candy Cane disposable vape pen is available at select cannabis dispensaries in Massachusetts and Maryland, including MariMed's Panacea Wellness locations in both states. The Company launched InHouse early this year as a lower priced option for cannabis consumers seeking high quality, value-priced products.

07:32 EST InflaRx announces amendment of co-development agreement by STS - InflaRx announced that the Company has amended its existing co-development agreement with Staidson BioPharmaceuticals, STS, to support STS in its regulatory approval efforts for its proprietary drug candidate BDB-001 in China. Through the amendment of the existing co-development agreement, InflaRx will receive royalties of 10% on net sales of BDB-001 for the treatment of COVID-19 in China. InflaRx has granted STS an exclusive license for use in China to certain of InflaRx's clinical, manufacturing and regulatory documentation regarding vilobelimab in order to support and facilitate the regulatory filing for BDB-001 for the treatment of severely ill COVID-19 patients with the Chinese National Medical Products Administration, NMPA. Under the existing co-development agreement, BDB-001 is being developed by STS for the treatment of severe COVID-19 and other inflammatory diseases in China. The existing co-development agreement contains an exclusive license restricted to development and commercialization within the territory of China and was granted to STS by InflaRx in 2015. STS is now planning to apply for regulatory approval in China of BDB-001 for the treatment of COVID-19. In connection with amending the co-development agreement, InflaRx also announced that it has entered into a share purchase agreement with Staidson Hong Kong Investment Company Limited, an affiliate of Staidson BioPharmaceuticals Co., Ltd., pursuant to which STS will purchase additional ordinary shares of InflaRx for an aggregate amount of $2.5M at a price of $5.00 per share. "Given the recent steep increase in COVID-19 cases in China and the potential benefits of our anti-C5a technology, we are very happy that STS is advancing BDB-001 for the treatment of COVID-19 in China and are pleased to be able to support them as they work to bring a potentially life-saving treatment to this very large market," said Prof. Niels C. Riedemann, CEO and Founder of InflaRx. "In addition, STS's investment in InflaRx further strengthens both our near-term and long-term financial position as we advance our own vilobelimab product in several indications."

07:18 EST Laser Photonics receives order from Vitro Architectural Glass - Laser Photonics announced it received an order from Vitro Architectural Glass. Wayne Tupuola, CEO, commented: "Vitro was looking for a cost-effective technology solution that could handle delicate processes such as residue removal during the glass framing process. Our Cleantech 1500 JobSite was just the tool for this new application of our technology, providing a powerful yet safe solution for Vitro."

07:14 EST StorageVault Canada announces issuance of options - STORAGEVAULT CANADA has granted, subject to regulatory approval, a total of 7,000,000 options to purchase common shares of StorageVault to directors, officers, employees and consultants of StorageVault. The options were issued with an exercise price of $5.94 per common share and an expiry date of December 20, 2032. After this option issuance, StorageVault has 36,395,000 options issued and outstanding.

07:13 EST Laser Photonics receives order from Vitro Architectural Glass - Laser Photonics announced it received an order from Vitro Architectural Glass, the largest glass manufacturer in North America.

07:10 EST HBT Financial announces authorization of new $15M stock repurchase program - HBT Financial announced that its Board of Directors has approved a new stock repurchase program that takes effect upon the expiration of the Company's current stock repurchase program on January 1, 2023. The Company will not execute additional repurchases under the current program after January 1, 2023. The new Program authorizes the Company to repurchase up to $15 million of its common stock.

07:10 EST Akoustis completes qualification of first wafer-level-packages for 5G mobile - Akoustis Technologies announced that it has completed qualification and released its internally developed proprietary wafer-level-packaging, WLP, technology for the 5G mobile, Wi-Fi, timing control, and other markets. In response to global supply chain challenges, Akoustis has been developing proprietary WLP technology in its New York fab facility for the past year while also rapidly expanding its manufacturing capacity to target the 5G mobile device, Wi-Fi, timing control, and other markets with its XBAW filter products and advanced packaging. The Company has used its first Tier-1 5G mobile customer to exercise the manufacturing process of its new WLP technology and as the qualification vehicle. The first WLP packages have been production released for the 5G mobile and timing control markets. Jeff Shealy, founder and CEO of Akoustis, stated, "I am pleased to report that the development of our wafer-level-package technology manufactured in our New York fab facility has been successfully completed." Shealy continued, "The qualification of this new, advanced WLP process and packages enables smaller form factors, lower cost and will open significant high-volume markets to Akoustis including 5G smartphones, tablets and computing, representing the largest revenue opportunities for our XBAW(R) technology." Akoustis continues to add new Wi-Fi design wins, many of which are expected to ramp into production in calendar year 2023.

07:09 EST Genmab submits JNDA for epcoritamab to treat patients with R/R LBCL - Genmab announced that the company has submitted a Japan new drug application JNDA to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, MHLW, of Japan for subcutaneous epcoritamab , an investigational bispecific antibody, for the treatment of patients with relapsed/refractory large B-cell lymphoma after two or more lines of systemic therapy. The JNDA submission is supported by the EPCORE NHL-3, open-label, multi-center, phase 2 trial evaluating the safety and preliminary efficacy of epcoritamab in adult patients in Japan with relapsed, progressive or refractory CD20+ mature B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma , as well as results from the global EPCORE NHL-1 open-label, multi-center, phase 2 trial evaluating epcoritamab in the same patient population. "With this regulatory submission, we are one step closer to potentially delivering epcoritamab as a new therapeutic option to patients in Japan with relapsed and refractory LBCL who are in need of alternative treatments," said Jan van de Winkel, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Genmab. "Genmab and our partner AbbVie believe that epcoritamab has the potential to become a core therapy for patients around the world with B-cell malignancies and we are committed to progressing the comprehensive development program evaluating epcoritamab across a broad range of B-cell lymphomas."

07:08 EST Regenxbio announces program update for RGX-181 and RGX-381 - REGENXBIO announced a comprehensive program update to outline its progress and development plans for RGX-181 and RGX-381, both being developed as potential one-time gene therapies for the treatment of different manifestations in late-infantile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis type 2, or CLN2, disease, the most common form of Batten disease. REGENXBIO announced that physician investigators at the Hospital de Clinicas in Porto Alegre, Brazil have dosed the first child with CLN2 disease with RGX-181 in a single-patient, investigator-initiated study. As of December 20, RGX-181 is reported to be well-tolerated in this patient with no drug-related SAEs. Hospital de Clinicas is also part of ongoing clinical trials of RGX-111 for the treatment of MPS I and RGX-121 for the treatment of MPS II. REGENXBIO also announced that a clinical trial application, or CTA, has been accepted by the UK Health Authority to support a first-in-human, open-label, dose-escalation Phase I/II clinical trial to evaluate the safety and tolerability, as well as the effect on retinal anatomic and functional outcomes, of the subretinal delivery of RGX-381 for the treatment of ocular manifestations of CLN2 disease. The trial will be conducted at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London and the Company expects to initiate the Phase I/II clinical trial in the first half of 2023.

07:05 EST Athira Pharma announces publication of fosgonimeton preclinical results - Athira Pharma announced the publication of preclinical data demonstrating the neuroprotective, neurotrophic and procognitive effects of fosgonimeton, ATH-1017, in preclinical models. The article titled, "Fosgonimeton, a Novel Positive Modulator of the HGF/MET System, Promotes Neurotrophic and Procognitive Effects in Models of Dementia," was published online on December 20, 2022 in the peer-reviewed journal, Neurotherapeutics. In the publication, study authors concluded that treatment with fosgonimeton or fosgo-AM: Promotes the activation of the HGF/MET system in vitro and stimulates critical neurotrophic and neuroprotective pathways. Enhances synaptogenesis, synaptic strength, and neurite outgrowth in hippocampal neurons. Protects cortical neurons challenged with neurotoxic insults that contribute to neurodegeneration, including mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, and excitotoxicity. Improves cognitive performance in models of cognitive deficits, including a scopolamine-induced amnesia model in rats and in a lipopolysaccharide-induced neuroinflammatory model of dementia in mice. "The data reported in the peer-reviewed publication suggest that fosgonimeton could protect against several common pathophysiologies seen in dementia and induce neurotrophic and neuroprotective effects, which further supports the ongoing clinical development of fosgonimeton in patients with neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer's disease," said Mark Litton, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Athira Pharma. "These results, in combination with other recently reported data, strengthen our confidence in the potential for neuroprotective and disease-modifying effects of enhancing the HGF/MET neurotrophic system."

07:04 EST Viridian Therapeutics announces first patient enrolled in THRIVE Phase 3 trial - Viridian Therapeutics announced that the first patient has been enrolled in its THRIVE Phase 3 trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of the investigational agent VRDN-001 in patients with active thyroid eye disease, TED. The global THRIVE Phase 3 trial will be conducted in approximately 50 centers across North America and Europe. "We are pleased to enroll the first patient in the THRIVE trial, which is designed to confirm the compelling early results we've seen in TED patients," said Jonathan Violin, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Viridian Therapeutics. "The study is a significant milestone for Viridian, and reinforces our commitment to the TED community. It is an important and meaningful step in our efforts to provide new and improved treatment options to patients with TED."

07:03 EST Zynerba now expects topline results from RECONNECT trial in 1H24 - Zynerba Pharmaceuticals announced that the Company is revising its target for announcing topline results from the pivotal Phase 3 RECONNECT trial of Zygel in Fragile X syndrome. The Company now expects topline results in the first half of 2024, rather than the second half of 2023. The impact of environmental factors including unusually high rates of RSV and influenza and the continued impact of COVID-19 among children, adolescents, family members, and investigational center personnel, has resulted in higher than expected cancellations of initial screening visits at the investigational centers which has led to slower than anticipated enrollment. Despite these issues, clinical investigators at the 27 sites in the U.S., Australia, the UK and Ireland remain committed to completing the trial. "Though we are still striving to report topline results by the end of 2023, when we look at the current and projected impact of the Tripledemic, we believe that the first half of 2024 is a more reasonable timeframe to have topline results from RECONNECT," said Armando Anido, Chairman and CEO. "We have also prioritized our corporate business plans to focus almost exclusively on completing RECONNECT and now expect we have cash into mid-year 2024."

07:02 EST Venus Concept receives FDA 510k clearance to market AI.ME technology - Venus Concept announced that it has received a 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, FDA, to market its AI.ME next generation robotic technology for fractional skin resurfacing. "We are very pleased to receive the first FDA regulatory clearance for our non-surgical robotic technology platform, AI.ME, and believe it showcases Venus Concept's ongoing investment in technology, innovation, and clinical research towards robotics applications in the field of medical aesthetics," said Rajiv De Silva, Chief Executive Officer of Venus Concept. "AI.ME is a first-of-its-kind robotic platform offering physicians minimally-invasive treatments for high-demand procedures requiring fractional skin resurfacing. We see AI.ME as a versatile platform and we will continue to develop the platform to provide innovative solutions in various areas of medical aesthetics, starting with fractional skin resurfacing. The AI.ME technology will be critical to maximizing the synergy between our well-established medical aesthetic business and our pioneering robotics business driven by a robust R&D pipeline developed by our team in San Jose. This 510(k) clearance brings us one step closer to our goal of commercializing AI.ME in the U.S., and we look forward to introducing our first AI.ME systems with Venus Concept's leading physician partners in 2023."

07:01 EST Verano Holdings announces opening of MUV Lake City - Verano Holdings announced the opening of MUV Lake City on Friday, December 23rd, the Company's 62nd Florida dispensary and 120th retail location nationwide. MUV Lake City, located at 2938 W US Highway 90, is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., local time.

06:49 EST AstraZeneca's Lynparza approved in E.U. as first line treatment in mCRPC - The company states: "AstraZeneca (AZN) and MSD's *(MRK) Lynparza, olaparib, in combination with abiraterone and prednisone or prednisolone has been approved in the European Union for the treatment of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer, mCRPC, in adult men for whom chemotherapy is not clinically indicated. This approval by the European Commission was based on results from the PROpel Phase III trial and follows the positive recommendation in the EU by the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use in November 2022. In the trial, Lynparza in combination with abiraterone and prednisone or prednisolone, reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 34% versus abiraterone and prednisone or prednisolone. Median radiographic progression-free survival (rPFS) was 24.8 months for Lynparza plus abiraterone versus 16.6 months for abiraterone alone. Furthermore, a planned rPFS analysis by blinded independent central review showed Lynparza plus abiraterone had a median rPFS of 27.6 months compared to 16.4 months with abiraterone alone, extending median rPFS by almost one year. Updated results from a second planned analysis presented at ESMO 2022 showed a favourable trend towards improved overall survival with Lynparza plus abiraterone versus abiraterone alone, however, the difference did not reach statistical significance at the time of this data cut-off."

06:48 EST FDA accepts for review Pfizer's NDA for etrasimod - Pfizer announced that the FDA has accepted for review a New Drug Application, or NDA, for etrasimod for individuals living with moderately-to-severely active ulcerative colitis, or UC. The FDA's decision is expected in the second half of 2023. The European Medicines Agency, or EMA, has also accepted the Marketing Authorization Application, or MAA, for etrasimod in the same patient population with the decision anticipated in the first half of 2024. Etrasimod is an oral, once daily, selective sphingosine-1-phosphate, or S1P, receptor modulator designed for optimized pharmacology and engagement of S1P receptors 1, 4, and 5. In addition to UC, it is being investigated for a range of other immuno-inflammatory diseases.

06:42 EST AstraZeneca's Imfinzi+chemotherapy approved in E.U. in BTC patients - The company states: "AstraZeneca's Imfinzi has been approved in the European Union for the 1st-line treatment of adult patients with unresectable or metastatic biliary tract cancer, BTC, in combination with chemotherapy. The approval by the European Commission was based on the primary results from the TOPAZ-1 Phase III trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine Evidence, and on the updated results presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology Congress 2022. The approval follows the recommendation by The Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use of the European Medicines Agency in November 2022. At the interim analysis, Imfinziplus chemotherapy reduced the risk of death by 20% versus chemotherapy alone. Updated results from TOPAZ-1 after an additional 6.5 months of follow-up showed a 24% reduction in the risk of death versus chemotherapy alone, with more than two times as many patients treated with Imfinzi plus chemotherapy estimated to be alive at two years versus chemotherapy alone. Updated median overall survival was 12.9 months versus 11.3 with chemotherapy." Reference Link

06:14 EST Calliditas Therapeutics CEO Renee Aguiar-Lucander purchases 50,000 shares - Calliditas Therapeutics announced that CEO Renee Aguiar-Lucander has net purchased 50,000 shares through Calliditas' warrant program 2019/2022. Following the new subscription for shares, her shareholding in the company will amount to 643,000 common shares. The majority of the members of management who are eligible option holders in the program have today net purchased shares via the warrant program 2019/2022, which includes 422,500 warrants and can be exercised up to and including December 31. To partially finance the share purchases, the option holders in the program, including the CEO and eligible members of management, have sold shares. This sale, which consisted of 352,500 shares, was made today in a block transaction.

06:05 EST Celyad to discontinue development of remaining clinical program CYAD-211 - Celyad provided an update on its Celyad 2.0 business strategy which has been adopted and implemented over the last few months. In keeping with this strategy, the company intends to focus on maximizing its valuable intellectual property estate, and strengthening its research focus. The company has compiled a foundational and broad IP estate that controls key aspects of developing therapies in the allogeneic cell therapy space. The patents around allogeneic CAR T-cell therapies and NKG2D-based therapies provide an avenue to develop intellectual property programs and to partner with outside parties around the licensing of these patents. In addition to IP partnering transactions, Celyad 2.0 will prioritize discovery research in areas of expertise where it can leverage the differentiated nature of its platforms. The company is implementing a differentiated and innovative strategy, tackling the major current limitations of CAR T-cell therapies. This strategy includes: Multiplexing approach of the short hairpin RNA, or shRNA, platform, allowing multiple genes, including essential and functional genes, to be modulated simultaneously; Dual CAR development of a next-generation NKG2D-based CAR which may help to overcome resistance and immune escape often observed with traditional single targeting approaches; and development of B7-H6-targeting immunotherapies as the company believes that B7-H6 is an underappreciated target that could change the paradigm of cell therapy due to its broad expression in a large variety of cancers. Celyad Oncology is of the opinion that it will potentially create more shareholder value by licensing its patent estate and further strengthening its research efforts to improve the differentiated nature of its platforms. Based on a strategic and financial review, the company has decided to discontinue the development of its remaining clinical program CYAD-211. There were no safety concerns leading to this decision and all patients previously treated with CYAD-211 will continue to receive their protocol-defined follow-up. The key data points of the program are as follows: 19 r/r MM patients have been treated with CYAD-211 in the IMMUNICY-1 trial which was developed to validate shRNA technology in the clinic; the observed safety profile, including the lack of observed Graft-versus-Host disease, provides proof-of-concept for the use of shRNA technology for allogeneic CAR Ts; out of 17 evaluable patients, a partial response was achieved in five patients. One patient was recently re-treated with a second dose of CYAD-211 after having reached stable disease post first infusion and enhanced lymphodepletion did not seem to improve clinical activity nor persistence of the cells post-infusion. The company will take part in several conferences including The World Oncology Cell Therapy Congress in April and the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer's, or SITC, 38th Annual Meeting in November; and the company will provide updates on the potential proof-of-concept of the dual CAR and multiplexing research programs and on business development in the second quarter of 2023.

05:52 EST WISeKey expects to exceed FY22 revenue view of $24.5M - WISeKey re-affirmed its FY22 revenue forecasts as it reported 2022 revenue results of over $24.5M, an increase of more than 10% compared to FY 2021, due to steady semiconductors demand and an ambitious roadmap to develop the next generation of post-quantum chips. Carlos Moreira, WISeKey's Founder and CEO, noted: "We continue to see solid demand for our semiconductors and next generation post-quantum chips roadmap. We are making substantial progress in the implementation of our post-quantum algorithms in Secure Semiconductors MS6001/MS6003. During the last two years, WISeKey has made considerable advancements in developing post-quantum resistant algorithms by establishing strategic R&D partnerships with MINES Saint-Etienne Research Institute ("MINES Saint-Etienne"), an internationally renowned multidisciplinary university and lab created in 1816, aiming to help the international community find cryptography algorithms that will resist future quantum computing based cyber-attacks." Moreira added, "For FY 2022 we expect total group revenue to exceed $24.5 million, an increase of more than 10%, as compared to $22.3 million in 2021, despite the divestiture of our AI segment. Also, we expect our revenue to continue to grow in 2023, driven by a projected sales growth for the IoT segment of at least 40%. We believe that due to our large backlog of $36 million, which we expect to deliver within the next 48 months, our $100 million pipeline of opportunities, and the significant investments we have made into expanding our salesforce, we are well positioned to continue to gain market share and expand our geographic footprint. Furthermore, the divestiture of arago GmbH had a positive impact on our liquidity, as it reduced cash burn by approximately 40% and allowed us to focus on revenue generating investments."

05:42 EST Inter Parfums subsidiary, Lacoste sign exclusive 15-year fragrance license pact - Inter Parfums announced that its majority owned Paris-based subsidiary, Interparfums SA and Lacoste, the iconic fashion sport brand, have signed a worldwide exclusive 15-year fragrance license agreement effective January 1, 2024.

05:30 EST Philips gives update on test, research program of PE-PUR sound abatement foam - Philips provided an update on the comprehensive test and research program of its subsidiary Philips Respironics, following the voluntary recall notification/field safety notice to address potential health risks related to the polyester-based polyurethane, or PE-PUR, sound abatement foam in specific CPAP, BiPAP and mechanical ventilator devices. Following previous updates in December 2021 and June, additional test results and assessments have now been completed for the first-generation DreamStation devices. These devices have not been exposed to ozone cleaning in line with the instructions for use. The test and research program has been conducted together with five independent, certified testing laboratories, and the results have been reviewed and assessed by third-party qualified experts and Philips Respironics, as well as an external medical panel.

05:25 EST Elbit Systems awarded $410M framework contract to supply UAS - Elbit Systems announced that it was awarded a framework contract with a maximum value of approximately $410M to supply up to seven "Watchkeeper X" tactical unmanned aircraft systems, or UAS, for the Romanian Ministry of National Defense, with a validity of five years. No specific purchase order under the contract was awarded yet. The Watchkeeper X UAS is the UK export variant of the British army made by UAV Tactical Systems Limited, Elbit Systems' UK subsidiary, and is a derivative of the Hermes UAS family. The Watchkeeper X' compatibility with NATO standards enables essential interoperability with NATO and other allied forces.