Stockwinners Market Radar for January 06, 2024 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

19:50 EST Eiger BioPharmaceuticals trading halted, news pending

17:08 EST CN Energy receives noncompliance letter from Nasdaq, intends to appeal - CN Energy announced that it received a letter from the Listing Qualifications Department of Nasdaq on December 29. This letter stated that, because the company's securities had a closing bid price of 10c or less for ten consecutive trading days as of the letter date, unless the company timely requested a hearing before a hearings panel to appeal Nasdaq's delisting determination, trading of the company's securities will be suspended at the opening of business on January 9 and a Form 25-NSE will be filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange commission to remove the company's securities from listing and registration on Nasdaq, according to listing rule 5810. As previously disclosed, the company received a deficiency letter from the Staff on January 13, 2023, indicating non-compliance with the minimum bid price requirement under Nasdaq Listing Rule 5450 for continued listing on Nasdaq. On July 13, 2023, Nasdaq granted the company an additional 180-day period, ending on January 8, 2024, to regain compliance with the Bid Price Rule. On January 5, the company submitted a request for a hearing before the Panel to appeal the Staff's determination pursuant to the procedures set forth in the Nasdaq Listing Rules, and such hearing request will stay the suspension of the trading of the company's securities and the filing of the Form 25-NSE pending the panel's decision. There can be no assurance as to the success or outcome of the appeal.

16:31 EST Ligand announces FDA approval of ZELSUVMI - Ligand Pharmaceuticals announced that the U.S. FDA has approved ZELSUVMI for the treatment of molluscum contagiosum in adults and pediatric patients one year of age and older. The FDA approved ZELSUVMI as the first novel drug for the treatment of molluscum infections. ZELSUVMI is expected to be commercially available during the second half of 2024.

16:16 EST GAP Airports reports passenger traffic up 4.3% in December - GAP Airports transported 2M and 206,000 passengers in December 2023, a 4.3% year-on-year increase. International passengers increased by 20.6%, while domestic passengers decreased by 2.4%. Aeromexico's total capacity, measured in available seat kilometers, or ASKs, increased by 13.3% year-on-year. International ASKs increased by 23%, while domestic capacity decreased by 3.8% year-on-year. Demand, measured in passenger-kilometers, or RPKs, increased by 16.4% year-on-year. International demand increased by 26.2% as compared to December 2022. Domestic demand maintained the same volume of December 2022. Aeromexico's December 2023 load factor was 83.3%, a 2.2 p.p. increase as compared to December 2022. International load factor increased by 2.1 p.p. and domestic load factor.

16:10 EST Senti Bio announces 37% headcount reduction - Senti Biosciences announced plans to streamline its business operations, including reducing its workforce by approximately 37% to enable increased focus on SENTI-202, a first-in-class Logic Gated investigational cell therapy for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia. The Investigational New Drug application for SENTI-202 was cleared by the U.S. FDA in December 2023 and the company anticipates dosing the first patient in the second quarter of 2024. Additionally, the company will continue to support the clinical development activities of SENTI-301A for the treatment of advanced glypican 3-expressing hepatocellular carcinoma in China through its partnership with Celest Therapeutics. The company expects that these resource allocation efforts, combined with other expected receivables, will extend its cash runway into the first quarter of 2025.

16:06 EST Trinity Capital names Michael Testa as CFO, succeeding David Lund - Trinity Capital announced that, as part of the company's long-term succession plan, its Board of Directors has named Michael Testa as CFO, effective immediately. He succeeds David Lund, who will remain on the team as a consultant, focusing on strategic growth initiatives for the company. Testa joined Trinity Capital in 2020 as Chief Accounting Officer. Prior to joining Trinity, he served as Vice President and Controller at Oxford Funds, a credit-focused asset manager, and worked within the financial services practice of Ernst & Young LLP, focusing on financial audits of clients in the asset management industry.

16:02 EST BioCryst reports preliminary Q4 ORLADEYO revenue $89.9M - Preliminary, unaudited ORLADEYO net revenue in the fourth quarter of 2023 was $89.9 million (+27 percent y-o-y). Preliminary, unaudited ORLADEYO net revenue for full year 2023 was $325 million (+29 percent y-o-y). The company expects full year 2024 global net ORLADEYO revenue to be between $380 million and $400 million. The general pattern of revenue throughout 2024 is expected to be similar to past years, with the seasonal impact of prescription reauthorizations and the potential impact of the Inflation Reduction Act in the first quarter driving a quarter-over-quarter revenue decline in the first quarter, followed by a strong return to growth in the second quarter. "ORLADEYO growth remained strong in the fourth quarter of 2023 as hereditary angioedema patients gain the excellent attack control they expect. Comparing U.S. patient trends year over year (y-o-y), we had more new patient prescriptions and a lower average rate of monthly discontinuations in 2023 compared to 2022. U.S. performance combined with continued global expansion keep ORLADEYO on track for $1 billion in peak sales," said Charlie Gayer, chief commercial officer of BioCryst. The company expects full year 2024 operating expenses to be between $365 million and $375 million, flat to expected full year 2023 operating expenses. The company now expects that R&D expenses in 2024 will be reduced by $20 million versus 2023. This represents a $45 million to $55 million reduction from the 2024 R&D expense guidance it provided at its R&D Day in November 2023, and reflects both the R&D restructuring and the postponement of previously planned capital expenditures at its Discovery Center in Alabama. SG&A expenses are expected to increase by $20 million in 2024, primarily to support the continued U.S. and global growth of ORLADEYO to $1 billion in peak sales.

15:21 EST Southwestern Energy up 10% after WSJ report on Chesapeake tie-up talks - Shares of Southwestern Energy (SWN) are up 64c, or 10%, to $7.04 after The Wall Street Journal said the company and Chesapeake Energy (CHK) are nearing a merger agreement that would establish a roughly $17B entity. Chesapeake shares are up about 1% to $77.95 following the report.

13:47 EST Bandai Namco says 'Tekken 8' demo leads to increased preorders - Katsuhiro Harada, game director and producer at Bandai Namco (NCBDY), said that the demo for "Tekken 8" has attracted "very positive feedback," and the preorders for the game are "steadily increasing." "Tekken 8" is set to release January 26, 2024 for PlayStation 5 (SONY), PC, and Xbox Series X/S (MSFT). Reference Link

13:29 EST Roadzen Inc trading resumes

13:24 EST Roadzen Inc trading halted, volatility trading pause

13:02 EST Baker Hughes reports U.S. rig count down 1 to 621 rigs - Baker Hughes reports that the U.S rig count is down 1 from last week to 621 with oil rigs up 1 to 501, gas rigs down 2 to 118 and miscellaneous rigs unchanged at 2. The U.S. Rig Count is down 151 rigs from last year's count of 772 with oil rigs down 117, gas rigs down 34 and miscellaneous unchanged at 2. The U.S. Offshore Rig Count is unchanged at 20, up 4 year-over-year. The Canada Rig Count is up 39 from last week to 125, with oil rigs up 31 to 58, and gas rigs up 8 to 67. The Canada Rig Count is down 64 from last year's count of 189, with oil rigs down 55, and gas rigs down 9.

12:00 EST Vtex rises 10.4% - Vtex is up 10.4%, or 71c to $7.52.

12:00 EST Pinstripes rises 19.8% - Pinstripes is up 19.8%, or $1.04 to $6.30.

12:00 EST Medical Properties Trust falls -30.6% - Medical Properties Trust is down -30.6%, or -$1.53 to $3.47.

11:37 EST Nubia Brand International Corp trading resumes

11:22 EST StoneCo announces SCFI license received from Brazilian Central Bank - StoneCo announced that it received from the Brazilian Central Bank, or "BCB," the "Financeira" License, organized as a Sociedade de Credito, Financiamento e Investimento, or SCFI. "This license will enable StoneCo, through its subsidiaries, to develop and offer a range of new products, such as time deposits, which shall enhance and diversify the funding sources of the company," StoneCo stated.

11:15 EST Inogen rises after Citron calls company 'ripe for acquisition' - Shares of Inogen are up 91c, or 17% to $6.17 in Friday morning trading. The strength follows an earlier tweet from Citron Research that stated: "One our our favorite interviews on CNBC. Five years ago, Citron called $INGN overvalued at $170. Wapner asked if bulls were 'drinking Kool-Aid.'? Turns out, they were-INGN now sits at $5. But let's look deeper: with a solid cash position, the business is essentially free. Under new leadership, Inogen is ripe for acquisition. Could we see $25 on a buyout?" Reference Link

10:44 EST JBT Corp. receives extension of PUSU deadline for Marel merger proposal - JBT Corporation (JBT) announced that the Financial Supervisory Authority of the Central Bank of Iceland has granted an extension to the deadline for JBT to announce its final decision on whether to make a voluntary takeover offer for all of the outstanding common stock of Marel hf. (MRRLF) in relation to JBT's non-binding proposal originally submitted to the Board of Directors of Marel on November 24, 2023, and subsequently revised on December 13, 2023. In accordance with Article 102 of the Icelandic Takeovers Act no. 108/2007, JBT was required to announce its intentions by no later than January 5, 2024. This announcement follows Marel's disclosure that the FSA has extended the PUSU Deadline to January 19, 2024. The potential merger with Marel is consistent with JBT's strategic plan and M&A objectives of pursuing transactions with strong industrial logic and with significant synergy potential to enhance shareholder value. JBT intends to remain disciplined with respect to its pursuit of this transaction, both in terms of valuation and ensuring a strong pro forma balance sheet as well as future strategic flexibility. The issuance of a binding offer remains subject to the approval of JBT's Board of Directors, and there can be no assurance that any formal offer will be made as a result of these considerations.

10:39 EST Dogness Internationa trading resumes

10:34 EST Dogness Internationa trading halted, volatility trading pause

10:27 EST Pono Capital Three Inc trading halted, volatility trading pause

10:18 EST Ebang International trading halted, volatility trading pause

10:06 EST Innovative Eyewear, IngenioSpec enter license agreement - Innovative Eyewear announced a license agreement and settlement covering multiple IngenioSpec smart eyewear patents. Harrison Gross, CEO of Innovative Eyewear, said "We are pleased to have entered into a license agreement with IngenioSpec. This multi-year. non-exclusive license includes patents directed to a wide variety of smart eyewear features which we may include in our future products. We believe the combination of this IP with Innovative Eyewear's current portfolio of 63 owned and exclusively licensed patents and applications, provides a potential competitive advantage for us in the smart eyewear marketplace."

10:00 EST Pinstripes rises 11.6% - Pinstripes is up 11.6%, or 61c to $5.87.

10:00 EST Studio City falls -9.1% - Studio City is down -9.1%, or -64c to $6.36.

10:00 EST Agilon Health falls -32.9% - Agilon Health is down -32.9%, or -$3.97 to $8.11.

09:47 EST Bally's falls -6.1% - Bally's is down -6.1%, or -75c to $11.60.

09:47 EST Agilon Health falls -34.4% - Agilon Health is down -34.4%, or -$4.16 to $7.92.

09:47 EST Pinstripes rises 7.4% - Pinstripes is up 7.4%, or 39c to $5.65.

09:45 EST Puyi Inc (ADR) trading resumes

09:40 EST Puyi Inc (ADR) trading halted, volatility trading pause

09:25 EST Novartis expands production of Pluvicto at Indianapolis facility - Novartis has received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration for commercial manufacturing of Pluvicto at its new large-scale radioligand therapy manufacturing facility in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. The 70,000-square foot site, the company's second US location, is designed specifically for RLT manufacturing and is now the largest and most advanced Novartis facility of its kind in the world. The Indianapolis site represents the next phase of RLT manufacturing growth as this new addition brings substantial supply increases for the foreseeable future. The Indianapolis facility, centrally located within the US, is purpose-built from the ground up to manufacture RLTs now and into the future and includes space for continued line expansion including plans for fully automated lines, a first for the radiopharmaceutical industry. The new site will supply the growing demand for patients in the US and eventually in Canada, upon approval, together with the company's Millburn, New Jersey location. The site in Ivrea, Italy will continue to supply patients in and outside the US while the facility in Zaragoza, Spain will solely provide RLTs for patients outside the US. Novartis recently announced that supply of Pluvicto is unconstrained. Having doubled weekly production, Novartis currently has more than sufficient supply to treat patients within two weeks of diagnosis, which is important for these patients with advanced disease who may need treatment quickly. Novartis is committed to improving access to its RLTs, Pluvicto and Lutathera by adding more treatment sites in closer proximity to patients over the coming months. With four active manufacturing facilities, and a RLT production capacity of 250,000 doses in 2024 and beyond, Novartis continues to expand its worldwide RLT manufacturing network as ongoing clinical trials may present the potential to bring Pluvicto and Lutathera to more patients in earlier lines of treatment.

09:18 EST Avenue Therapeutics enters warrant exercise transactions for $5M in procceeds - Avenue Therapeutics announced the entry into warrant exercise agreements with existing accredited investors for the immediate exercise of certain outstanding warrants to purchase an aggregate of 16.5 million shares of the Company's common stock. These warrants for immediate exercise include: November 2023 Series B warrants to purchase an aggregate of 14.6 million shares of common stock issued by Avenue on November 2, 2023, each having an exercise price of $0.3006 per share, and January 2023 warrants to purchase an aggregate of 1.9 million shares of common stock issued by Avenue on January 31, 2023, each having an exercise price of $1.55 per share, at a reduced exercise price of $0.3006 per share as agreed upon by the Company. The gross proceeds to Avenue from the exercise of the warrants are expected to be approximately $5.0 million, prior to deducting placement agent fees and estimated offering expenses. The closing of the warrant exercise transactions is expected to occur on or about January 9, 2024, subject to satisfaction of customary closing conditions. Maxim Group LLC is acting as the exclusive financial advisor and warrant solicitation agent for the transaction.

09:17 EST Nutriband signs commercial development, clinical supply agreement with Kindeva - Nutriband has signed a commercial development and clinical supply agreement for their lead product, Aversa Fentanyl, with their partner, Kindeva Drug Delivery. Under this agreement, Kindeva will perform commercial manufacturing process development and manufacture clinical supplies for the human abuse liability clinical study required by the FDA in support of a New Drug Application. This new agreement replaces the previous feasibility agreement between the two companies which was focused on adapting Kindeva's commercial transdermal manufacturing process to incorporate AVERSA abuse deterrent transdermal technology.

09:04 EST Sana Biotechnology announces FDA clearance of IND application for SC262 - Sana Biotechnology announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, FDA, has cleared the company's Investigational New Drug, IND, application to initiate a study of SC262 in patients with relapsed or refractory B-cell malignancies, initially in patients who have received prior CD19-directed CAR T therapy. "Patients who have failed a CD19-directed CAR T therapy represent a significant unmet need, and this population is growing as more patients receive these therapies," said Doug Williams, PhD, Sana's President of Research and Development. "SC262 represents an important potential option for these patients and is the next step in building Sana's hypoimmune CAR T therapy platform. Over the past twelve months, Sana has received three IND regulatory clearances, as well as supported the authorization of an investigator-sponsored CTA, to begin new studies utilizing our hypoimmune platform in seven different indications in oncology, B-cell mediated autoimmune diseases, and type 1 diabetes. We look forward to presenting data from all of these studies this year, including initial proof of concept data for SC262 later this year."

09:02 EST Dave to repurchase $100M convertible note from FTX for $71M - Dave announced it has reached an agreement with FTX Ventures to purchase a convertible promissory note that it previously issued to FTX in the original principal amount of $100M, for a discounted purchase price of $71M. FTX filed a motion in its bankruptcy proceeding seeking approval of the agreement, which is scheduled to be heard on January 25, 2024. The closing of the transaction is conditioned upon the Bankruptcy Court's approval of the agreement and upon FTX not entering into an alternative transaction for the sale of the convertible note. "We believe the transaction represents a compelling capital allocation opportunity for Dave. Accounting for the payment, we remain confident that we have sufficient capital to execute on our growth plan without the need to raise additional equity capital," said Jason Wilk, founder and CEO of Dave.

08:57 EST Semper Paratus, Tevogen announce effectiveness of registration statement - Tevogen Bio and Semper Paratus Acquisition Corporation announced that the Securities and Exchange Commission has declared effective the registration statement on Form S-4 filed by Semper Paratus in connection with Tevogen Bio and Semper Paratus's previously announced proposed business combination. Semper Paratus will hold an extraordinary general meeting of its stockholders at which shareholders will be asked to consider and vote upon proposals to approve the Business Combination and related matters. The Business Combination is expected to close shortly after the Special Meeting, subject to shareholder approvals and the satisfaction or waiver of the conditions in the business combination agreement and other customary closing conditions. Upon closing of the Business Combination, the post-closing combined company will be renamed Tevogen Bio Holdings Inc. Tevogen Bio and Semper Paratus previously announced, on June 29, 2023, their execution of a definitive business combination agreement. The pro forma equity value of the portion of the combined company attributable to Tevogen stockholders is an expected $1.2 billion.

08:50 EST StarTek announces completion of take-private deal by CSP funds - Startek announced the successful completion of its take-private acquisition by funds managed by Capital Square Partners, effective today, January 5, 2024. Under the terms of the definitive agreement for the transaction that was previously announced on October 10, 2023, CSP will acquire all shares of Startek common stock not already owned by CSP, for $4.30 per share in cash. With the completion of the take-private acquisition, Startek's common stock ceased trading before market open on January 5, 2024 and will no longer be listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

08:48 EST Standard BioTools completes merger with SomaLogic - Standard BioTools has completed its merger with SomaLogic. Each SomaLogic stockholder will receive 1.11 shares of Standard BioTools common stock for each share of SomaLogic common stock owned. SomaLogic common stock and public warrants have ceased trading and will no longer be listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market. The combined company is poised to realize significant benefits as a multi-omic technology leader, targeting large, high growth markets with a diverse portfolio of life sciences tools that power industry-leading throughput and data quality. As previously announced, in connection with the closing of the merger, Michael Egholm, Jeff Black and Alex Kim will continue to serve as Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer of Standard BioTools, respectively. Adam Taich, SomaLogic's Interim Chief Executive Officer, has been appointed as Chief Strategy Officer of Standard BioTools and Shane Bowen, SomaLogic's Chief Research and Development Officer, has been appointed as Chief Technology Officer of Standard BioTools. Tom Carey, Troy Cox and Kathy Hibbs have joined the Standard BioTools Board of Directors and Mr. Carey has been appointed as Chairman of the Board. Carlos Paya, Laura Clague and Martin Madaus - who served on the Standard BioTools Board until the closing of the merger - have resigned from the Standard BioTools Board.

08:37 EST Royalty Management announces 2024 key areas of focus - Royalty Management Holding provides its shareholders with its year-end 2023 business and Company update. The company said, in part, "2023 was a transformational year for Royalty Management Holding Corporation: in late 2023 the Company completed its previously announced merger with Royalty Management Corporation, an operating company founded in 2021, and as a result RMC became a wholly owned subsidiary of American Acquisition Opportunity. AMAO concurrently changed its name to Royalty Management Holding Corporation and its public ticker with the NASDAQ changed from AMAO to RMCO. The completion of the merger, along with RMC having access to the public markets through its publicly traded holding company, meant that RMC and the Company positioned themselves strongly for growth in 2024 and beyond. Operationally, and with respect to the Company's royalty income portfolio, RMCO has continued to both expand its current investments and seek additional opportunities for investment in 2023, laying the foundation for several new investment opportunities in the coming year. Coming into 2024 and for the intermediate term, the Company looks to expand its investments and portfolio of royalty income into several key areas of focus: Critical minerals for energy storage: In 2024, RMCO is targeting several key investments that focus on resources and minerals needed for the economic transition to battery-based energy storage and power. RMCO believes that the transition to energy storage through the use of batteries has significant growth throughout the next decade within the United States and worldwide. Examples of these minerals include lithium, graphite, cobalt, and others minerals. RMCO is in discussions with several ore and recycled sources of these key minerals to help fund the development and production of the ores bodies in exchange for an overriding royalty on mineral sales. Additionally, the Company recently established its Critical Mineral Financing Division which has an initial focus on investing in the raw material supply chain of critical minerals by financing the creation of raw material feedstock inventories from sources around the globe, to be later used in the refining of these strategic materials into high-grade materials for the creation of products focused on energy storage and efficiency, such as batteries and high-efficiency, permanent magnets. Infrastructure rehabilitation and expansion: Similar to the Company's focus on critical minerals for energy storage, RMCO is also focusing 2024 on completing investments in the resources and raw materials required for rehabilitation or advancement of key economic infrastructure, such as steel, concrete, specialty metals, and alloys. With anticipated increases in modernization of several large economies around the globe, RMCO sees this sector as a key performer in the coming decades and is evaluating investments in the raw materials to help participate in this economic expansion. New, disruptive technologies that support energy storage and infrastructure. In addition to the two themes outlined above, RMCO is evaluating several companies and intellectual property rights that support new and disruptive technologies in the fields of energy storage and infrastructure. For example, in addition to the Company's investment into Advanced Magnet Lab, a company that has developed and patented a new way to make permanent magnets perform more efficient, productive, and cost-effective through new research, intellectual property, and patents. This technology is used in a variety of industries, such as aerospace and defense. RMCO is evaluating other investments in technologies that allow the Company to increase its returns in new and emerging technologies."

08:35 EST Bridgeline Digital releases 'Smart Search' AI product - Bridgeline Digital announced today the launch of its innovative HawkSearch AI product, "Smart Search". Smart Search has led to five new license sales worth over $60k in annual recurring revenue upon its release within December of 2023. The product leverages advanced AI algorithms, vector DBs, Natural Language Processing, and Large Language Models to provide an unparalleled search experience. "Bridgeline believes all of its HawkSearch customers will benefit from Smart Search," says Ari Kahn, CEO of Bridgeline. "Therefore, we are launching a campaign to reach out to hundreds of customers to understand the benefits of selecting Smart Search to increase their sales in the new calendar year."

08:33 EST Revelstone Capital Acquisition cancels special meeting to approve combination - Revelstone Capital Acquisition has cancelled the meeting that was scheduled for Friday, January 5, 2024 at 1:00 p.m. EST, and to withdraw from consideration by the stockholders of the Company the proposals set forth in the Company's definitive proxy statement/prospectus initially filed by RCAC with the SEC on December 13, 2023 in connection with the proposed business combination with Set Jet, until a new special meeting has been scheduled. As a result of the cancellation, redemption requests submitted for RCAC's shares of Class A common stock will not be accepted. The conditions to closing of the Business Combination, as described in the Proxy Statement/Prospectus, have not yet been satisfied. The parties are working together to expeditiously satisfy such closing conditions, including obtaining the approval of Nasdaq to list the post-combination company's common stock following the closing of the Business Combination. There can be no assurance that the Business Combination will be consummated within the time period required by RCAC governing documents. The Company plans to reschedule the meeting for stockholders to approve the Business Combination at a time and date to be determined once a new record date has been established for stockholders of record on such date to vote upon proposals to approve the Business Combination and related matters. Proxy materials containing the new time and date for the Special Meeting, the new redemption deadline date, the proposals to approve the Business Combination and related matters, will then be sent to stockholders of record as of the Record Date.

08:32 EST Verb closes $3M non-convertible preferred stock financing - Verb Technology Company closed a $3 million preferred stock financing. The preferred stock is non-convertible into the Company's common shares and as such is non-dilutive to current stockholders. On December 29, 2023, the Company entered into a securities purchase agreement with an existing family office investor pursuant to which the Company sold and the investor purchased 3,000 shares of the Company's newly designated non-convertible Series C Preferred Stock for a total purchase price of $3,000,000. The Preferred Shares have a 10% stated annual dividend, no voting rights, and a face value of $1,300 per share. The sale of the Preferred Shares was consummated on December 29, 2023. The Company intends to use the proceeds to drive its MARKET.live, livestream social shopping platform and for general corporate purposes. The Securities Purchase Agreement contains customary representations and warranties from the Company and the investor.

08:31 EST Scynexis to present preclinical data on SCY-247 - SCYNEXIS announced the presentation of preclinical efficacy data on its second generation fungerp candidate SCY-247 for the treatment of mucormycosis at the 11th Advances Against Aspergillosis and Mucormycosis Conference in Milan, Italy from January 25 - 27, 2024. In this preclinical study, SCY-247 demonstrated in vivo efficacy equivalent to currently used antifungals in treating a Mucorales pulmonary infection in immunosuppressed mice. Notably, the combination of SCY-247 with liposomal amphotericin B resulted in a significant survival improvement when compared to monotherapy. "The results from this preclinical study are very encouraging and illustrate the significant potential for this novel fungerp candidate SCY-247," said David Angulo, M.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of SCYNEXIS. "Groundbreaking treatment options are urgently needed to address the significant limitations in effective therapies for devastating and very often lethal fungal diseases such as mucormycosis. We continue to expeditiously progress the development of this promising antifungal with plans to begin a clinical study by year end."

08:22 EST Oceanfront Recovery expands use of SOBRsafe technology - SOBR Safe announced that current customer Oceanfront Recovery has expanded its use of SOBRcheck to its two inpatient treatment facilities. Based in Laguna Beach, California, Oceanfront previously installed SOBRcheck at its headquarters, and deployed SOBRsure for continuous client monitoring.

08:19 EST Spero Therapeutics expects cash to fund requirements into late 2025 - Cash and cash equivalents as of December 31, 2023, were approximately $76.3 million. The company believes its cash and cash equivalents, together with the development milestone payments due under its license agreement with GSK, will be sufficient to fund anticipated operating and capital expenditure requirements into late 2025.

08:19 EST Spero Therapeutics provides 2024 anticipated milestones - "We look forward to another productive year for Spero in 2024, having achieved important clinical and regulatory milestones over the past twelve months," said Sath Shukla, President, and CEO of Spero Therapeutics. "We are very pleased to move forward with the PIVOT-PO clinical trial, evaluating tebipenem HBr in complicated urinary tract infections, as we recently began dosing patients. Our Phase 2a trial of SPR720 in nontuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease is on track, and we look forward to reporting topline data, which is expected in the second half of 2024. Additionally, we ended 2023 with a strong cash balance, and believe our cash and cash equivalents, together with milestone payments from our tebipenem HBr commercial partner, GSK, will provide runway into late 2025." 2023 Pipeline Updates and 2024 Anticipated Milestones: SPR720 for Nontuberculous Mycobacterial Pulmonary Disease: In 2H 2024, the company expects to share topline data from the ongoing Phase 2a clinical trial of SPR720, which is being developed as a novel first-line oral treatment for non-tuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease. The trial is expected to enroll up to 35 treatment-naive or treatment-experienced non-refractory participants with NTM-PD, due to Mycobacterium avium complex. Tebipenem HBr for complicated urinary tract infections, including acute pyelonephritis: In December 2023, Spero achieved first patient, first visit in PIVOT-PO, the global pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial of tebipenem HBr in patients with complicated urinary tract infections, including acute pyelonephritis, with a target enrollment of approximately 2,648 patients, which we expect to be completed in 2H of 2025. The FDA has indicated that positive and persuasive results from PIVOT-PO, supported with confirmatory evidence of efficacy, could be sufficient to support approval of tebipenem HBr as a treatment for cUTI, including pyelonephritis, for a limited use indication. As part of its license agreement with GSK, Spero is entitled to receive an additional $95 million in development milestone payments, payable in four equal installments over two years. SPR206 for Bacterial Pneumonia: SPR206 is being developed in patients diagnosed with hospital-acquired or ventilator-associated bacterial pneumonia caused by carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii-calcoaceticus complex or carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

08:16 EST Pono Capital Three receives shareholder approval for Horizon combination - Robinson Aircraft Ltd., doing business as Horizon Aircraft, and Pono Capital Three announced that Pono's shareholders voted to approve the previously announced business combination between Pono and Horizon Aircraft, at the extraordinary general meeting of Pono's shareholders held on January 4, 2024. Voters representing over 81.1% of the issued and outstanding ordinary shares of Pono cast votes in favor of the proposal in connection with the business combination at the Special Meeting. In connection with the Special Meeting, shareholders holding an aggregate of 11,476,685, or 99%, of Pono Class A ordinary shares exercised their right to redeem their Pono Class A Shares. The trustee of the Trust Account is calculating the final amount of the funds to be removed from the Trust Account in connection with such redemptions, but the current preliminary calculations are that approximately $121.8 million will be removed from the Trust Account to pay such holders. Upon closing of the Business Combination, the post-closing company will be renamed "New Horizon Aircraft Ltd." and will continue to do business as "Horizon Aircraft" with its common stock and warrants trading on The Nasdaq Stock Market, under the ticker symbols "HOVR" and "HOVRW," respectively.

08:15 EST iRhythm announces results from CAMELOT study have been published - iRhythm announced that the results from the Cardiac Ambulatory Monitor EvaLuation of Outcomes and Time to Events, CAMELOT, study have been published in the American Heart Journal. The peer-reviewed manuscript, titled "Comparative Effectiveness and Healthcare Utilization for Ambulatory Cardiac Monitoring Strategies in Medicare Beneficiaries," reveals that the Zio long-term continuous monitoring service, which features up to 14 continuous days of monitoring, was independently associated with the highest yield of clinical arrhythmia encounter diagnosis and lowest likelihood of retest. The retrospective study of almost 300,000 patients makes CAMELOT the largest published real-world comparative effectiveness analysis of ambulatory cardiac monitoring. The study found that in diagnostic-naive Medicare patients, Zio LTCM was associated with a higher diagnostic yield, ascertained by medical claims, compared to all other ACMs when looking at specified arrhythmias. The study also found that in diagnostic-naive Medicare patients, the Zio LTCM had a lower adjusted odds of retesting within 180 days compared to other ACM modalities, including LTCMs from other service providers in the same extended monitoring category. The study also found that LTCM were associated with the lowest increase in health care resource utilization and costs - including fewer emergency department visits.

08:12 EST Greenbrook TMS, Compass Pathways enter into three-year research collaboration - Compass Pathways (CMPS) and Greenbrook TMS (GBNH) jointly announced that they have entered into a three-year research collaboration agreement to explore delivery models for investigational COMP360 psilocybin treatment upon regulatory approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, FDA. The collaboration will research and investigate models for the delivery of scalable, commercial COMP360 within healthcare systems, assuming FDA approval. The initial phase of the collaboration will comprise research into the delivery of COMP360 at treatment centers across the United States, such as through Greenbrook TMS's current network of treatment centers, working with their patient populations, which include people suffering with treatment-resistant depression and other mental health conditions. "We are proud to collaborate with Compass to explore how we can bring innovative treatments to patients safely and conveniently," said Bill Leonard, President and Chief Executive Officer of Greenbrook TMS. "Our depth of experience and nationwide presence offer a great platform for scaling new treatments that solve issues with awareness, geographic convenience and fiscal viability. Our team excels at navigating through barriers to care so that patients can receive and benefit from the latest therapeutics."

08:11 EST Soleno Therapeutics announces inducement grants under Nasdaq listing rule - Soleno Therapeutics announced, as required by Nasdaq Stock Market rules, the grant of inducement awards to three new employees. The independent members of the Board of Directors of Soleno, approved the grant of non-qualified stock options to purchase 102,500 shares of common stock to three employees, as an inducement for them entering into employment with the Company in accordance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4). The options have an exercise price of $36.70 per share, which is equal to the closing price of Soleno's common stock on the Nasdaq Stock Market on January 4, 2024, the date of grant. The option award will vest over a four-year period, with 25% of the shares subject to the award vesting on the one-year anniversary of the date of grant, and thereafter an additional 1/48th of the shares subject to the award vesting on each succeeding monthly anniversary of the date of grant, subject to such employee's continued employment with Soleno through such vesting dates. The option awards are subject to the terms and conditions of Soleno's existing 2020 Inducement Equity Incentive Plan and the terms and conditions of the stock option covering the grant.

08:10 EST Praxis enters licensing, collaboration agreement with Tenacia - Praxis Precision Medicines announced an exclusive collaboration and license agreement with Tenacia Biotechnology, a China-based clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on CNS drug development and commercialization. Under the agreement, Tenacia will develop and commercialize ulixacaltamide for the treatment of essential tremor in Greater China, including mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. As part of the collaboration agreement, Praxis will receive $15 million up front, including $5 million in cash and a $10 million investment in Praxis common stock. Additionally, Praxis will be eligible for an additional $264 million in development, regulatory and commercialization milestone payments, as well as tiered royalties on net sales.

08:09 EST Taysha Gene Therapies announces inducement grant under Nasdaq listing rule - Taysha Gene Therapies announced that, on January 2, 2024, Taysha's Board of Directors granted Meredith Schultz, M.D., M.S., an option to purchase 257,700 shares of the Company's common stock in connection with her employment as Taysha's new Senior Vice President, Clinical Development and Medical Affairs. The stock option was granted under the Taysha Gene Therapies, Inc. 2023 Inducement Plan as an inducement material to Ms. Schultz entering into employment with Taysha in accordance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4). The stock option has an exercise price of $1.71 per share, which is equal to the closing price of Taysha's common stock on the date of grant. The stock option has a 10-year term and will vest over four years, with 25% of the option vesting on the first anniversary of the vesting commencement date and the remaining 75% of the option vesting in equal monthly installments over the 36 months thereafter. Vesting of the stock option is subject to such employee's continued service to Taysha on each vesting date.

08:08 EST Insmed: Data from Phase 3 ASPEN study of Brensocatib due in latter part of 2Q - Enrollment in the Phase 2 study of TPIP in patients with PH-ILD completed in November 2023; Topline data expected in 2Q 2024.

08:08 EST Prime Medicine appoints Reine as Chief Financial Officer - Prime Medicine (PRME) announced the appointment of Allan Reine, M.D., as the Company's Chief Financial Officer, effective January 17, 2024. A seasoned financial executive with over twenty years' experience in the biotechnology industry, Dr. Reine will be responsible for the company's financing strategy and investor relations, and will oversee all financial operations as Prime Medicine begins its transition into a clinical company. Prior to joining Prime Medicine, Dr. Reine was Chief Financial Officer at Foghorn Therapeutics (FHTX).

08:06 EST Smart for Life completes audit for pending acquisition - Smart for Life has completed the audit for the planned acquisition of a premier eCommerce nutraceuticals company with operations in North America. The acquisition is expected to close within the next several weeks and is subject to financing and customary closing conditions. Completion of the acquisition is subject to a number of conditions including successful financing. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities of Smart for Life.

08:04 EST WiMi Hologram Cloud announces image-fused point cloud semantic segmentation - WiMi Hologram Cloud announced an image-fused point cloud semantic segmentation method based on fused graph convolutional network, aiming to utilize the different information of image and point cloud to improve the accuracy and efficiency of semantic segmentation. Point cloud data is very effective in representing the geometry and structure of objects, while image data contains rich color and texture information. Fusing these two types of data can utilize their advantages simultaneously and provide more comprehensive information for semantic segmentation. The fused graph convolutional network is an effective deep learning model that can process both image and point cloud data simultaneously and efficiently deal with image features of different resolutions and scales for efficient feature extraction and image segmentation. FGCN is able to utilize multi-modal data more efficiently by extracting the semantic information of each point involved in the bimodal data of the image and point cloud. To improve the efficiency of image feature extraction, WiMi also introduces a two-channel k-nearest neighbor module. This module allows the FGCN to utilize the spatial information in the image data to better understand the contextual information in the image by computing the semantic information of the k nearest neighbors around each point. This helps FGCN to better distinguish between more important features and remove irrelevant noise. In addition, FGCN employs a spatial attention mechanism to better focus on the more important features in the point cloud data. This mechanism allows the model to assign different weights to each point based on its geometry and the relationship of neighboring points to better understand the semantic information of the point cloud data. By fusing multi-scale features, FGCN enhances the generalization ability of the network and improves the accuracy of semantic segmentation. Multi-scale feature extraction allows the model to consider information in different spatial scales, leading to a more comprehensive understanding of the semantic content of images and point cloud data.

08:02 EST Peak Rock Capital affiliate to sell Paragon Healthcare to Elevance Health - An affiliate of Peak Rock Capital, a middle-market private investment firm, announce it has signed a definitive agreement for the sale of Paragon Healthcare to Elevance Health. Paragon is a provider of ambulatory and home infusion services as well as specialty pharmacy services. The company provides comprehensive, high quality infusion services to patients with chronic health conditions and those in need of post-acute care. Headquartered in Plano, Texas, with more than 70 infusion and pharmacy locations in 12 states, the company has built an excellent reputation in the industry for its service to patients across lower-cost settings of care, including infusion centers and patients' homes.

07:53 EST CureVac announces Phase 2 interim data from COVID-19 vaccine program - CureVac (CVAC) announced interim data from the ongoing Phase 2 study assessing monovalent and bivalent modified vaccine candidates against COVID-19. Both vaccine candidates are being developed in collaboration with GSK (GSK). Selected data can be reviewed in the presentation associated with this press release. Results from the formal interim analysis showed that both vaccine candidates using CureVac's proprietary second-generation mRNA backbone produced meaningful immune responses and favorable reactogenicity profiles across all tested doses, including the lowest tested dose. All three of the dose levels tested were below those used in mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines licensed in the U.S. and EU. The Phase 2 study assesses the safety and immunogenicity of different single booster doses of monovalent vaccine candidate CV0601, encoding the spike protein of the Omicron BA.4-5 variant and bivalent vaccine candidate CV0701, encoding the spike protein of the Omicron BA.4-5 variant and original SARS-CoV-2 virus. Safety and immunogenicity were assessed in comparison to a licensed bivalent mRNA-based COVID-19 comparator vaccine. While the monovalent candidate CV0601 was tested at a single medium dose level, the bivalent candidate CV0701 was tested at low, medium, and high dose levels. The study is being conducted in Australia and is fully enrolled with 427 healthy adults aged 18 and older equally randomized between dose groups. Reactogenicity data cover all dose groups for both vaccine candidates. The vaccine candidates were shown to be generally well tolerated with a lower or similar proportion of participants reporting solicited adverse events when compared to comparator vaccine participants within seven days of dosing. Interim immunogenicity data showed meaningful titers of neutralizing antibodies for both candidates at all dose levels. Titers of neutralizing antibodies matched or numerically exceeded the titers induced by the licensed comparator vaccine at all tested doses except for the low dose level of CV0701. The monovalent candidate CV0601, which was tested at a medium dose level, elicited neutralizing antibody titers against the Omicron BA.4-5 variant on day 29 following the booster vaccination that were 5.0 times the pre-boosting titers, numerically exceeding the 3.6-fold ratio generated by the licensed comparator vaccine. For the low, medium, and high dose levels tested for the bivalent candidate CV0701, neutralizing antibody titers against BA.4-5 on day 29 following the booster vaccination were 2.7-fold, 3.7-fold and 4.6-fold the titers before the booster, compared to a 3.6-fold ratio of post- to pre-booster titers for the comparator vaccine.

07:46 EST Constellation Brands CEO says Beer Business achieved 'excellent' Q3 results - CEO Bill Newlands said, "Our Beer Business achieved excellent Q3 results driven by our industry-leading brands. Modelo Especial delivered double-digit volume growth and continued to extend its position as the #1 beer in U.S. tracked channel dollar sales. Our other core beer brands, Corona Extra and Pacifico, also delivered solid growth and were top 10 share gainers across the U.S. beer category. This outstanding performance has reinforced our conviction in our Fiscal 2024 enterprise outlook, despite an adjustment to our Wine and Spirits Business guidance due to near-term headwinds in the wine markets.

07:32 EST Elevation Oncology: Cash, equivalents sufficient to fund operations into 2H25 - Elevation Oncology expects that its cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities as of September 30, 2023, will be sufficient to fund its current operations into the second half of 2025. Upcoming 2024 milestones: Update from Ongoing Phase 1 Clinical Trial of EO-3021 Now Expected Mid-2024; Expanding EO-3021 Clinical Development Program to Include Combination Strategy; Announcing HER3-targeting ADC as Second Pipeline Program; Development Candidate Nomination in 2024.

07:21 EST Deciphera publishes results from ctDNA analysis of INTRIGUE study - Deciphera announced that Nature Medicine has published results from a circulating tumor DNA, or ctDNA, analysis of the INTRIGUE Phase 3 study of Qinclock in GIST patients with mutations in KIT exon 11 and 17/18 only previously treated with imatinib. The article, titled "Ripretinib versus sunitinib in gastrointestinal stromal tumor: ctDNA biomarker analysis of the phase 3 INTRIGUE trial" is now available online and will be published in a future print issue of Nature Medicine. INTRIGUE is an international, multi-center study conducted in 122 active sites across 22 countries, where 453 patients in the all patient intent-to-treat population with second-line GIST were randomized to receive ripretinib or sunitinib. In the AP-ITT population, Qinclock demonstrated similar efficacy with a median progression-free survival, or PFS, of 8 months versus 8.3 months for sunitinib. There were fewer patients with Grade 3-4 drug-related treatment emergent adverse events with Qinclock compared with sunitinib. Based on the primary results from the INTRIGUE study, Qinclock was included in the National Comprehensive Cancer Network Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology as the preferred second-line regimen for patients with advanced GIST who are intolerant to sunitinib. A prespecified exploratory objective in INTRIGUE was to evaluate anti-tumor efficacy of QINLOCK according to baseline KIT primary and secondary mutation status. Baseline peripheral whole blood was analyzed by Guardant360, a 74-gene ctDNA next-generation sequencing liquid biopsy assay in patients for whom evaluable samples were available out of whom 280 patients had detectable ctDNA. In patients with a detectable KIT exon 11 primary mutation, 52 patients also had mutations in KIT exon 17/18 only and 41 had mutations in KIT exon 13/14 only. Patients with mutations in KIT exon 11 and 17/18 only had improved progression-free survival, objective response rate and overall survival with Qinclock versus sunitinib while patients with mutations in KIT exon 11 and 13/14 only had improved PFS, ORR, and OS with sunitinib compared to Qinclock. The subgroup safety profile was consistent with the primary analysis in the AP-ITT population and demonstrated a more favorable safety profile for Qinclock compared with sunitinib with fewer patients experiencing Grade 3-4 drug-related TEAEs.

07:12 EST Immunocore reports cash position of $443M as of December 31 - Preliminary unaudited cash and cash equivalents is approximately $443 million as of December 31, 2023.

07:10 EST Immunocore expects data update from Phase 1 trial of IMC-M113V in 2H24 - The Company continues to enroll people living with HIV in the multiple ascending dose part of a Phase 1 clinical trial with IMC-M113V, to identify a safe and tolerable dosing schedule. This study will also test whether IMC-M113V could lead to reduction in the viral reservoir and, after stopping all therapies delay or prevent HIV rebound. The MAD part of the trial will enroll up to 28 participants. The Company expects to present a data update from the Phase 1 clinical trial in the second half of 2024. In 2023, the Company amended the design of the ongoing Phase 1 trial with IMC-I109V for people living with HBV to include HBV-positive hepatocellular carcinoma. The Company continues to enroll patients into the trial in 2024.

07:08 EST Immunocore submits CTA for IMC-R117C for colorectal, gastrointestinal cancers - The Company has leveraged its proprietary peptidomic database to validate a novel target, PIWIL1. PIWIL1 is believed to play a role in tumor progression and is expressed across a range of tumors, including colorectal which is historically insensitive to immune checkpoints, as well as gastrointestinal and pancreatic cancers. PIWIL1 is also reported to be a negative prognostic marker and the Company believes IMC-R117C is the first PIWIL1-targeted immunotherapy. The Company submitted a CTA to regulatory authorities in December 2023, and expects the trial to start this year.

07:04 EST Immunocore plans to expand access to KIMMTRAK in 2024 - In 2024, the Company plans to expand access to KIMMTRAK to more patients in the United States, Europe and globally, as it continues to establish the therapy as standard of care for the first line treatment for metastatic uveal melanoma in countries where it is launched. As of 2023 year-end, KIMMTRAK has been launched in ten countries and is approved in 38 countries. The Company also continues to enroll patients into a Phase 2/3 clinical trial to investigate the potential of KIMMTRAK in advanced cutaneous melanoma, with randomization expected to be completed in the Phase 2 portion during the third quarter of 2024. Topline data from the Phase 2 portion of the trial is expected to be available by the fourth quarter of 2024. In addition, in 2023, the Company signed an agreement for a European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer-sponsored trial to study KIMMTRAK as adjuvant therapy for uveal melanoma. The Company anticipates that the EORTC will randomize the first patient in the second half of 2024.

07:03 EST ProQR Therapeutics, RSRT join forces with Axiomer RNA editing collaboration - ProQR Therapeutics NV announced a collaboration with the Rett Syndrome Research Trust, RSRT, that will focus on the design and development of editing oligonucleotides, EONs, using ProQR's Axiomer technology platform targeting the transcription factor Methyl CpG binding protein 2, MECP2, and correcting mutations of interest. "The Rett Syndrome Research Trust is the leading patient advocacy group championing a cure for Rett syndrome and we look forward to collaborating with them to further expand the broad applicability of our Axiomer RNA editing technology to Rett syndrome, a rare neurodevelopment disorder with significant unmet medical need," said Daniel A. de Boer, Chief Executive Officer of ProQR. "Axiomer has the potential to restore precise levels of the MECP2 protein, which is lacking in Rett syndrome. This collaboration marks an important step in accelerating the development of Axiomer in CNS, one of our initial areas of strategic focus along with liver-originated diseases." RSRT awarded ProQR approximately $1 million as a research grant for the initial phase of the project, which will encompass editing oligonucleotide design and optimization, including evaluation in in vivo models for editing efficacy and MECP2 protein recovery.

07:01 EST Enviri's Clean Earth appoints Liz Peterson as CCO - Clean Earth announced that Liz Peterson will be appointed Chief Commercial Officer effective January 8, 2024. In this newly created role, Peterson will be responsible for all commercial strategy, customer experience, sales initiatives, and sales operations. All commercial teams and activities under Clean Earth's Hazardous Waste and Soil and Dredge Material lines of business will work under Peterson's leadership. Peterson served as Senior Vice President at Badger Infrastructure Solutions, a leading hydro-excavation provider in North America.

06:54 EST Pharvaris provides business update - Pharvaris provided business updates and outlined its strategic priorities for 2024. "Pharvaris enters the new year having demonstrated deucrictibant's potential to be the preferred option for both the prevention and treatment of HAE attacks," said Berndt Modig, CEO of Pharvaris. "We are operating from a strong financial position and anticipate 2024 will be an important execution year for Pharvaris as we transition into a late-stage clinical company with the initiation of RAPIDe-3 expected within the first half. We have submitted the results of the nonclinical study to the FDA for review with respect to the clinical hold on the long-term prophylaxis program in the U.S. We are also preparing to initiate the global pivotal study, CHAPTER-3, for the prophylaxis against HAE attacks. In parallel, we will be building on our foundation for Pharvaris' long-term strategy as we invest in our commercial and product infrastructure to support our commitment to provide deucrictibant to people living with HAE." Modig continued, "We are thankful to Jochen Knolle's vision and leadership over the past eight years. Jochen has been instrumental in the development of multiple therapies throughout his career, including icatibant and deucrictibant for the treatment of HAE. The next years will be incredibly important to the company, and Jochen's continued strategic guidance will be invaluable."

06:49 EST Liquidia provides update on clinical pipeline targeting PAH and PH-ILD - Liquidia provided an update on the clinical progress of its pipeline programs to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension and pulmonary hypertension associated with interstitial lung disease with its investigational drugs, YUTREPIA inhalation powder and L606, a sustained-release inhaled formulation of treprostinil administered twice-daily with a short-duration next-generation nebulizer. With respect to YUTREPIA, the first PH-ILD patient was enrolled in December 2023 in the Open-Label Prospective Multicenter Study to Evaluate Safety and Tolerability of Dry Powder Inhaled Treprostinil in Pulmonary Hypertension, referred to as the ASCENT study. The ASCENT study will enroll approximately 60 subjects to further inform YUTREPIA's dosing and tolerability profile in patients with PH-ILD. Exploratory efficacy endpoints will also be assessed. YUTREPIA is currently being reviewed for tentative approval for PH-ILD by the U.S. FDA with a Prescription Drug User Fee Act goal date of January 24, 2024. The FDA has previously confirmed that Liquidia may add the treatment of PH-ILD to the label for YUTREPIA without additional clinical studies. With respect to L606, Liquidia successfully concluded a Type C meeting with the FDA in December 2023 and reached agreement regarding the registration requirements for L606 using the 505(b) regulatory pathway. It was agreed that only a single Phase 3 placebo-controlled efficacy trial in PH-ILD patients would be required to support indications to treat both PAH and PH-ILD. The company is preparing to initiate a global study later in 2024. Liquidia will also continue to enroll patients in its ongoing open-label, multicenter safety study of L606 in U.S. patients with PAH or PH-ILD. This study will enroll approximately 60 subjects and include patients with PAH, who are naive to prostacyclins or transitioning from Tyvaso or Tyvaso DPI, and patients with PH-ILD, who are transitioning from Tyvaso or Tyvaso DPI. The study is now more than one third enrolled and includes some patients who have been successfully treated with L606 for longer than one year and at doses comparable to 25 to 27 breaths of Tyvaso, four times daily. The company currently anticipates the open-label study will be fully enrolled in 2024 and intends to provide interim updates at medical conferences later in the year.

06:47 EST Merck initiates Phase 3 trials for four investigational candidates - Merck announced the initiation of pivotal Phase 3 trials for four of its investigational candidates from its diverse pipeline in hematologic malignancies and solid tumors. Global Phase 3 studies have been initiated and are actively enrolling for the following investigational candidates: Bomedemstat, an investigational orally available lysine-specific demethylase 1 inhibitor, being evaluated for the treatment of certain patients with essential thrombocythemia; Nemtabrutinib, an investigational oral, reversible, non-covalent Bruton's tyrosine kinase inhibitor, being evaluated for the treatment of certain patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia and small lymphocytic lymphoma; MK-2870, an investigational trophoblast cell-surface antigen 2-directed antibody drug conjugate being developed in collaboration with Kelun-Biotech, which is being evaluated for certain patients with non-small cell lung cancer and certain patients with previously treated endometrial carcinoma; and MK-5684, an investigational CYP11A1 inhibitor being developed in collaboration with Orion, which is being evaluated for the treatment of certain patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer.

06:13 EST Precision Drilling provides capital allocation framework update - The company stated, "Over the past two years, we have reduced our debt by $258 million and lowered our Net Debt to Adjusted EBITDA leverage ratio, which we expect to be below 1.5 times as at December 31, 2023. Precision is well on track to exceed its long-term debt reduction target of repaying $500 million between 2022 and 2025 and reaching a sustained Net Debt to Adjusted EBITDA leverage ratio of below 1.0 times by the end of 2025. During 2023, Precision returned $30 million to shareholders through share repurchases under our Normal Course Issuer Bid and as at December 31, 2023, had 14,336,539 shares outstanding. With a robust free cash flow outlook, we plan to improve our capital returns to shareholders in 2024 by increasing our debt reduction and share buyback allocations. In early February, we will provide specific capital allocation plans and targets for 2024."

06:10 EST Aurinia Pharmaceuticals sees FY24 net product revenue $200M-$220M - The company is targeting cash flow positive status in the second half of 2024.

06:05 EST Agilon Health announces Tim Bensley to retire as CFO - Agilon Health announced that Timothy Bensley has informed the company of his intent to retire from his position as CFO during 2024, which agilon expects to take place within the next nine months. The search for a new CFO has been initiated, and Bensley has agreed to remain as CFO through this process and serve in a consulting role through the transition.

05:54 EST Exxon Mobil sees $2.4B-$2.6B in upstream impairments in Q4 - In a regulatory filing on Thursday, Exxon Mobil said it expects $2.4B-$2.6B in impairments in its Q4 for its upstream business. The impairments primarily reflect the idling of its Upstream Santa Ynez Unit assets and related facilities, Exxon said, commenting that "continuing challenges in the state regulatory environment have impeded progress in restoring operations." The company also expects a negative effect on upstream earnings from change in liquids prices of $400M-$800M.

05:47 EST 17 Education & Technology regains compliance with Nasdaq - 17 Education & Technology announced that it received a notification letter from the Listing Qualifications Department of Nasdaq, indicating that the Company has regained compliance with the Nasdaq Listing Rule 5450 and the matter is closed.

05:29 EST American Tower to sell India operations to Brookfield Asset Management for $2.5B - American Tower (AMT) has signed a definitive agreement with Data Infrastructure Trust, or DIT, an Infrastructure Investment Trust sponsored by an affiliate of Brookfield Asset Management (BAM), pursuant to which DIT will acquire 100% of the equity interests in American Tower's operations in India, or ATC India. DIT currently houses Brookfield's telecom tower businesses in India through Summit Digitel and Crest Digitel. Total cash proceeds to American Tower at closing, subject to certain pre-closing terms, would potentially represent up to approximately INR 210B, or $2.5B at today's exchange rates. The transaction, which reflects the completion of the previously announced strategic review of American Tower's operations in India, is subject to customary closing conditions, including government and regulatory approvals, and is expected to close in the second half of 2024. Total cash proceeds include an enterprise value on the ATC India operations of approximately $2B, plus a ticking fee that accrues from October 1, 2023, to the date of closing. Proceeds associated with the enterprise value assume the repayment of existing intercompany debt and the repayment, or assumption, of the existing India term loan, by DIT. Furthermore, and considered within the total potential cash proceeds above, American Tower will retain the full economic benefit associated with the optionally converted debentures, or OCDs, issued by Vodafone Idea and will be entitled to receive future payments related to existing ATC India receivables. Proceeds from the transaction are expected to be used to repay American Tower's existing indebtedness.

05:20 EST AirNet Technology receives noncompliance notification from Nasdaq - AirNet Technology announced that it received a notification letter from the Listing Qualifications Department of Nasdaq notifying that the company is no longer in compliance with the Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550 for continued listing due to its failure to maintain a minimum of $2.5M in stockholders' equity. In the company's Form 6-K dated December 28, 2023, the company reported a negative stockholders' equity of approximately $25.3M. Nasdaq also determined that the company does not meet the alternatives of market value of listed securities or net income from continuing operations for continued listing.