Stockwinners Market Radar for October 14, 2024 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

19:36 EDT Southwest responds to Elliott Management meeting request - The company states: "Southwest Airlines confirmed that Elliott Investment Management L.P. requested a Special Meeting of Shareholders to consider Elliott's proposals, including to remove without cause eight members of Southwest's Board of Directors and elect eight Director candidates chosen by Elliott, which appears designed to result in full control of the Board by Elliott's nominees. Southwest's Board issued the following statement in response: 'Elliott's Special Meeting request is unnecessary and inappropriate considering the extreme nature of Elliott's demands. The timing of Elliott's request to apparently pursue Board control appears designed to maximize disruption of Southwest's execution of its important business transformation underway as we approach one of the busiest travel periods of the year. Elliott's actions highlight its lack of understanding of Southwest's business and its insatiable need to put its own interests ahead of those of all Shareholders. Before and since Elliott launched its campaign in June, the Board has had extensive dialogue with a significant number of Southwest Shareholders. The Board's actions have been rooted in feedback from these conversations, including the comprehensive Board and governance changes recently announced. Southwest also heard Shareholders' resounding preference that the Company engage with Elliott and seek to avoid a protracted dispute. The Board has made every effort to reach a constructive resolution, including providing a reasonable settlement framework under which the Board would interview Elliott's candidates and appoint up to three to a reconstituted 13-member Board that would be reduced to 12 following Executive Chairman Gary Kelly's retirement at the 2025 Annual Meeting of Shareholders. For Elliott's part, its latest framework for settlement reflects its continuing interest in seeking effective control of both the Board and management, including by installing Robert Milton, former CEO of Air Canada and a member of Elliott's Board slate, as Executive Chair of Southwest. Unfortunately, Elliott remains entrenched in demanding control of the Board, while continuing to block its Director candidates from being interviewed by the Board's Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, making it impossible to find a constructive resolution. For nearly four months, Elliott has failed to offer any substantive feedback on Southwest's strategic plan. The Company was encouraged that Elliott might be turning the page ahead of Investor Day, when it requested a preview of Southwest's Investor Day materials as a condition to engaging in settlement discussions. After providing Elliott a detailed, in-person preview of the Company's plan more than a week before Investor Day, Elliott failed to provide input and continued its public attacks ahead of and following Investor Day. Elliott's failure to provide actionable feedback, coupled with the disruptive nature of its demands, should give Shareholders pause about Elliott's true intentions. The Board will carefully review the Special Meeting request in accordance with its fiduciary duties, Texas law and the Company's bylaws, including Elliott's stated request to hold the meeting on December 10, 2024. The Board intends to discuss the process for setting a Special Meeting with Elliott in a constructive manner. The Board is committed to acting in the best interests of Southwest and its Shareholders and will provide further updates in due course. No immediate action is required of Shareholders.' "

18:34 EDT MAA announces 'minor' damage due to Hurricanes Helene and Milton - Mid-America Apartment Communities "announced that the Company sustained only minor damage to its communities located in Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and the Carolinas as a result of Hurricanes Helene and Milton. All communities remain operational, with only a limited number of apartment units taken off-line due to the storms."

17:23 EDT Athena Technology Acquisition Corp. II receives audit with 'going concern' - Athena Technology Acquisition Corp. II announced that, as previously disclosed in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, which was filed on September 26, 2024 with the SEC, the audited financial statements contained an audit opinion from its independent registered public accounting firm that included an explanatory paragraph related to the company's ability to continue as a going concern. This announcement is made pursuant to NYSE American LLC Company Guide Sections 401(h) and 610(b), which requires public announcement of the receipt of an audit opinion containing a going concern paragraph. This announcement does not represent any change or amendment to the company's financial statements or to its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023.

16:33 EDT PTC announces FDA review date for NDA of sepiapterin - PTC Therapeutics announced that the FDA has set a target regulatory action date of July 29, 2025, for the review of the New Drug Application, or NDA, for sepiapterin, consistent with a standard review timeline. The NDA was submitted with an indication for the treatment of pediatric and adult patients with phenylketonuria, or PKU, including all age groups and the full spectrum of disease subtypes. In addition, PTC announced that the results of the Phase 3 APHENITY trial were recently published in The Lancet, one of the most prestigious peer-reviewed medical journals. The sepiapterin NDA includes the results from the Phase 3 APHENITY trial discussed in The Lancet publication, as well as data from the ongoing APHENITY open-label extension study, which provides evidence of the durability of effect of sepiapterin and the ability of patients to liberalize their diet and still maintain control of phenylalanine levels. Sepiapterin, an oral formulation of synthetic sepiapterin, has a dual mechanism of action to increase activity of the phenylalanine hydroxylase enzyme. Phenylketonuria is a rare, inherited metabolic disease, which affects the brain. It is caused by a defect in the gene that helps create the enzyme needed to break down phenylalanine. If left untreated or poorly managed, phenylalanine - an essential amino acid found in all proteins and most foods - can build up to harmful levels in the body.

16:31 EDT Coty reduces Q1 like-for-like revenue growth view to 4%-5% from 6% - The company states: "The global beauty market has maintained solid but slightly lower global growth. Within this backdrop, the prestige fragrance category continues to outperform, supported by expansion in both volumes and price/mix, while mass beauty continues to experience slower growth trends fueled entirely by unit demand. While beauty growth remains resilient in many parts of the world, the U.S. market growth has slowed in the second half of Q1. For Coty, very tight order and inventory management by retailers has resulted in Coty's sell-in tracking well below sell-out in a number of markets, including in the U.S., as well as in Australia, China and Travel Retail Asia, each of which account for only a low single digit percentage of the Company's business. Coty's revenue growth across other key markets has remained robust, growing by a mid single digit to double digit percentage. In addition, due to its limited exposure in China, Coty continues to be relatively less impacted by the market there. In total, Coty's Q1 sales grew approximately 4-5% LFL, despite the very elevated comparison of the prior year, though moderately below its prior Q1 estimated growth of 6% LFL. Factoring in the ongoing retailer caution and incrementally slower U.S. market, Coty now anticipates Q2 LFL sales to grow moderately, with some growth acceleration expected in the second half supported by easier prior year comparisons, resumed alignment between sell-in and sell-out, several strong launch initiatives in both divisions, and select distribution expansion. The combination of lower than anticipated order patterns in the second half of Q1, the investments behind strong ROI sell-out initiatives, the timing of certain fixed costs, and the profit impact from the divestiture of the Lacoste license, are resulting in Q1 adjusted EBITDA which is expected to be roughly flat to moderately lower YoY despite strong gross margin expansion. However, in anticipation of a more uncertain demand backdrop, including cautious retailer behavior and a complex macroeconomic environment, Coty is re-accelerating its cost reduction efforts across all parts of the P&L to deliver savings well above the initial FY25 target of approximately $75M. Through the combination of continued sales growth, continuous gross margin expansion and increased cost savings for FY25 and beyond, while maintaining A&CP in the high 20s percentage, Coty continues to expect FY25 adjusted EBITDA to grow +9-11% YoY, consistent with prior guidance, including resumed adjusted EBITDA growth in Q2. This adjusted EBITDA growth target, in conjunction with continued though more moderate revenue growth, reflects an even stronger adjusted EBITDA margin expansion in FY25, following the 30 bps adjusted EBITDA margin expansion in FY24. Coty continues to target leverage close to 2.5x exiting CY24, though the tight inventory management by retailers is adding some variability on cash inflow timing."

16:21 EDT Gryphon Digital Mining sees September production of 19.31 bitcoin - Gryphon Digital Mining has released its unaudited operational update for September 2024. Key September 2024 highlights: Steve Gutterman Named as Chief Executive Officer, Jimmy Vaipoulos as Chairman and Sim Salzman to continue as Chief Financial Officer; +500 MW power pipeline: Gryphon continues to evaluate a pipeline of similar low-cost opportunities for potentially +500 MW; Improved Hashrate: Monthly average hashrate of 920 PH/s, a 4% increase over August 2024; Bitcoin Production: Expect to have produced approximately 19.31 bitcoin; Projected approximately $1.16 million in value based on an average bitcoin price for the month of $60,286; High Uptime: 98.7% mining fleet average up time in September following 97.3% in August due to maintenance; Sustainable Operations: Scope 1 and Scope 21 operations at our Northeastern U.S. operations continue to be 100% electrified by zero-carbon emitting hydro power

16:08 EDT Spectral AI appoints DiMaio as Chairman of the Board of Directors - Spectral AI announced that the Company's Founder, Dr. J. Michael DiMaio, has been named Chairman of the Board of Directors. Dr. J. Michael DiMaio, the founder of Spectral AI in 2009, served as the Company's Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board from 2011 to 2020.

16:07 EDT Blink Charging steps in to support Entel X customers - Blink Charging announced that in light of Enel X's recent decision to close its North American operations, Blink is stepping in to support EV charging station hosts affected by this change. Blink is offering a solution for former Enel X and JuiceBox customers to power up their EV charging with Blink. When you sign up for a revenue share program, Blink covers the cost of your EV charging equipment, along with warranty and maintenance. Additionally, if you already have a JuiceBox charging station but need an upgrade, Blink will swap it out for free.

16:06 EDT WhiteHawk reiterates proposal to acquire PHX Minerals for $4 per share - WhiteHawk Energy, LLC, a natural gas mineral and royalty company, sent a letter to Mark Behrman, the Chairman of PHX Minerals, Inc.'s Board of Directors, copied in full below, with respect to its proposal to acquire PHX for $4.00 per share. The letter includes details of the extensive efforts WhiteHawk has made over the past 18 months to engage with PHX to maximize value for stockholders through a transaction. Under the terms of the proposal, PHX common stockholders would receive $4.00 per share in cash from WhiteHawk and qualified stockholders of PHX would have the opportunity to exchange all or a portion of their common shares of PHX for common shares of WhiteHawk, to benefit from the value enhancement of the combined business. This offer represents a 19% premium to PHX's 90 day volume weighted average price as of October 11, 2024, and a 17% premium to PHX's 30 day volume weighted average price. It also represents a premium to PHX's 52-week high, and is greater than PHX's closing price on 98% of all trading days since 2021. The non-binding offer was reiterated in a letter sent today to Mr. Behrman after 18 months of several public and private proposals, as detailed in the letter. WhiteHawk is making public its continued efforts following months of private conversations in order to bring transparency to the situation and ensure that all stockholders are fully informed and can advocate for an outcome that maximizes value for everyone involved. WhiteHawk also disclosed that it now owns approximately 2.5% of PHX's outstanding common stock. "We are disappointed that PHX has been unwilling to engage with WhiteHawk over the past 18 months, which has forced us to make public this proposal. Over that period of time, we have adjusted our proposals to meet the ever-shifting requests of PHX and provided everything we believe necessary to pursue a value enhancing transaction for all PHX stockholders," said Daniel C. Herz, WhiteHawk's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "We strongly believe that our proposal is in the best interest of all stockholders involved, and believe it is imperative to publicly illuminate the destruction of value, as compared to the opportunity for a sale at a significant premium. Since 2020, PHX has consumed over $40 million of cash G&A, while over that same period returning to stockholders less than $12 million in dividends. Additionally, PHX's stock price performance has lagged its publicly traded mineral peers, gas weighted E&P producers, and just about every other index since 2020. We urge PHX's Board of Directors to finally engage in good faith around our proposal and look forward to a mutually beneficial transaction."

15:26 EDT Kairos Power, Google ink plant development pact to deploy nuclear power project - Kairos Power and Google have signed a master plant development agreement, creating a path to deploy a U.S. fleet of advanced nuclear power projects totaling 500 MW by 2035. Under the agreement, Kairos Power will develop, construct, and operate a series of advanced reactor plants and sell energy, ancillary services, and environmental attributes to Google under power purchase agreements, or PPAs. Plants will be sited in relevant service territories to supply clean electricity to Google data centers, with the first deployment by 2030 to support Google's 24/7 carbon-free energy and net zero goals. The multi-plant agreement will support technology development by extending Kairos Power's iterative demonstration strategy through its first commercial deployments. Building on progress from the early iterations, each new plant will enable continued learning and optimization to support accelerated commercialization.

14:40 EDT Adobe higher after showing off first Firefly-powered video workflows - Earlier, at Adobe MAX, which Adobe calls "the world's largest creativity conference," Adobe announced beta availability of Premiere Pro's first set of Firefly-powered video editing workflows powered by the new Firefly Video Model, along with enhancements and upgrades to the app's performance and user experience. "New features include Generative Extend (beta) which addresses a common but complex challenge in video editing by making it easy for video professionals to extend clips to cover gaps in footage, smooth out transitions and hold on shots longer for perfectly timed edits. The new upgrades in Premiere Pro unlock more creative time for busy editors, including by tripling export speeds and offering a new context-sensitive properties panel, and are generally available to Premiere Pro customers today. The Firefly Video Model (beta) is the first publicly available video model designed to be commercially safe," the company stated in a press release. "We believe our Firefly Video Model will revolutionize video editing in ways that video professionals are going to love. The latest innovations across Premiere Pro, After Effects and Frame.io will empower video professionals to do their best work more quickly, efficiently and beautifully," said Ashley Still, senior vice president, digital media at Adobe. In afternoon trading, shares of Adobe are up $16.80, or 3%, to $512.22.

14:02 EDT Sphere Entertainment rallies after unit reaches forbearance agreement - Sphere Entertainment (SPHR) are higher after the company disclosed Friday night that MSGN Holdings, an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Sphere, continues to pursue a refinancing of its term loan through a work-out with its existing syndicate of lenders. As part of this ongoing process, on October 11, MSGN entered into a forbearance agreement by and among the company, guarantor, JPMorgan Chase Bank, as administrative agent, and certain lenders under the amended and restated credit agreement, dated as of October 11, 2019. The lenders have agreed to forbear, during the forbearance period, from exercising certain of their available remedies under the credit agreement with respect to or arising out of the failure to make payment on the outstanding principal amount of the term loan on the maturity date of October 11. Shares of Sphere Entertainment are up 4% to $46.23 in afternoon trading.

13:52 EDT Accenture acquires supply chain consulting firm Joshua Tree Group - Accenture announced it has acquired Joshua Tree Group, a supply chain consulting firm specializing in distribution center performance. "The acquisition will help Accenture make distribution centers more productive and efficient for its clients in retail, consumer goods and other product-based industries. It also expands Accenture's capabilities to design and build more autonomous supply chains, where AI-powered tools improve labor productivity, inventory management and customer fulfillment," the company stated. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

12:04 EDT AGBA Acquisition announces Nasdaq approval for Triller merger - AGBA Group Holding and Triller announced that Nasdaq approval for their merger was received on October 11, 2024. The merger is now expected to be completed on October 15, 2024. This merger represents the next step in AGBA and Triller's collective strategic visions in the digital economy. The combination of AGBA and Triller will accelerate innovation, clear a path towards rapid growth and expand the combined company's market presence globally, creating unparalleled value for all stakeholders of the company. The 1-for-4 reverse stock split is implemented in order to remain in compliance with Nasdaq's rules in connection with the merger with Triller. The combined company's shares will commence trading on a split-adjusted basis on October 16, 2024.

12:00 EDT XPeng falls -8.8% - XPeng is down -8.8%, or -$1.13 to $11.77.

12:00 EDT Torrid falls -11.0% - Torrid is down -11.0%, or -43c to $3.48.

12:00 EDT INNOVATE Corp. rises 11.9% - INNOVATE Corp. is up 11.9%, or 63c to $5.93.

11:39 EDT Blue Star Foods CEO says 'navigating difficulties' with 'slander campaign' - Blue Star Foods announced that its Chairman and CEO John Keeler provided a letter to shareholders, which read in part, "I feel it necessary to release this shareholder letter as we are aware of and navigating difficulties with Taste of BC Aquafarm's parcel landlord's libel and slander campaign against Blue Star Foods. Blue Star Foods Corp and its Canadian subsidiary, Taste of BC Aquafarm, have confronted challenges stemming from interactions with TOBC's parcel landlord, from whom Blue Star acquired Taste of BC Aquafarm, Inc. in 2021. These incidents have been accompanied by tort interference as recent as July, 2024 and other past actions orchestrated by his son's malevolent and willful management negligence, while at helm of Taste of BC, which was terminated in February 2024. Solely for own personal and financial gain, that seem aimed at undermining both economic stability and corporate reputation. Steve Atkinson, in his capacity as parcel landlord, has been formally accused of interfering with the functions of Taste of BC, causing human capital employed time loss to deter Mr. Atkinson's malevolent, negligent and malicious acts. Employees have reported numerous instances of harassment, undermining their ability to perform their duties in a secure and productive environment. In a particularly concerning turn, there is evidence of trespassing and property vandalization attributed to Steve Atkinson. However, The Taste of BC Aquafarms' team championed by safeguarding the equipment and fish at the farm. The situation is further compounded by an orchestrated campaign of libel and slander against Blue Star Foods Corp. Various reports from industry publications have surfaced, seemingly stemming from Mr. Atkinson's disseminating half-truth, false rumors and lies. Blue Star is on the right side of the truth and is focusing on factual communication, the company aims to protect its interests and of its shareholders, while continuing to advance its mission in sustainable seafood production & targeted revenue growth. Considering libel and slander reputational campaign, Blue Star Foods appreciates the continued support from its employees, supply and distributor partners, and most importantly seeking support from its shareholders. Together, let's aim to overcome these adversities, seek legal claims and remedies against the reputational perpetrator, while retaining focus on growth, innovation and contribution to the aquaculture industry. It is essential to transform challenges into opportunities for growth, resilience, and strengthened relationships within the industry."

11:28 EDT Calix announces ManagedBiz offering for BSPs and MSPs - At Calix ConneXions, the company announced the launch of ManagedBiz, which it says is designed to enable broadband service providers, or BSPs, and managed service providers, or MSPs, to meet the evolving needs of mid-sized businesses and the academic and public sectors. A portfolio of ManagedBiz appliances will provide multi-layer security with role-based cloud management for service providers and IT teams, the company stated. "ManagedBiz is an evolution of the Calix Platform that will simplify how BSPs and MSPs manage the complex networks and evolving needs of mid-sized businesses. It will allow BSPs and MSPs to simplify network management for universities, healthcare facilities, regional banks, entertainment venues, and government institutions. Unlike other solutions that overwhelm IT teams with disconnected products, ManagedBiz will integrate cloud software, appliances, and analytics-helping IT managers tackle today's challenges more effectively," Calix said in a press release in conjunction with the event.

11:17 EDT SpartanNash acquires Fresh Encounter supermarket chain; terms not disclosed - SpartanNash announced its acquisition of Fresh Encounter, a 49-store supermarket chain serving Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky. Owned by third-generation grocers Michael Needler Jr. and Julie Anderson, FEI has been a food distribution customer of SpartanNash for 58 years. SpartanNash will continue employment for FEI's 2,500 team members. FEI operates under the retail store banners Community Markets, Remke Markets, Chief Markets and Needler's Fresh Market. The transaction is expected to close in late November, subject to customary closing conditions. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

10:58 EDT Vanda confirms receipt of unsolicited proposal from Cycle for $8 per share cash - Vanda Pharmaceuticals confirmed that it received a second unsolicited, non-binding proposal from Cycle Group Holdings Ltd. to acquire the company for $8.00 per share in cash. Cycle Group's second proposal was received by Vanda on September 23, 2024. The terms of Cycle Group's proposal are economically identical to the previously evaluated and rejected indication of interest received from Cycle Group on May 24, 2024, Vanda said. Consistent with its fiduciary duties and in consultation with its independent legal and financial advisors, Vanda's Board of Directors carefully reviewed the second proposal and unanimously determined that it substantially undervalues Vanda and is not in the best interests of the company and its stockholders. Accordingly, the Board has determined not to pursue the proposal. The Vanda Board again evaluated all aspects of Vanda's business and compared Vanda's prospects for creating stockholder value to the unsolicited proposal. The Board concluded that the latest proposal from Cycle Group is "another opportunistic attempt to purchase the Company's shares at a discount to Vanda's intrinsic value." As part of this process, the Board updated its analysis of the company's clinical development pipeline, expanding commercial presence and significant cash balance. The Board and management team remain confident that Vanda's growth profile, strong cash position and efficient operations position the company well for significant long-term value creation far in excess of the consideration offered by Cycle Group.

10:49 EDT Nuburu announces cancellation of special proxy statement - Nuburu announced it has decided to cancel the Special Proxy Statement. The company has not received proxies that would constitute a quorum and has decided to cancel the Special Meeting and to withdraw from consideration by the company's stockholders the proposals set forth in the Proxy Statement. The company has determined to include proposals in its annual meeting proxy statement anticipated to be filed no later than October 31, 2024. "The matters submitted to stockholders at the Special Meeting, and similar matters which will be submitted again at the annual meeting of stockholders, are necessary in order for the Company to raise critical working capital to support its business plans and to continue its path to achieving commercialization. The Company has worked to secure investors and required financing; however, it cannot move forward with such financing in full unless and until it receives stockholder approval."

10:17 EDT Inventiva announces financing of up to EUR 348M to advance NATiV3 Phase 3 study - Earlier, Inventiva, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of oral small molecule therapies for the treatment of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis, or "MASH," and other diseases with significant unmet medical needs, announced financing of immediately EUR 94.1M and up to EUR 348M, subject to satisfaction of specified conditions, to fund the completion of the Phase 3 NATiV3 MASH trial and preparation for the potential filing for marketing approval and commercialization of lanifibranor. The transaction was led by New Enterprise Associates, BVF Partners LP and Samsara BioCapital, with the participation of additional existing and new investors including Andera Partners, Deep Track Capital, Eventide Asset Management, Great Point Partners, LLC, Invus, Perceptive Advisors, Schonfeld Strategic Advisors and Sofinnova Crossover I SLP. Pursuant to the transaction and subject to shareholder approval at the next general meeting to be convened by December 16, 2024, the company appointed Mark Pruzanski, MD, as Company Chairman, and Srinivas Akkaraju, MD, PhD, as a director. Up to four additional directors are to be named by each of the other four largest investors, of whom at least two will qualify as independent and would replace existing directors, excluding Frederic Cren, Mark Pruzanski and Srini Akkaraju. Dr. Mark Pruzanski said: "I have long believed in the therapeutic potential of lanifibranor in MASH and am honored at the prospect of joining Inventiva as Chairman. Based on the previously published Phase 2b NATIVE study results, lanifibranor has a profile that positions it as a possible 'best in category' oral drug: its insulin sensitizing and direct antifibrotic benefits make it an ideal therapy for the large population of Type 2 diabetic patients with advanced fibrosis due to MASH who are at the greatest risk of progressing to liver failure. With the support of the equivalent of up to $410 million in funding announced today, I look forward to working with Frederic and the rest of the Board to help transition the Company to maximize its ability to deliver on lanifibranor's promise."

10:01 EDT Deluxe names Kim Cross as chief human resources officer - Deluxe (DLX) announced the appointment of Kimberly D. Cross as its Chief Human Resources Officer. "Kim's experience and leadership style are a perfect fit for Deluxe," said Barry McCarthy, President and CEO of Deluxe. Cross joins Deluxe from Fiserv (FI), where she served as Senior Vice President, Head of HR for Merchant Solutions.

10:00 EDT Rayonier Advanced Materials falls -7.4% - Rayonier Advanced Materials is down -7.4%, or -67c to $8.29.

10:00 EDT Hims & Hers rises 7.2% - Hims & Hers is up 7.2%, or $1.35 to $20.04.

10:00 EDT a.k.a. Brands rises 9.8% - a.k.a. Brands is up 9.8%, or $2.26 to $25.30.

09:50 EDT Work Medical Technology Group Ltd trading resumes

09:48 EDT Bausch + Lomb rises 8.2% - Bausch + Lomb is up 8.2%, or $1.60 to $21.07.

09:48 EDT a.k.a. Brands rises 9.2% - a.k.a. Brands is up 9.2%, or $2.12 to $25.16.

09:48 EDT XPeng falls -6.6% - XPeng is down -6.6%, or -85c to $12.05.

09:47 EDT Canada Goose falls -6.9% - Canada Goose is down -6.9%, or -82c to $11.03.

09:39 EDT Verb Technology Company Inc trading resumes

09:29 EDT Sunrise New Energy secures $1.04M in funding for silicon-carbon anode project - Sunrise New Energy announced its "Key Technologies and Engineering for New Silicon-Carbon Anode Materials in Lithium-Ion Batteries" project officially received approval from the expert panel of the Guizhou Provincial Department of Science and Technology. Following multiple rounds of evaluations, the project was granted a special technology fund of $1.04M. The project stands out for its advanced technology, with a specific capacity of greater than or equal to1900mAh/g, a first coulomb efficiency of greater than or equal to91%, and a long cycle life of 1000 cycles with a capacity retention rate of greater than or equal to80%. These features place the project at the forefront of global battery technology and promise to support a major breakthrough in solid-state battery performance.

09:24 EDT WISeKey's WISeSat to launch second proof of concept for SEALCOIN token - WISeKey International announced that its subsidiary, WISeSat.Space, will conduct the second Proof of Concept for SEALCOIN by transacting tokens via satellites to IoT devices. The PoC is set to take place during the launch of a new generation of WISeSat satellites, planned for January 2025. This milestone, once complete, will represent a major leap forward in secure, autonomous machine-to-machine transactions using WISeSat's current satellite constellation. The launch of a new generation of WISeSat satellites will feature enhanced operational capabilities specifically designed to support M2M transactions from space. These next-generation satellites will further strengthen the WISeSat constellation, enabling secure and efficient decentralized transactions across a wide range of IoT devices, marking a new era in space-based digital ecosystems. This PoC will demonstrate SEALCOIN's potential to facilitate decentralized transactions in the growing Internet of Things ecosystem. Leveraging the SEALCOIN platform, the PoC will enable satellite-initiated transactions to IoT devices without human intervention. The tokens, based on Decentralized Ledger Technology, ensure secure, transparent, and tamper-proof exchanges, driving the creation of a scalable Transactional IoT infrastructure. Previously, SEALCOIN conducted a Proof of Concept for Transactional-IoT between two devices in early August.

09:21 EDT INVO Bioscience, NAYA Biosciences close merger - INVO Bioscience has closed its merger with NAYA Biosciences, a company dedicated to increasing patient access to breakthrough treatments in oncology and autoimmune diseases. The combined company expects to change its name to NAYA Biosciences and trade on the NASDAQ under the "NAYA" ticker. The combined company will continue to operate the revenue-generating fertility business as well as expand its focus to the development of first-in-class clinical-stage assets in oncology and autoimmune diseases. The combined company will be led by INVO CEO Steve Shum, INVO CFO Andrea Goren, and Dr. Daniel Teper, founder and former CEO of NAYA Biosciences, who will be appointed as President of the combined company and CEO of the NAYA Therapeutics subsidiary. Dr. Teper has over 30 years of strategic leadership experience as a biopharma entrepreneur, corporate executive, and management consultant. Two members of NAYA's board, Dr. Teper and Ms. Lyn Falconio, will join the combined company's board alongside INVO's current board members. Under the terms of the amended and restated merger agreement, INVO acquired 100% of the outstanding equity interests in NAYA by means of a reverse triangular merger of a wholly owned subsidiary of INVO with and into NAYA, with NAYA surviving as a wholly owned subsidiary of INVO. In connection with the Merger, INVO issued to NAYA's security holders a combination of shares of INVO common stock, INVO Series C-1 preferred stock, and Series C-2 preferred stock. Subject to stockholder approval of the conversion of the Series C-1 and C-2 preferred stock into INVO common stock, each share of Series C-1 preferred stock will convert into shares of INVO common stock subject to certain beneficial ownership limitations initially set at and not to exceed 19.9%, and each share of Series C-2 preferred stock will become convertible into shares of INVO common stock at the option of the holder, subject to certain beneficial ownership limitations initially set at 9.99% and not to exceed 19.9% On a pro forma basis, based upon the number of shares of INVO common stock, Series C-1 preferred stock, and Series C-2 preferred stock, assuming the conversion of all such Series C-1 and C-2 preferred stock into INVO common stock, INVO equity holders immediately prior to the acquisition will own 17.75% of the combined company on an as-converted-to-common basis immediately after these transactions. The acquisition was approved by the board of directors of INVO and the board of directors and stockholders of NAYA. The closing of the transaction was not subject to the approval of INVO stockholders.

09:17 EDT Vascular Biogenics Inc trading halted, news pending

09:07 EDT Marvell develops FBNIC, a custom 5nm NIC in collaboration with Meta Platforms - Marvell Technology (MRVL) announced the development of FBNIC, a custom 5nm network interface controller ASIC in collaboration with Meta (META) to meet the company's infrastructure and use case requirements. The FBNIC board design will also be contributed by Marvell to the Open Compute Project community. FBNIC combines a customized network controller designed by Marvell and Meta, a co-designed board, and Meta's ASIC, firmware and software. This custom design delivers innovative capabilities, optimizes performance, increases efficiencies, and reduces the average time needed to resolve potential network and server issues.

09:05 EDT Sify Technologies appoints Padmaja Chunduru as director on the board - Sify Technologies announced the appointment of. Padmaja Chunduru as Director on the Board of Sify Technologies Limited. Chunduru, previously led important functions at India's largest bank, State Bank of India, both in India and the United States.

09:03 EDT Mullen Automotive announces it will establish MCC - Mullen Automotive announces it will establish Mullen Credit Corporation, MCC, aimed at supporting its expanding dealership network with vehicle floor planning. Additionally, MCC will provide fleets and small business customers with attractive financing options. Mullen Credit Corporation will be a wholly owned subsidiary of Mullen Automotive. Floor planning enables dealerships to finance inventory upfront and pay back the loan plus interest when the vehicle is sold.

09:02 EDT Penumbra completes enrollment for acute ischemic stroke study - Penumbra completed enrollment in its THUNDER clinical study for patients with acute ischemic stroke. THUNDER is evaluating the safety and efficacy of the company's latest computer assisted vacuum thrombectomy - CAVT -technology, Penumbra System with Thunderbolt Aspiration Tubing, for the removal of blood clots in the brain. Penumbra System with Thunderbolt Aspiration Tubing uses an advanced CAVT software algorithm to generate proprietary modulated aspiration, reducing friction between the clot and reperfusion catheter and facilitating a more rapid and complete removal of blood clots in the brain. The study's primary efficacy endpoint includes revascularization of the occluded target vessel at immediate post-procedure.

08:52 EDT Sysco announces launch of 19 concepts on Cutting Edge Solutions platform - Sysco announced the nationwide launch of 19 innovative, labor-saving concepts available exclusively for Sysco customers through the company's Cutting Edge Solutions platform. "At Sysco, we know how crucial it is for chefs to have the right tools at their disposal. That's why Sysco's culinary and merchandising teams have helped curate a selection of exclusive, new, chef-tested products designed to alleviate stress in the kitchen and revolutionize menus as our customers prepare for the busy season ahead," says Victoria Gutierrez, Sysco's Chief Merchandising Officer. From labor-saving bites to showstopping menu centerpieces, Sysco's Cutting Edge Solutions boosts efficiency and ignites creativity. The new products for Fall 2024 are now available.

08:48 EDT Western Digital reports enterprise-class NVMe SSDs certified for Nvidia system - Western Digital (WDC) announced that its PCIe Gen5 DC SN861 E.1S enterprise-class NVMe SSDs have been certified to support the Nvidia (NVDA) GB200 NVL72 rack-scale system. Shares of Western Digital are up over 1% to $65.88.

08:44 EDT Turtle Beach drives growth in key international markets - Turtle Beach Corporation is bringing its gaming accessories to more gamers in key international markets, including Canada and Latin America. In Canada, Turtle Beach's latest Stealth 700, Stealth 600, and Stealth 500 wireless multiplatform headsets, Atlas Air wireless PC headset, Vulcan II TKL Pro PC gaming keyboard, and Burst II Air PC gaming mouse are now available at Best Buy Canada. In Latin America, Turtle Beach continues growing in key markets, including adding more gaming accessories to the catalogue of what's available in Mexico and Colombia, as well as focusing on new growth opportunities in Chile. This Latin America product catalog expansion includes gaming accessories from both Turtle Beach and Performance Designed Products. In Mexico and Colombia, Turtle Beach has been an established gaming accessories brand for years and is preparing to launch its latest Stealth 600 and Stealth 500 wireless multiplatform headsets and wired Recon 70 models, as well as the premium wireless Stealth Ultra controller. Also, from Turtle Beach's PDP brand, gamers in Mexico and Colombia will now also be able to get their hands on a variety of officially licensed REMATCH GLOW and Afterglow Wave wired and wireless controllers for Xbox, PC, and other game systems. In Colombia, the new Turtle Beach and PDP gaming accessories just launched at retailers including Alkosto, Ktronix, Panamericana, and Alkomprar. In Mexico, the new gaming accessories launch October 24, 2024, at retailers including Elektra, Gameplanet, Wal-Mart Mexico, Liverpool, Sanborns, Sears, and Amazon. Turtle Beach and PDP are also underway with plans to introduce a variety of accessories to gamers in Chile. Following the Mexico and Colombia launches, in Chile on November 7, 2024, Turtle Beach is also introducing the Stealth 600 and Stealth 500 wireless headsets, Recon 70 wired headsets, and premium wireless Stealth Ultra controller. Officially licensed REMATCH GLOW and Afterglow Wave controllers from PDP will also be available at participating retailers including Paris and Falabella.

08:43 EDT Stellantis launches second wave of 'Share to Win' in 18 countries - Stellantis launched the second wave of 'Shares to Win' in 18 countries, reaching nearly all Stellantis employees worldwide. Building on the success of the initial wave of its 'Shares to Win' employee share purchase plan launched in late 2023 in France and Italy, nearly all eligible Stellantis employees can now subscribe to the 'Shares to Win' employee share purchase plan between November 5 and November 14, 2024, up to a total of 14 million shares. Opportunity for more than 230,000 employees to become shareholders on preferential terms: 20% discount on the share price and a matching contribution of 100% of the personal amount invested, up to EUR 1,000

08:40 EDT Nexalin appoints Carolyn Shelton as SVP, clinical, quality, regulatory affairs - Nexalin Technology announces the appointment of Carolyn Shelton as Senior Vice President of Clinical, Quality & Regulatory Affairs. In her role, she will oversee all clinical studies, quality systems, and regulatory submissions, ensuring Nexalin's commitment to innovation, safety, and excellence as the Company prepares to pursue global regulatory clearances and future FDA Breakthrough Device designations for its Deep Intracranial Frequency Stimulation technology. At Openwater Health, LLC, she served as Vice President of Regulatory, Quality, and Clinical.

08:37 EDT Trump Media announces release of Truth+ Streaming on the web - Trump Media & Technology Group announced that it has successfully launched its Truth+ TV streaming service on the web. At player.truthsocial.tv, Truth Social account holders can now access the full range of Truth+ streaming options on computers, laptops, and mobile phones, while a limited version of Truth+ remains available directly on the Truth Social platform. Viewers without a Truth Social account can create one at the player.truthsocial.tv website.

08:36 EDT Neuronetics to present oral presentation at AACAP 2024 on NeuroStar TMS - Neuronetic announced their participation at the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, AACAP, in Seattle, WA, from October 14th-19th, including an oral presentation at the "Research Pipeline: New Findings on Therapeutics" session featuring data generated utilizing the NeuroStar TMS System. In addition, NeuroStar will exhibit at booth #416, where demonstrations of the device will be given."We are proud to present the largest sample to date of adolescents and young adults with major depressive disorder, highlighting the truly unmatched benefit NeuroStar TMS can provide to this population with limited approved treatment options," said Cory Anderson, Senior Vice President of Research & Development and Clinical.

08:34 EDT Linkage Global appoints Hanson Ji as new CFO - Linkage Global announced the appointment of Mr. Hanson Ji as Chief Financial Officer, CFO, effective October 07, 2024. Hanson Ji has nearly 10 years of experience in the domains of auditing and capital market. From 2019 to 2022, he worked at Zhongrui Capital, serving as a senior project manager, responsible for financial consulting for IPO projects, and led and participated in the successful listing of several companies on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

08:32 EDT First Watch Restaurant says 77 of 85 restaurants reopened following Milton - First Watch Restaurant Group provides the following information regarding Hurricane Milton. From October 8, 2024 through October 13, 2024, 85 Company-owned restaurants in Hurricane Milton's path were closed at least one business day for employee safety, storm preparation, utility outage, damage assessment and re-stocking. By Monday, October 14th, 77 of those restaurants had been reopened. Management is ascertaining the reopening timetable for the remaining 8 affected restaurants. CEO Chris Tomasso, said, "We are grateful that our team members and their families are safe in the aftermath of Milton and that we have been able to resume operations at nearly all of our restaurants." Separately, due to Hurricane Helene, less than 10 of First Watch's Company-owned restaurants were closed for at least one business day and only one was closed for more than three days. The Company maintains comprehensive insurance coverage on all of its restaurants, including property, flood and business interruption, and is currently working with its insurance providers to assess the overall impact from the storms. First Watch expects the assessment will take at least several weeks to complete and determine the extent, if any, to which the coverages apply.

08:28 EDT Cycle Pharmaceuticals reaffirms proposal to acquire Vanda Pharmaceuticals - Cycle Pharmaceuticals reaffirmed its proposal to acquire all of the issued and outstanding shares of Vanda Pharmaceuticals for an all-cash consideration of $8.00 per Vanda share. Cycle said it is making its renewed proposal public for the benefit of Vanda shareholders in light of the Vanda board's continued refusal to engage following the receipt of multiple premium proposals, Vanda's recent failure to receive FDA approval for tradipitant, following a failed Phase 3 trial that missed its primary endpoint, and the Vanda board's recent entrenchment efforts that disenfranchise its shareholders. Cycle's proposal represents a 80% premium to Vanda's share price at the close of business on October 11, compared to a 58% premium to Vanda share on June 5, the day prior to the public disclosure of Cycle's initial offer. Cycle's proposal represents a fully diluted equity value of $488M. On September 23, Cycle delivered a letter to the board of directors of Vanda reiterating its interest in pursuing a transaction. On September 30, Vanda responded that the Vanda board was reviewing the proposal, noting that they needed an additional two weeks to evaluate the proposal and respond. On October 3, 2024, despite the active proposal from Cycle, Vanda's Board amended and restated its bylaws, which included further entrenching modifications related to both annual and special stockholder meetings and the nomination of directors, as well as the Vanda Board's ability to postpone, reschedule or cancel any such meetings and restrict stockholder business or director nominees that can be made at such meetings. Two business days later, on October 7, the Vanda board rejected Cycle's proposal. Cycle today issued the following statement: "We are confident that our $8.00 per share, all-cash proposal maximizes value and would deliver immediate, compelling and certain cash value for Vanda shareholders. Despite the significant value and highly attractive premium of our proposal, Vanda's Board and management team have refused to engage with us to discuss its merits and instead, have continued to prioritize their own interests and self-preservation with egregious actions that blatantly disenfranchise Vanda shareholders. When Vanda requested an additional two weeks to review our proposal, we gave them the extension as requested, underscoring our continued flexibility and willingness to collaborate in creating the best outcome for Vanda shareholders. Unfortunately, instead of reviewing and responding to our proposal, Vanda held a Board meeting to update its bylaws to further entrench the Board, which included the addition of multiple procedural obstacles in the way of nominating directors, unilaterally adding a whole new layer of arbitrary rules to the detriment of Vanda shareholders, all while failing to disclose the $8 per share cash offer that, in our view, clearly motivated the bylaw amendments in the first place. Most notably, these changes would apply ahead of Vanda's forthcoming annual meeting. Shortly thereafter, Vanda rejected our proposal. In short, it is clear that Vanda's Board is not acting in the best interests of shareholders. Even more concerning is Vanda's failure to receive FDA clearance for tradipitant, whose prospects had been prominently cited in June by Vanda for its rejection of our initial offer. The rejection followed an unsuccessful Phase 3 clinical trial, where tradipitant didn't reach its primary endpoint and performed no better than a placebo. We urge Vanda shareholders to express their views on this proposal to the independent directors of the Vanda Board of Directors. We stand ready to work immediately with Vanda's Board and management team to reach an agreement that would provide a compelling premium and certain cash value today for all Vanda shareholders."

08:21 EDT Nitches, Inc. launches InTheZone Youth - Nitches, Inc. introduces InTheZone Youth, the latest addition to its InTheZone Labs product line. InTheZone Youth is specially formulated to support cognitive health, focus, and memory in adolescents, helping young minds thrive during critical stages of development. With increasing concerns over concentration, memory, and decision-making challenges in school-age children-especially those diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder-this premium supplement offers a natural, science-backed solution.

08:18 EDT Ocean Power appoints 3B as authorized service partner - Ocean Power has signed an agreement with 3B General Trading & Contracting Co. to explore projects in the offshore energy and maritime industry in Kuwait, including deployment of WAM-V autonomous and unmanned surface vehicles and Next Generation PowerBuoys equipped with AI capable Merrows

08:14 EDT SRIVARU begins PRANA 2.0 vehicle deliveries - SRIVARU Holding announced the commencement of customer deliveries for its PRANA 2.0 models, including the PRANA Grand and PRANA Elite. This milestone also signifies the beginning of the Company's revenue generation phase. The deliveries follow SRIVARU's receipt of the critical CMVR certification from the Indian Road Transport Authority and subsequent approval from the State Transport Authority.

08:12 EDT Sharps announces stockholder approval for one-for-22 reverse stock split - Sharps Technology announced that it will effect a one-for-22 reverse stock split of its common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, that will become effective on October 15, 2024 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time, before the opening of trading on The Nasdaq Capital Market. Sharps has requested that its Common Stock begin trading on October 16, 2024, on a post-reverse split basis on the Nasdaq under the existing symbol "STSS".

08:11 EDT SoFi Technologies enters $2B loan agreement with Fortress Investment - SoFi Technologies announced a $2B loan platform business agreement for personal loans with funds managed by affiliates of Fortress Investment Group. The agreement will expand SoFi's capabilities in its loan platform business, where the company refers pre-qualified borrowers to loan origination partners as well as originates loans on behalf of third parties.

08:10 EDT Golden Sun Health announces annual general meeting results - Golden Sun Health Technology announced the results of its annual general meeting of shareholders held in Shanghai on October 8, 2024. At the AGM, the shareholders of the Company adopted ordinary resolutions that: Re-elected Mr. Xueyuan Weng as a director of the Company to hold office until the next annual general meeting; Re-elected Mr. Liming Xu as a director of the Company to hold office until the next annual general meeting; Re-elected Ms. Peilin Ji as a director of the Company to hold office until the next annual general meeting; Re-elected Mr. Yidong Hao as a director of the Company to hold office until the next annual general meeting; Re-elected Mr. Zhenghua Yu as a director of the Company to hold office until the next annual general meeting; Re-elected Mr. Xiao Jin as a director of the Company to hold office until the next annual general meeting; Elected Mr. Xijing Xu as a director of the Company to hold office until the next annual general meeting. Ratified the appointment of Assentsure PAC as independent registered public accounting firm for the Company; Ratified the adoption of a financial year ending on September 30 and beginning on October 1 of each year. Each shareholder had one vote for each Class A ordinary share or five votes for each Class B ordinary share. The shares attended the AGM in person or by proxy represented approximately 63.84% of the total outstanding votes represented by the Company's total ordinary shares outstanding at the close of business in the Shanghai on the record date of August 7, 2024. Each of the above resolutions was approved by 99.96% or above of the total votes cast at the AGM.

08:09 EDT NewGenIvf Group receives Nasdaq notification regarding min bid price - NewGenIvf Group announced that on October 8, 2024, the Company received a letter from the Listing Qualifications Department of The Nasdaq Stock Market notifying the Company that it is currently not in compliance with the closing bid price requirement under Nasdaq Listing Rule 5450(a)(1). The Company has an initial compliance period of 180 calendar days, or until April 7, 2025, to regain compliance with the Minimum Bid Price Rule

08:07 EDT LifeVantage announces U.S. launch of MindBody GLP-1 System - LifeVantage Corporation announces the U.S. launch of its patent-pending MindBody GLP-1 System, a dual-product solution designed to balance hunger hormones, build healthier habits, and help individuals reach and maintain their ideal weight. This revolutionary system includes MB Core and MB Enhance, which work together to activate natural GLP-1 production by 140% on average. Clinical trials also found that the new System helped participants lose up to 27% of visceral fat and 5% of total body fat while maintaining muscle.

08:06 EDT Intelligent Bio Solutions announces adoption on non-invasive drug screening - Intelligent Bio Solutions announced the addition of Pyrotek Pty, to its customer base. Pyrotek is a global leader in engineering solutions. By adopting INBS' Intelligent Fingerprinting Drug Testing Solution across its Australian branches, Pyrotek will enhance its workplace safety protocols, shifting from traditional saliva testing to INBS' faster, more efficient fingerprint sweat-based drug screening method.

08:05 EDT Ribbon Communications selected for DISA voice communication modernization - Ribbon Communications has been selected as the technology provider for the US Department of Defense Information Services Agency - DISA - Soft Switch Backbone RFP awarded to ValidaTek. The mission of the SSBB is to provide a global, secure, and resilient mission critical voice communications infrastructure to all branches and agencies of the US Department of Defense. Ribbon is delivering voice communication infrastructure components to help modernize and secure DISA's communications network. Ribbon is partnering with Tyto Athene to support ValidaTek in this global technology deployment.

08:04 EDT Red Cat introduces ARACHNID family of ISR, precision strike systems - Red Cat Holdings introduced its ARACHNID family of unmanned intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance and precision strike systems. Red Cat unveiled the Family of Systems at AUSA 2024 Annual Meeting and Exposition in Washington D.C. The ARACHNID family of systems is purpose built for the U.S. Army's roadmap to integrate UAS and long endurance aircraft in a combined arms fight with synchronized fire and maneuver across various command levels. Red Cat currently addresses the needs of warfighters at the platoon and company level with drones that span capabilities and endurance for short and medium-range operations in air, land, and maritime environments. Future potential partnerships will enable long-range reconnaissance.

08:04 EDT Spyre Therapeutics expects acceleration of SPY003 clinical timeline - Spyre Therapeutics announced updated pipeline progress and timelines, as well as scientific presentations at the United European Gastroenterology Week Congress. First-in-human dosing of SPY003 in healthy volunteers is now expected to start during Q1 2025. SPY003 is a novel mAb targeting IL-23p19. Approved inhibitors of IL-23 are effective and well tolerated treatments of moderate-to-severe IBD. The company expects to share interim data from the accelerated first-in-human trial in the second half of 2025. With an extended half-life in NHPs, SPY003 demonstrates therapeutic potential for effective and well-tolerated treatment of Crohn's disease and Ulcerative Colitis with less frequent dosing than approved therapies. Spyre presented preclinical data combining anti-IL-23 with either anti-alpha4beta7 or anti-TL1A for the first time at UEGW. The models showed that IL-23 and TL1A have a synergistic effect on promoting IL-17 secretion from human and mouse immune cells, and that the combination of anti-IL-23 and anti-TL1A suppresses IL-17 secretion more effectively than either agent alone.

08:03 EDT Independence Realty Trust announces minimal impact from Hurricane Milton - Independence Realty Trust announced that its communities in Tampa and Orlando, Florida were minimally impacted by Hurricane Milton.

08:01 EDT Honeywell awarded $103M contract by U.S. Army - Honeywell has been awarded a $103M contract by the U.S. Army, through the Defense Logistics Agency, to provide its Next-Generation APN-209 Radar Altimeter system on a wide variety of Army aircraft. This contract underscores Honeywell's ongoing commitment to delivering advanced, reliable technology to support U.S. Army missions. It also supports Honeywell's alignment of its portfolio to three powerful megatrends, including the future of aviation.

07:32 EDT Marimed commences cultivation operations in Illinois grow facility - MariMed commenced operations in its new cultivation facility in Mt. Vernon, Illinois. The first harvest is expected in early 2025, at which time the company will sell its Nature's Heritage flower and concentrates through its retail and wholesale channels throughout the state. In addition to cultivation, MariMed's Mt. Vernon facility houses a processing kitchen, which began producing a wide range of cannabis-infused products last December. The Company also operates five Thrive dispensaries in Anna, Casey, Harrisburg, Metropolis, and Mt. Vernon. They offer a curated selection of products across its brand portfolio, including Betty's Eddies fruit chews, Bubby's Baked soft-baked goods, Vibations hydrating drink mixes, the full suite of its InHouse branded products, and coming soon, Nature's Heritage flower and concentrates.

07:08 EDT Bausch + Lomb announces FDA approval of enVista Envy - Bausch + Lomb announced that the FDA has approved the enVista Envy full range of vision intraocular lens, or IOL, which offers a continuous range of vision with excellent dysphotopsia tolerance on the widely used enVista IOL platform.

07:06 EDT BioCryst to present real-world evidence on oral ORLADEYO - BioCryst Pharmaceuticals announced new real-world evidence on the use of oral, once-daily ORLADEYO demonstrating that patients with hereditary angioedema in the United States experience significant reductions in healthcare resource utilization, including significant reductions in hospitalizations, emergency room visits and use of on-demand therapies, after beginning treatment with ORLADEYO. The study will be presented in a poster at the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy Nexus 2024 national meeting, which is being held in Las Vegas from October 14-17, 2024.

07:05 EDT Codexis announces employment inducement grants - Codexis, announced the approval of equity grants to eight new employees as approved by the Compensation Committee of Codexis' Board of Directors. The newly hired employees received equity awards consisting of an aggregate of options to purchase 350,175 shares of Codexis common stock and 80,138 restricted stock units as inducement awards under the company's 2024 Inducement Plan. Included in this total are equity awards for Codexis' newly appointed Chief Financial Officer, Georgia Erbez. As part of her inducement to commence employment, Ms. Erbez was granted an option to purchase 300,000 shares of Company common stock and 50,000 shares of RSUs. The stock options have an exercise price equal to the closing price per share of Codexis' common stock as reported by Nasdaq on the grant date, and vest over four years, with 25 percent of the shares vesting on the first anniversary of the vesting commencement date, and the remainder vesting ratably at the end of each subsequent month thereafter, subject to each employee's continued service with Codexis through the applicable vesting dates. The RSUs will vest in equal annual installments on each anniversary of the grant date, until the third anniversary of such date, subject to each employee's continued service with Codexis through the applicable vesting dates. Codexis is providing this information in accordance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)4.

07:04 EDT Dragonfly Energy announces Dragonfly IntelLigence technology - Dragonfly Energy Holdings unveiled at the American Trucking Associations' annual Management Conference & Exhibition its Dragonfly IntelLigence technology for the heavy duty trucking industry. This patent-pending smart battery technology gives fleets and truck drivers real-time system monitoring and app-based connectivity, providing full visibility over their battery system. Building upon the proven reliability of Battle Born Batteries, Dragonfly IntelLigence represents the next generation of the Company's energy storage solutions, designed to optimize performance and efficiency in demanding commercial applications. Dragonfly IntelLigence communication technology empowers drivers with real-time insights into their entire battery system, providing visibility at both the individual battery level and the system as a whole. By combining a wireless mesh network with Bluetooth connectivity, drivers can use the Battle Born mobile app to monitor battery life, set custom alerts, and access historical usage data. This comprehensive connectivity, unique to Dragonfly Energy's system, provides a significant advantage over competitor Bluetooth solutions, and will provide drivers with peace of mind and enhanced control over their power source. Additionally, through the Dragonfly IntelLigence Hub, OEMs can transmit battery data via external communication protocols, such as RV-C, allowing for seamless integration with in-cab displays and fleet management systems.

07:03 EDT RedHill Biopharma secures federal BARDA funding for opaganib in Ebola treatment - RedHill Biopharma announced that the U.S. government's Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority - BARDA -, a center of the Department of Health and Human Services' Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response, has selected opaganib for development to treat exposure to Ebola virus disease. Under this cost-sharing contract, BARDA will provide partial funding for the company to further advance opaganib to mitigate infection and contain EBOV outbreaks. To date, opaganib has made positive development progress on the expected Animal Rule pathway towards potential approval as a treatment for EBOV. Opaganib delivered a statistically significant increase in survival time when given at 150 mg/kg twice a day in a U.S. Army Medical in vivo EBOV study, making it the first host-directed molecule to show activity in EBOV. Opaganib also recently demonstrated a distinct synergistic effect when combined individually with remdesivir, significantly improving potency while maintaining cell viability, in a U.S. Army-funded and conducted in vitro EBOV study. Opaganib is currently also in development for multiple oncology, viral, inflammatory and diabetes and obesity-related indications, including COVID-19, acute respiratory distress syndrome and radiological and chemical protection or mitigation.

07:02 EDT B. Riley Financial to establish partnership with Oaktree in Great American - B. Riley Financial and funds managed by Oaktree Capital Management, have signed a definitive agreement to establish a partnership in Great American Holdings, a newly formed holding company. Prior to the closing of the transactions contemplated by the Agreement, B. Riley will undertake a pre-closing internal reorganization and will contribute all of the interests in B. Riley's Appraisal and Valuation Services, Retail, Wholesale & Industrial Solutions and Real Estate Advisory businesses to Great American NewCo. At the closing of the transaction, B. Riley will receive total consideration consisting of approximately $203M in cash, subject to certain purchase price adjustments, Class B Preferred Units of Great American NewCo with an initial aggregate liquidation preference of approximately $183M, and Class A Common Units of NewCo representing approximately 47% of the total outstanding common units. Oaktree will acquire Class A Preferred Units of Great American NewCo with an initial liquidation preference of approximately $203M, as well as Class A Common Units representing approximately 53% of the aggregate amount of the issued and outstanding Class A Common Units of Great American NewCo, in exchange for cash consideration of approximately $203M, implying a total enterprise value for the Great American NewCo of $386M. The transaction has been approved by the Board of Directors of the company and is subject to the receipt of required regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions. It is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2024.

06:59 EDT Auddia achieves 12% use retention in September - Auddia has exceeded its 30-day user retention goal of 10%, achieving 12% in the month of September. Auddia has been focused on growing its user retention for the past year through a steady cadence of product enhancements and UX improvements under its faidr 3.1 initiative. These efforts have resulted in steady gains in 30-day retention, growing from 5% to 12% over the past year. Now that internal retention targets have been achieved the company will focus on optimizing subscription conversions to drive high margin revenue. Auddia has maintained a subscription conversion rate of 5% across 2024 but has not prioritized improving this metric until it had achieved at least 10% 30-day retention. With retention success achieved, the company can now focus on optimizing subscription conversions. This will be accomplished by removing friction from the current paywall process, moving subscription from a passive operation to a more active one for users, and engaging in a series of tests to optimize the when, where, and frequency of paywall views to drive subscription conversion to 12% or more. The company is approaching the point where management believes they will be transitioning from a focus on product development to a focus on revenue generation.

06:51 EDT Eli Lilly announces one-year histologic mirikizumab data - Eli Lilly announced data demonstrating more patients with moderately to severely active Crohn's disease treated with mirikizumab achieved histologic response at Week 52 compared to ustekinumab, regardless of prior biologic experience. VIVID-1 is the first Phase 3 study for any approved or investigational treatment in Crohn's disease to report histologic and combined histologic-endoscopic outcomes that were evaluated using a systematic assessment of five bowel segments and strict definitions consistent with the recently published European Crohn's and Colitis, or ECCO, position statement on mucosal histopathology. These results are being presented as an oral presentation at United European Gastroenterology, or UEG, Week, held in Vienna, Austria from October 12-15. Mirikizumab is an IL23p19 antagonist that selectively binds to the p19 subunit of IL-23 and inhibits its interaction with the IL-23 receptor. Inflammation due to the overactivation of the IL-23 pathway plays a critical role in pathogenesis of Crohn's disease, a chronic, inflammatory bowel disease associated with progressive bowel damage, disability and decreased health-related quality of life. In VIVID-1, mirikizumab achieved nominally statistically significant improvements across all histologic and histologic-endoscopic endpoints versus placebo at Weeks 12 and 52, and versus ustekinumab on the following endpoints. A greater number of patients that achieved histologic response were observed with mirikizumab at Week 52 in the overall population. In patients with active histologic disease at baseline and with at least one prior biologic failure, mirikizumab also showed greater histologic response at Week 52 and endoscopic-histologic response at Week 52. The overall safety profile of mirikizumab in patients with moderately to severely active Crohn's disease was consistent with the known safety profile in patients with ulcerative colitis, or UC. The frequency of serious adverse events was greater in placebo than mirikizumab. The most common adverse events were COVID-19, anemia, arthralgia, headache, upper respiratory tract infection, nasopharyngitis and injection site reactions. Lilly has submitted marketing authorization applications for mirikizumab in Crohn's disease around the globe, including in the U.S., Europe, Japan and China. Additional global regulatory submissions are planned. Lilly is committed to finding solutions to elevate care and improve treatment outcomes for people living with inflammatory bowel disease, which includes studying the long-term efficacy and safety of mirikizumab in pediatric patients and adults. Mirikizumab is approved for the treatment of moderately to severely active UC in adults and is marketed as Omvoh. Mirikizumab has additional ongoing trials in UC, including a study in pediatric patients and a study to evaluate the long-term efficacy and safety of mirikizumab in adults. Lilly is continuing to advance the science with an open-label UC trial studying two new endpoints in the assessment of bowel urgency with frequency and deferral time, both of which impact the quality of life for patients.

06:34 EDT Lundbeck to acquire Longboard Pharmaceuticals for $60.00 per share, or $2.6B - H. Lundbeck A/S and Longboard Pharmaceuticals announced an agreement for Lundbeck to acquire Longboard. Under the terms of the agreement, Lundbeck will commence a tender offer for all outstanding shares of Longboard common stock, whereby Longboard shareholders will be offered a payment of $60.00 per share in cash. The transaction is valued at approximately $2.6B equity value and $2.5B net of cash, on a fully diluted basis. The board of directors of both companies have unanimously approved the transaction. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2024, subject to the tender of at least a majority of the total number of Longboard outstanding voting shares, receipt of required regulatory clearances, and other customary conditions. Lundbeck expects to fund the acquisition through existing cash resources and its existing bank financing facility. Following closing of the transaction, Lundbeck will focus on de-leveraging and leverage is expected to be in Lundbeck's target range of less than2.5x NIBD/EBITDA within 18-24 months. "We expect to recognize integration costs in the amount of approximately $80M, which predominantly will impact 2024 and will be adjusted for in Adjusted EBITDA. Lundbeck's financial guidance for 2024 is confirmed."

06:30 EDT Lundbeck to acquire Longboard Pharmaceuticals for $60.00 per share, or $2.6B

06:28 EDT Nokia Windstream Wholesale, Colt Technology Services partner in IP connection - Nokia, Windstream Wholesale or WW, an optical technology leader in advanced network solutions, and Colt Technology Services, announced the successful completion of a world-first 800 Gigabit Ethernet - 800GbE - service trial connecting London, UK with Chicago, US across an 8500km subsea and terrestrial route over the production network. The trial showcased power-saving networking technologies from the three global tech businesses to test the boundaries of next-generation wavelength, capacity, speed and latency between two of the world's largest financial trading hubs. The field trial involved connecting one of Colt's five powerful transatlantic subsea cables and part of its terrestrial fiber optic network with Windstream Wholesale's domestic U.S. optical fiber Intelligent Converged Optical Network monitoring speed and performance. Together, Colt and Windstream Wholesale have partnered to demonstrate the world's first transoceanic 800 GbE end-to-end service transport from router to router over 1Tbps optical transport. The trial was successfully delivered using Nokia's pioneering sixth-generation Photonic Service Engine coherent optics and 7750 Service Router routing platforms boosting. 800G marks a breakthrough in service bandwidth, doubling capacity to support advanced network applications like AI data center networking, content delivery networks, and financial data hub connections.The organizations are currently exploring options to bring 800GbE connectivity services to market for global business customers.

06:06 EDT reAlpha subsidiary AiChat partners with M1 to launch WhatsApp pay integration - reAlpha subsidiary AiChat, a provider of AI-powered conversational solutions, has partnered with M1, one of Singapore's largest mobile network operators, to launch WhatsApp Pay as part of M1's social commerce strategy in Singapore. As M1's official WhatsApp business solution partner, AiChat integrated its AI chatbot capabilities with WhatsApp Pay, which is powered by Stripe's financial infrastructure. This integration allows select M1 Corporate Individual plan subscribers to reserve and secure flagship phones directly through WhatsApp, including making deposits and reservations within a single, conversational flow.

06:04 EDT Redwire prepares for major European satellite delivery in Q4 - Redwire is finalizing integration and preparing for delivery of two satellites for the European Space Agency's Proba-3 mission later in Q4 of this year. Simultaneously, Redwire has started spacecraft integration for two other ESA satellite missions, the Atmospheric Limb Tracker for Investigation of the Upcoming Stratosphere and one of the In-Orbit Demonstration and Verification satellites, funded by the European Union, at its state-of-the-art facility in Kruibeke, Belgium. For Proba-3, Redwire is responsible for spacecraft integration, testing, and the onboard computer. Redwire is also responsible for the integration, testing, and the development of one of the technology demonstration payloads: the 3D Energetic Electron Spectrometer, a high-fidelity 3D energetic electron spectrometer.

06:01 EDT Catalent to Sell Somerset, NJ oral solids facility - Catalent has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its oral solids development and small-scale manufacturing facility in Somerset, NJ to Ardena, a Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization with locations in Belgium, Spain, the Netherlands and Sweden. Financial details of the agreement, which is expected to close in early 2025, have not been disclosed. The Somerset facility also houses Catalent's corporate headquarters, which in the near term will remain at the Somerset site during a transition period before shifting to a new location. The new location of the corporate headquarters will be announced at a later date.

05:17 EDT Genentech presents two-year data from RAINBOWFISH study at WMS - Genentech, a member of Roche, presented two-year data from the ongoing RAINBOWFISH study at the 29th World Muscle Society, or WMS, Congress, October 8-12, assessing the efficacy and safety of Evrysdi in children with SMA who were treated pre-symptomatically as infants before six weeks of age. The study found the majority of children achieved key motor milestones, were able to swallow and feed orally, and demonstrated cognitive skills typical of children without SMA, with none requiring permanent ventilation. All of the children treated with Evrysdi who had three or more SMN2 copies, achieved standing and walking milestones as assessed by Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Third Edition and Hammersmith Infant Neurological Examination, Module 2, or HINE-2, with most achieving these milestones within World Health Organization, or WHO, windows of typical child development. Among the children with two SMN2 copies, all could sit and most could stand and walk independently after two years of treatment. After two years of treatment, all children were able to swallow and feed orally and none required permanent ventilation. Natural history studies indicate that without disease-modifying treatment, children with Type 1 SMA would not be able to reach such milestones, nor typically live past the age of two. After 2 years of Evrysdi treatment, children in the study showed cognitive skills typical of children without SMA, as assessed by the BSID-III Cognitive Scale. This study was the first clinical trial in SMA to assess cognition as an exploratory endpoint using a standardized scale. To assess outcomes of early treatment initiation before the onset of symptoms, children in the study started treatment with Evrysdi before 6 weeks of age (median age of first dose was 25 days). The study analyzed outcomes against the number of copies of the SMN2 gene each child had. Generally, fewer SMN2 copy numbers are associated with more severe SMA. There were no deaths or adverse events, or AEs, leading to withdrawal or treatment discontinuation. The most common AEs were teething, gastroenteritis, diarrhea, eczema and pyrexia. The AEs observed in the year-two analysis are generally consistent with those AEs seen in other Evrysdi trials in SMA. AEs were more reflective of age than underlying SMA. The majority of AEs were not considered treatment-related and resolved over time. Genentech leads the clinical development of Evrysdi as part of a collaboration with the SMA Foundation and PTC Therapeutics.

05:10 EDT SolarBank to develop 7 MW DC ground-mount solar power project in Pennsylvania - SolarBank announced its plans to develop a 7 MW DC ground-mount solar power project known as the Stauffer project on a site located in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. This project is in addition to the 13.8 MW DC project announced last week, both of which are part of a set of projects expected to total 24.8 MW DC in size. The proposed community solar project - which would be one of the first of its kind in Pennsylvania - would provide residents, including renters and those without suitable rooftops, with access to solar energy without the commitment of installing panels on their own properties. On March 26, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed House Bill 1842, a bill enabling the potential development of community solar projects in the state, paving the way for companies like SolarBank to expand into the region and provide clean energy to residents of various income levels. The bill is currently under review by the Senate of Pennsylvania. The company has secured a lease over the project site and will continue to work to complete the next steps in permitting, interconnection and securing the necessary financing for construction of the project. The development of the project as a community solar project will be subject to the final approval of House Bill 1842 by the State government of Pennsylvania.