SteraMist Takes the Fight to the Coronavirus Worldwide - China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore, Israel and the United Kingdom

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., Feb 28 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TOMI Environmental Solutions, Inc.® (“TOMI”) (OTCQB:TOMZ), is a global company specializing in disinfection and decontamination, utilizing its premier Binary Ionization Technology (BIT) platform through its SteraMist products - a hydrogen peroxide-based mist and fog composed of ionized Hydrogen Peroxide (iHP). SteraMist has been deployed worldwide to combat coronavirus (COVID-19) through TOMI’s longstanding and new international partners and customers.

Already EPA-registered on lists J, K, G, and L, which include H1N1 or Influenza A (enveloped) and Norovirus (non-enveloped), TOMI anticipates to secure listing in the EPA’s upcoming publication of Emerging Pathogen Lists, which includes COVID-19. SteraMist was also featured as the only disinfectant product in the World Health Organization Compendium of Innovative Health Technologies.

SteraMist is now the industry standard throughout China after TOMI recently received approval and registration for two (2) separate registrations - SteraMist equipment registration and BIT solution registration - from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC). With the latest outbreak, China is able to take advantage of SteraMist disinfection and its ability to rapidly deploy throughout the country as needed. TOMI is finalizing negotiations with high-level Chinese officials for use of the SteraMist Surface Unit in aiding the control of COVID-19.

Routinely used to disinfect high traffic areas, SteraMist iHP technology has treated public transportation, ambulances, hotel rooms, offices, and universities to stop the spread of this virus. With more than 50 international customers and partners ranging from countries in Asia, Europe, and the Mideast using hundreds of SteraMist units, many of which have been deployed to stop the spread of COVID-19.

Recently, TOMI has signed on a new distribution partner in Thailand, more news will be coming shortly. TOMI has also shipped a number of units to Hong Kong to assist with new innovative ways of helping Hong Kong with their ongoing battle of controlling COVID-19.

In addition to one of the many cases worldwide, a hotel in York became the first in the United Kingdom to test positive for COVID-19. After receiving approval from the Public Health of England, SteraMist was used to treat the hotel room and was quickly validated by Enzyme Indicators (EIs). The treatment was a resounding success: the room was disinfected with a 9-log inactivation, exceeding the 6-log inactivation required.

Similarly, TOMI was also easily able to deploy SteraMist in one of eight recent cases in Singapore, one of which included a professor at the National University of Singapore (NUS) upon realizing they were contagious with COVID-19. The Ministry of Health proceeded to take action to stop the spread of the virus on campus, with the university president calling on SteraMist to thoroughly disinfect the facility. SteraMist was used in high traffic areas, such as hand railings, lifts, and lift lobbies, and routine facility cleaning was increased from two times a day to four times a day. Quick response allowed for thorough disinfection and continued preventative measures to protect both students and staff at risk of contracting the virus.

Yaki Agam, CEO of CleanBit Ltd., TOMI’s partner in Israel, states, “Just recently, the eleven (11) Israeli passengers who were on the Diamond Princess cruise ship returned to Israel after being suspected of carrying the virus. Two passengers were confirmed to be infected, further transferring coronavirus to Israel. CleanBit was selected by the Ministry of Health and the Israeli government to disinfect the aircraft, ambulances, and buses in which the infected passengers arrived from the ship in Japan to the hospital in Israel.”

As of today, CleanBit is disinfecting the hospital isolation facility and the surrounding areas on a daily basis where infected passengers are currently staying. TOMI’s Israeli partner is on national alert to assist in an emergency situation by using SteraMist to disinfect in the event coronavirus might erupt nationwide.

Recently, agreements have been signed between CleanBit Ltd., the Ministry of Defense, and Magen David Adom (Israeli equivalent of the American Red Cross organization), including fire departments, airports, and two major hospitals for service with SteraMist disinfection assisting in stopping the spread of coronavirus.

TOMI’s CEO, Dr. Halden Shane, states, “This is only a snapshot of the continued efforts we are making to stop the spread of coronavirus worldwide. The strong demand for our SteraMist surface unit is rapidly depleting our inventory - although we have an ample supply of SteraMist BIT solution. Accordingly, in anticipation of this continuing demand, TOMI has placed orders with our manufacturer for additional surface units on an expedited basis, in an effort to meet both our short-term and long-term demand. This is a dangerous virus that may remain on surfaces for at least nine (9) days and should not to be underestimated. COVID-19 will most likely be with us for a long time, maybe years.”

TOMI™ Environmental Solutions, Inc.: Innovating for a safer world®

TOMI™ Environmental Solutions, Inc. (OTCQB:TOMZ) is a global decontamination and infection prevention company, providing environmental solutions for indoor surface disinfection through the manufacturing, sales and licensing of its premier Binary Ionization Technology® (BIT™) platform. Invented under a defense grant in association with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) of the U.S. Department of Defense, BIT™ solution utilizes a low percentage Hydrogen Peroxide as its only active ingredient to produce a fog of ionized Hydrogen Peroxide (iHP™). Represented by the SteraMist® brand of products, iHP™ produces a germ-killing aerosol that works like a visual non-caustic gas.

TOMI products are designed to service a broad spectrum of commercial structures, including, but not limited to, hospitals and medical facilities, cruise ships, office buildings, hotel and motel rooms, schools, restaurants, meat and produce processing facilities, military barracks, police and fire departments, and athletic facilities. TOMI products and services have also been used in single-family homes and multi-unit residences.

TOMI develops training programs and application protocols for its clients and is a member in good standing with The American Biological Safety Association, The American Association of Tissue Banks, Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America, America Seed Trade Association, and The Restoration Industry Association.

For additional information, please visit http://www.tomimist.com/ or contact us at info@tomimist.com.

Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995

Certain written and oral statements made by us may constitute “forward-looking statements” as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the “Reform Act”). Forward-looking statements are identified by such words and phrases as “we expect,” “expected to,” “estimates,” “estimated,” “current outlook,” “we look forward to,” “would equate to,” “projects,” “projections,” “projected to be,” “anticipates,” “anticipated,” “we believe,” “could be,” and other similar phrases. All statements addressing operating performance, events, or developments that we expect or anticipate will occur in the future, including statements relating to revenue growth, earnings, earnings-per-share growth, or similar projections, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Reform Act. They are forward-looking, and they should be evaluated in light of important risk factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from our anticipated results. The information provided in this document is based upon the facts and circumstances known at this time. We undertake no obligation to update these forward-looking statements after the date of this release.

INVESTOR RELATIONS CONTACT

Harold Paul
hpaul@tomimist.com

Source: TOMI Environmental Solutions, Inc.

Global CFP professionals grew to 188,104 -- Financial Planning Standards Board

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 26 -- Financial Planning Standards Board Ltd. (FPSB), owner of the international CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER (CFP) certification programme outside the United States (US), has announced that the total number of CFP professionals worldwide rose to 188,104.

With a net increase of 6,744 over the previous year, FPSB and its global network of affiliate organisations grew the global CFP professional community by 3.7 per cent last year, for an average percentage growth rate of 3.6 per cent over the past five years.

“Financial Planning Standards Board is pleased to see continued strong interest among financial advisors and financial planners in pursuing CFP certification, the global symbol of excellence in financial planning,” said FPSB chief executive officer, Noel Maye, in a statement.

“Having a large and growing community of CFP professionals worldwide committed to providing advice and services in an ethical and professional manner will support FPSB’s mission to benefit the public, and help restore public confidence and trust in financial services globally.”

CFP Board, FPSB’s member organisation in the US with the longest-running CFP certification programme, continued its strong showing by finishing last year with 86,378 CFP professionals in the US (a net growth of 3,272).

FPSB China placed next, growing its number by over 2,000 for a total of 22,048 at the end of 2019.

More details at https://www.fpsb.org/ 

-- BERNAMA

Toshiba unveils 100V N-channel power MOSFET for automotive equipment applications

Toshiba: New 100V N-channel power MOSFET “XK1R9F10QB” for automotive equipment. (Photo: Business Wire)

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 25 -- Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation (Toshiba) has released a 100V N-channel power MOSFET suitable for automotive 48V equipment applications.

With shipments starting today, the ‘XK1R9F10QB’ device can be used for load switches, switching power supplies and driving of motors.

According to a statement, the new product is the first in Toshiba’s new U-MOS X-H Series of MOSFET with a trench structure and is fabricated with its latest generation process.

Mounted on a low-resistance TO-220SM(W) package, it delivers industry-leading low On-resistance, with a maximum On-resistance of 1.92mΩ, an approximate 20 per cent reduction against the current ‘TK160F10N1L’.

This advance helps to reduce equipment power consumption. It also delivers reduced switching noise, due to optimisation of capacitance characteristics, which helps to reduce EMI of equipment.

In addition, the threshold voltage width is tightened to 1V to enhance switching synchronisation when used in parallel.

-- BERNAMA

Guild Insurance has stable credit ratings outlook — AM Best

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 24 — AM Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A- (excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of ‘a-’ of Guild Insurance Limited (GIL) Australia. 

According to a statement by the global credit rating agency, the outlook of these ratings is stable.

These ratings reflect GIL’s balance sheet strength, which AM Best categorises as very strong, as well as its adequate operating performance, neutral business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management.

GIL’s balance sheet strength is underpinned by its risk-adjusted capitalisation, which AM Best expects to remain at the strongest level over the medium term, as measured by Best’s Capital Adequacy Ratio. 

AM Best also views GIL as having a prudent approach to reserving, maintaining a buffer in its reserves notably above the regulatory imposed minimums. 

Prospectively, AM Best expects an adequate level of operating performance to be maintained and underpinned by continued good loss experience, supported by expense efficiencies achieved in the coming years.

AM Best views GIL’s business profile as neutral. While the company is considered a small insurer in Australia’s non-life sector with a total gross written premium of AUD 195 million and an overall market share below one per cent in fiscal-year 2019, GIL is a leading provider of insurance protection to allied health professional associations. (AUD 1 = RM2.78)

— BERNAMA

Movius enhances business communications via MultiLine For Salesforce

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 21 — Movius has launched MultiLine for Salesforce on Salesforce AppExchange, enriching enterprise communications data by unlocking the power of MultiLine.

According to a statement, it will empower sales professionals, financial advisors, insurance agents, wealth and relationship managers and more to automatically capture client communications directly in Salesforce.

MultiLine creates efficient workflows and more productivity to help teams drive better relationships and client engagement, communicating efficiently and compliantly while maintaining full visibility into all conversation data within the CRM. 

MultiLine also provides a separate business number on an employee’s existing device for secure calls and texts with optional built-in voice and text recording, without making changes to the handset, SIM or the user’s existing mobile network.

Business conversations that go through the MultiLine app automatically are captured and logged inside Salesforce, with full features of business line on any desktop browser.

Movius is the leading global provider in cloud-based secure mobile communications software, helping enterprises deliver better engagement for their clients.

— BERNAMA

Yitu Healthcare's system aids COVID-19 outbreak epidemic prevention, control

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 20 -- Since the outbreak of COVID-19, Yitu Healthcare via its R&D team has developed the Intelligent Evaluation System of Chest CT in a short period of time. 

The system, which was officially launched and put into the front line clinical battle against the epidemic, is the first artificial intelligence (AI) imaging product in the industry to intelligently evaluate COVID-19. 

The system realises intelligent diagnosis and quantitative evaluation of CT images of COVID-19 through industry-leading image algorithms, and grades the severity of various pneumonia diseases of local lesions, diffuse lesions and whole lung involvement. 

According to a statement by Yitu Healthcare, this new AI system can realise the automatic detection of the lesion area, and the quantitative analysis can be completed in two to three seconds.

The company hoped that the birth of this system will help to improve the efficiency of the quantitative diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19 and contribute to the fight against the epidemic.

 
-- BERNAMA

Trax acquires Qopius, gets closer to physical retail digitisation

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 18 — Trax has acquired Qopius, a top provider of AI-based in-store technology solutions in Europe.
 In a statement, Trax, the computer vision and analytics solutions provider for retail, said the acquisition would serve as a force multiplier in pushing real-time store monitoring and autonomous inventory management into mainstream adoption.

Retailers and consumer goods manufacturers leverage Trax’s in-store execution and retail analytics solutions to better manage on-shelf availability and optimise merchandising.

Powered by proprietary fine-grained image recognition algorithms, the solutions convert photos of retail shelves into granular, actionable shelf and store-level insights.

Qopius’ hardware-agnostic computer vision platform helps retailers monitor in real-time on-shelf inventory for out of stocks, compliance, inventory levels and price integrity at scale.

Their platform leverages advanced retail data integration and analytics to empower store managers and staff to take the right action at the right time for streamlined store operations and higher sales.

Trax chief executive officer and co-founder, Joel Bar-El said: “The key to retail success in the new decade is using technology to support employees. This means capturing critical shelf data in real-time to enable employees to fix merchandising and availability issues faster than ever before.

“Qopius’ proven expertise in digitising supermarket shelves across Europe and phenomenal talent make it a strategic fit for Trax. We are truly excited to welcome Qopius to the Trax family.”


— BERNAMA

37TH NIWANO PEACE PRIZE AWARDED TO SOUTH KOREAN ZEN MASTER, VENERABLE POMNYUN

TOKYO, Feb. 17, 2020 /Kyodo JBN-AsiaNet/ —

The Niwano Peace Foundation will award the 37th Niwano Peace Prize to the Venerable Pomnyun, a South Korean Zen master, in recognition of his extraordinary humanitarian work, environmental and social activism, and his inspiring effort to build relationships of trust and goodwill between those of different faiths and cultures.

An award presentation ceremony will take place in Tokyo on June 3. In addition to an award certificate, Ven. Pomnyun will receive a medal and a cash prize of 20 million yen.

His Buddhist organization, Jungto Society, a community based on the teachings and principles of Buddhism, is dedicated to addressing modern problems that drive suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and violent conflict. His international aid organization, Join Together Society, has sought to eradicate poverty and hunger through humanitarian relief and sustainable development initiatives in North Korea, India, etc.

In selecting Ven. Pomnyun as a recipient for 2020, the Niwano Peace Prize Committee said he “has demonstrated a long and broad commitment to advancing peace within a Buddhist framework, in partnership with those of other faiths,” particularly Christianity. The committee also was “impressed with his focus on work outside Korea, on behalf of those of other faiths” such as Muslims in Mindanao, the Philippines; Hindus and others in India; and Rohingya in Myanmar/Bangladesh.

Niwano Peace Prize:
The Niwano Peace Foundation established the Niwano Peace Prize to honor and encourage individuals and organizations that have contributed significantly to inter-religious cooperation, thereby furthering the cause of world peace, and to make their achievements known as widely as possible. The foundation hopes in this way both to enhance inter-religious understanding and cooperation and to encourage the emergence of still more persons devoted to working for world peace. The prize is named in honor of the founder and first president of the lay Buddhist organization Rissho Kosei-kai, Nikkyo Niwano.

Niwano Peace Foundation:
The Niwano Peace Foundation was chartered in 1978 to contribute to the realization of world peace and the enhancement of a culture of peace. The foundation promotes research and other activities based on the spirit of religious principles and serves the cause of peace in such fields as education, science, religion and philosophy.

SOURCE: Niwano Peace Foundation

Contact:
(Mr.) Seiji Hironaka/(Ms.) Natsuki Kudo
Niwano Peace Foundation
Tel: +81-3-3226-4371
Fax: +81-3-3226-1835 info@npf.or.jp
http://www.npf.or.jp/english/

http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=36756

​AKWEL: 2019年营业收入增长3.7%

​AKWEL: 2019年营业收入增长3.7%

Winners of 2019 Tommy Hilfiger Fashion Frontier Challenge revealed

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 14 -- Apon Wellbeing and A Beautiful Mess have been declared the winners of the 2019 Tommy Hilfiger Fashion Frontier Challenge, announced by Tommy Hilfiger.

A Bangladesh-based scale-up, Apon Wellbeing was awarded €75,000. It opens fair-priced shops, carrying daily necessities inside factories, with products offered at a 10 per cent discount to external prices and a points scheme that workers collect for free health insurance and health services. (€1 = RM4.49)

A Beautiful Mess, a Dutch start-up, was also awarded €75,000. It runs a creative space to assist refugees in realising social and economic independence by creating sustainable apparel products.

The winners also received a year-long mentorship with Tommy Hilfiger’s and INSEAD’s global experts, as well as a place in the INSEAD Social Entrepreneurship Programme.

A third start-up, Sudara, was selected as the ‘Audience Favorite Vote’ and was awarded €10,000. Based in India and the United States, Sudara is a scale-up pajama and loungewear company that develops professional and sewing skills in women.

Over 400 applications were received for the second edition of the global programme, which aims to support entrepreneurial start-up and scale-up stage businesses developing solutions that promote inclusive and positive change in fashion.

-- BERNAMA

VISTAJET CONTINUES ITS PARTNERSHIP WITH SCUDERIA FERRARI FOR THE 2020 FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

Supporting the team’s travel through shared values of speed, excellence, passion and innovation

LONDON, Feb 13 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- VistaJet, the first and only global business aviation company, announces its partnership with the Scuderia Ferrari team for the second year running as its Official Supplier of private jet travel.

​With the ever-demanding race calendar and often only days between Grands Prix, the team faces challenging timelines. VistaJet will support the team to optimize their travel and transfer times throughout the 2020 Formula One season. In an industry where speed and efficiency are fundamental, the Scuderia Ferrari team will further utilize time off track to arrive in optimum condition.

Having raced competitively with Ferrari for many years and as an official driver in the FIA World Endurance Championship, WEC, VistaJet’s Founder and Chairman Thomas Flohr knows the demands of racing and the intense focus required to perform under such pressure.

Announcing the partnership, Thomas Flohr said: “I am incredibly proud to be supporting the most iconic and successful racing team in the world for a second year. Innovation, technology and a focus on efficiency are values we share with them. VistaJet will continue to provide the Scuderia Ferrari team with seamless travel, to ensure their focus is on what is important – the competition on the track. I am excited to see what the 2020 season holds for Sebastain Vettel, Charles Leclerc and the whole Ferrari team. Forza Ferrari!”

VistaJet places the utmost importance on service and operational excellence. On its owned fleet of over 70 aircraft, VistaJet has completed over 174,000 flights globally, safely flying over 436,000 passengers to more than 1,900 airports worldwide.

www.vistajet.com/ferrari
​
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AG&P, ADNOC LOGISTICS AND SERVICES SIGN AGREEMENT FOR THE LONG-TERM CHARTER OF A FLOATING STORAGE UNIT (FSU) AT THE NEW AG&P LNG IMPORT FACILITY AT KARAIKAL PORT, SOUTH INDIA

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates, Feb 12 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- Atlantic Gulf & Pacific (AG&P), the global downstream gas and LNG logistics company, and ADNOC Logistics and Services (ADNOC L&S) have signed an agreement for the conversion, supply, operations and maintenance of a Floating Storage Unit (FSU) at AG&P’s new LNG import facility located within Karaikal Port in Puducherry, India. The 137,756 cubic meter FSU owned by ADNOC L&S is being chartered for 15 years through an innovative commercial model enabling supply to be scaled to match demand. Construction on the terminal will begin in Q1 2020 with commercial operations expected to commence before the end of 2021.
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Teledyne CARIS' HIPS and SIPS 11.3 features AI solution for cleaning sonar noise

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 12 -- Teledyne CARIS, a Teledyne Technologies company and leading developer of marine mapping software has announced the release of HIPS and SIPS™ 11.3.

The new software upgrade will introduce the first-ever commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) release of an AI solution for classifying and cleaning sonar noise, according to a statement.

“By leveraging deep learning techniques, Teledyne CARIS is poised to bring fundamental change to how sonar data is processed. The use of AI opens exciting opportunities for the future of hydrographic survey, from automated processing pipelines for crowd sourced bathymetry, to feature detection for charting,” said Senior Product Manager, Karen Cove.

The Sonar Noise Classifier automatically identifies the vast majority of sonar noise, resulting in a reduction of manual cleaning effort by a factor of up to 10 times at an accuracy of 95 per cent to allow the hydrographer focus more time on other important aspects of the survey and processing workflow.

This new approach to clean sonar noise is powered by the CARIS Mira AI engine, a new cloud-based platform to host current and future AI solutions. CARIS Mira AI also provides a flexible package capable of scaling with data processing needs.

All data directed to the CARIS Mira AI platform is anonymised, randomised and encrypted before transmission. For additional security, no data remains stored on the cloud following the AI classification process.

Teledyne CARIS offers a highly effective solution for near real-time processing, robust quality control of sonar data and the creation and distribution of maps, charts and digital datasets.

-- BERNAMA

Aria Systems' platform to support M1's cloud-first digital transformation strategy

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 12 -- Aria Systems’ billing and monetisation platform has been selected by Singapore’s leading communication provider M1 Limited (M1) to support its cloud-first digital transformation strategy.

“As a true, cloud-based billing platform, Aria has the agility and flexibility, as well as the client experience, to support M1’s digitalisation strategy and help the company differentiate itself in a competitive mobile services market,” said Aria Systems president and chief executive officer, Tom Dibble.

Aria will provide cloud billing services for M1’s consumer, wholesale and business customers on both mobile and fixed-line networks as the provider moves to consolidate plan offerings to reduce complexity for customers and enhance overall customer experience.

M1, a subsidiary of Keppel Corporation initiated its digital transformation journey to enhance customer experience and digitalise business. The company has sought a cloud-based billing platform that would allow it to respond to fast-moving trends in the consumer mobile market and introduce new services.

Aria’s cloud-based billing and monetisation platform is uniquely capable of delivering these requirements while supporting the management of complex billing scenarios and providing usage rating and billing at scale.

Aria will initially focus on supporting M1’s efforts to consolidate its plans for the consumer market, ultimately providing consumers with greater options to customise plans through add-ons.

Aria Systems’ cloud-based monetisation platform is the analysts’ choice, top ranked by leading research firms. More details at www.ariasystems.com.

-- BERNAMA

HGI's Credit Ratings placed under review with negative implications - AM Best

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 11 -- AM Best has placed under review with negative implications the Financial Strength Rating of A (excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of ‘a’ for Hanwha General Insurance Company Limited (HGI) South Korea.

The under review status follows HGI’s public disclosure on Jan 31, of a consolidated net loss of KRW 69 billion (US$59 million) for its preliminary fiscal-year 2019 results. (US$1 = RM4.14)

HGI has maintained consistent profitability since 2014, although a deterioration in results was observed from 2018, according to a statement.

The deterioration in HGI’s underwriting performance since 2018 was due mainly to inadequate pricing, consequently leading to its inability to catch up with increasing loss costs and expenses in auto and long-term insurance business lines.

While its bottom line had been supported by a stable stream of investment income, which helped mitigate underwriting volatility, the company is also expected to report sizeable impairment losses of KRW 25 billion (US$21 million) from its securities holdings for 2019.

HGI is seeking ways to improve its underwriting profitability, including rate increases for its auto and medical indemnity insurance lines, product restructuring and tighter underwriting.

AM Best will continue to hold discussions with HGI’s management team on its capital and business plans to assess the company’s medium-term balance sheet strength in order to resolve the under review with negative implications status.

Negative Credit Rating actions could occur if HGI’s projected risk-adjusted capitalisation over the medium term decreases to a level that no longer supports the current balance sheet assessment, or if its interest coverage remains insufficient to meet interest commitments. 

More details at www.ambest.com.

-- BERNAMA

GUOTAI JUNAN INTERNATIONAL INCLUDED IN FTSE RUSSELL'S FTSE4GOOD INDEX

HONG KONG, Feb 11 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- Guotai Junan International Holdings Limited (“Guotai Junan International”, “GTJAI”, the “Company” or “Group”, stock code:1788) is pleased to announce that it has been included in FTSE4Good Index by global index provider FTSE Russell, owned by the London Stock Exchange. The Company’s outstanding performance in corporate social responsibility in recent years has once again attained recognition from global financial markets and the investment sector.

About FTSE Russell and FTSE4Good Index

FTSE Russell is a leading global provider of benchmarks, analytics, and data solutions with multi-asset capabilities. Covering 98% of the investable market, FTSE Russell indexes offer a true picture of global markets, combined with the specialist knowledge gained from developing local benchmarks around the world.

The FTSE4Good Index Series ("The Index"), first launched in 2001, is designed to measure the performance of companies demonstrating strong Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) practices. The Index is a market-leading tool for investors seeking to invest in companies that demonstrate good sustainability practices. It also supports and guides investors that wish to encourage positive change in corporate behavior and align their portfolios with their ESG values.

Qualified corporations must implement policies in various social responsibility aspects, including environmental management, climate change alleviation, anti-corruption, labor rights protection and labor standards in supply chains. The Index Series is reviewed and updated every June and December.

Recognition from Sustainable Development

In the latest review of FTSE4Good Index Series, the Group has been included as a constituent. As a leading comprehensive financial services provider, GTJAI aims to pursue long-term and sustainable development. It proactively fulfill corporate social responsibility in various ways, fully supporting charity and environmental protection.

As for social care, the Company has established long-term cooperation with local charities and actively organized and participated in community care activities. The Company has joined in “Hong Kong & Kowloon Walk” organized by the Community Chest for several consecutive years as well as mooncakes donations run by local charity Harmony House. As for environment protection, in order to encourage all employees to cherish natural resources and reduce wastes, the Company took the initiative to support “Earth Hour” by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Since 2017, GTJAI has received the Gold Award of “The Asset ESG Corporate Awards” from international financial magazine The Asset for three consecutive years.

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AgBioEn invests US$200 million, becomes World Tour's first global sponsor

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 11 -- Apollo World Touring and Westbrook Inc have announced that AgBioEn and its investment partners signed on as the first global sponsor for the World Tour. 

AgBioEn is a fully integrated, carbon negative, renewable energy and fuel company headquartered in Melbourne, Australia.

Worth US$200 million over five years, the partnership will deliver a new multi-genre event-series, staged in the world’s most iconic cities, as the catalyst to drive investment in sustainability and change in each city. (US$1 = RM4.14)

According to a statement, the investment will allow AgBioEn to focus the world’s attention on the benefits that can be delivered by zero carbon technologies.

The investment will also be used in pioneering content formats and live events, providing artists and creators with a platform to encourage fans to be part of building a better future with real world solutions and inviting other major global brands to showcase purpose driven and sustainable innovation offerings.

World Tour which kicks off in Melbourne on March 14, will be headlined by 18-time Brit Award winning, international superstar Robbie Williams – giving his only public Australian performance of 2020. 

After Melbourne, the World Tour will be touching down in other world cities including Montreal, Berlin, Milan, Seoul, Taipei, Osaka and Miami. 

-- BERNAMA

APTORUM GROUP ANNOUNCES FURTHER POSITIVE DATA FOR ITS ALS-4 SMALL MOLECULE ANTI-VIRULENCE (NON-BACTERICIDAL) DRUG CANDIDATE FOR THE TREATMENT OF INFECTIONS CAUSED BY STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS AND ON TRACK TARGETED FOR IND SUBMISSION IN H2 2020

NEW YORK, Feb 11 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- Aptorum Group Limited (NASDAQ: APM) (“Aptorum Group”), a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel therapeutics to address global unmet medical needs, announces further positive data from its current investigational new drug (IND)-enabling studies for ALS-4, a small drug molecule candidate indicated for the treatment of infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus (or “S. aureus”), including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA, one of the “super-bugs”), based on a novel anti-virulence non-bactericidal approach. Subject to completion of the current studies, Aptorum Group targets to submit IND for ALS-4 in second half of 2020 and commence a phase 1 trial in North America.

ALS-4 is a small molecule which inhibits dehydrosqualene desaturase of S. aureus (incl. MRSA), an enzyme that is critically involved in the biosynthesis of staphyloxanthin, a commonly visible “golden pigment” covering the bacteria. Staphyloxanthin is believed to be primarily responsible for the bacteria’s defense mechanism against the attack from reactive oxygen species (ROS) deployed by phagocytic cells and neutrophils.¹

Through inhibiting the production of staphyloxanthin, we believe that ALS-4 renders S. aureus highly susceptible to the host’s immune defense (see below for in vivo data and experimental outline). This novel mechanism is significantly different from the bactericidal approach found in currently marketed antibiotics used to treat S. aureus, which are experiencing increasing drug resistance issues². Specifically, MRSA infections in humans typically exhibit high rates of morbidity and mortality and can cause metastatic or complicated infections such as infective endocarditis or sepsis, with relapse and hospital readmission after S. aureus bacteremia common and costly³.

Based on our testing in a rat bacteremia survival model, a lethal (10⁹ CFU) dose of MRSA (USA300-LAC) was introduced through the tail vein. ALS-4 was administered orally at 10mg/kg per animal 30 minutes after the infection for twice a day thereafter (N=9). A control untreated group was given a sterile vehicle solution (N=9). Survival was monitored for 7 days. 0 out of 9 animals (0%) in the control untreated group survived past day 4, in contrast, 5 out of 9 animals (56%) treated with ALS-4 survived past day 7, which is determined to be statistically significant compared with the control group (p=0.013).

In addition we conducted a study in a non-lethal rat bacteremia infection model. The animals were challenged with a non-lethal (10⁷ CFU) dose of MRSA (USA300-LAC) through the tail vein. In order to simulate a more realistic clinical scenario, treatment was introduced 14-days after the model induction, where ALS-4 was administered orally twice a day at 10mg/kg per animal (N=8). A control untreated group was given a sterile vehicle solution (N=8). After 7 days of ALS-4 treatment, the kidneys were collected and the bacterial titers were measured. Remarkably, ALS-4 reduced the organ bacterial load by 99.5%, from 63,096±18 CFU/g in the control group to 316±49 CFU/g in the ALS-4 treated group, which is determined to be statistically significant (p=0.01).

Last but not least, ALS-4 has successfully inhibited staphyloxanthin production in 11 strains of S. aureus. These include 5 strains of Methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA): SH1000, HG003, USA300-JE2, Newman, and ATCC29213 with an IC₅₀ of 70.5±6nM, 54.4±4nM, 37.7±4nM, 23.7±1nM, and 30.02±5nM respectively; 5 strains of Methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA): USA300, USA300-3, USA300-LAC, ST239III, and COL, with an IC₅₀ of 30.8±5nM, 42.8±6nM, 43.6±5nM, 16.3±8nM, and 0.9±1nM respectively; and 1 strain of vancomycin-intermediate S. aureus (VISA), Mu3 with an IC₅₀ of 2.6±1nM.

Based on our testing, we believe ALS-4 increases the susceptibility of S. aureus including MRSA to oxidative damage by inhibiting production of staphyloxanthin,. In a hydrogen peroxide killing assay, after the addition of 1.5% H₂O₂, ALS-4 demonstrated an additional reduction of bacterial CFU by 93.5%, from 61,600±6437 CFU/ml in the untreated group to 4,000±230 CFU/ml in the ALS-4 treated group, which is determined to be statistically significant (p=0.003).

With respect to the study carried out to investigate the capability of ALS-4 to induce antibiotic resistance in S. aureus after prolonged exposure, USA300-LAC was cultured in 3 different conditions for 10 days. For the treatment group 1 µM of ALS-4 was added; for the positive control group 0.12 µg/mL of clindamycin and 16 µg/mL of erythromycin was added from day 1 to day 4, after which clindamycin was withdrawn. For the negative control group, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) was added. On day 11, the bacteria were harvested and then cultured for 16 hr for the determination of the MIC of clindamycin. The prolonged exposure to ALS-4 or DMSO does not affect the MIC value of clindamycin (0.12 µg/mL); while the prolonged exposure to clindamycin + erythromycin triggers antibiotics resistance rapidly with the MIC increased from 0.12 µg/mL to greater than 5 µg/mL.

Based on our study we believe ALS-4 is unlikely to be prone to drug resistance since it is non-bactericidal. Growth inhibition studies were performed on different strains of S. aureus and other bacteria, including 3 strains of MSSA (ATCC29212, SH1000 and HG003), 1 strain of MRSA (USA300), 1 strain of VISA (ATCC700698 Mu3), as well as 6 different bacteria (E. coli, A. baumannii, S. cerevisiae, B. subtilis, E. faecalis, and K. pneumoniae). In all of the tested strains of bacteria, no growth inhibition effect was observed at the highest tested concentration of ALS-4 (250uM). Therefore ALS-4 does not appear to have any direct bacteriostatic or bactericidal activity against many species of bacteria, thus greatly reducing the selection pressure for drug resistance to emerge.

We also assessed the potential impact on the efficacy of vancomycin, the mainstay of treatment for infections caused by MRSA, when used in conjunction with ALS-4. 8 different strains of S. aureus (USA300 FPR3757, USA300-3, USA300-LAC, USA300-JE2, Mu3, HG003, ATCC29213 and clinical isolate ST239III) were used in this study. Our data showed that no effect on the MIC of vancomycin was observed when the concentration of ALS-4 was below 25 μM. Therefore, we believe that ALS-4 does not interfere with the action of vancomycin.

In addition, compared with the current mainstay of treatment for S. aureus infections such as vancomycin or daptomycin which is typically administered in an IV injectable form (with the exception of an oral form vancomycin specifically for treatment of Clostridium difficile diarrhea and staphylococcal enterocolitis only), an oral active agent enables wider market penetration targeting both outpatient as well as potential prophylactic markets.

GLP Toxicity Data

ALS-4 is currently undergoing IND-enabling studies and has so far shown positive safety profiles. As elucidated in our previous press release dated September 9, 2019, ALS-4 did not show any mutagenicity in the in vitro Ames tests. Our currently generated in vitro micronucleus test results also showed that ALS-4 is not genotoxic, indicating the non-mutagenic nature of the drug. Furthermore, the results of the in vitro hERG assay study predicts a low risk of ALS-4 causing cardiac QT prolongation.

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About Aptorum Group Limited

Aptorum Group Limited (Nasdaq: APM) is a pharmaceutical company dedicated to developing and commercializing novel therapeutics to tackle unmet medical needs. Aptorum Group is pursuing therapeutic projects in orphan diseases, infectious diseases, metabolic diseases and other disease areas.

For more information about Aptorum Group, please visit www.aptorumgroup.com.

Disclaimer and Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes statements concerning Aptorum Group Limited and its future expectations, plans and prospects that constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. For this purpose, any statements contained herein that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as “may,” “should,” “expects,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “could,” “intends,” “target,” “projects,” “contemplates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “potential,” or “continue,” or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions. Aptorum Group has based these forward-looking statements, which include statements regarding projected timelines for application submissions and trials, largely on its current expectations and projections about future events and trends that it believes may affect its business, financial condition and results of operations. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions including, without limitation, risks related to its announced management and organizational changes, the continued service and availability of key personnel, its ability to expand its product assortments by offering additional products for additional consumer segments, development results, the company’s anticipated growth strategies, anticipated trends and challenges in its business, and its expectations regarding, and the stability of, its supply chain, and the risks more fully described in Aptorum Group’s Form 20-F and other filings that Aptorum Group may make with the SEC in the future. As a result, the projections included in such forward-looking statements are subject to change. Aptorum Group assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this press release as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

¹ mBio 2017 8(5): e01224-17
² Microbiol Spectr. 2019 Mar;7(2)
³ Clin Infect Dis. 2019 Nov 27;69(12):2112-2118


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