Continued strong performance delivering double-digit earnings growth year-to-date; raising full-year guidance with Core Earnings margin expansion now projected at 300bps

OSAKA, Japan-Friday, February 2nd 2018 [ AETOS Wire ]

(BUSINESS WIRE) -- Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (TOKYO:4502):

Underlying Revenue growth +6.7% led by Takeda's Growth Drivers

    Underlying Revenue grew +6.7% year-to-date, with Takeda's Growth Drivers (Gastroenterology, Oncology, Neuroscience and Emerging Markets) posting strong underlying revenue growth of +14.5%.
        Gastroenterology +23.7% fueled by market share growth of ENTYVIO® and TAKECAB®.
        Oncology +13.8% driven by the expansion of NINLARO® and ADCETRIS®, and the addition of revenue from ICLUSIG® and ALUNBRIG®.
      &n ... Read more »

Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates-Saturday, February 3rd 2018 [ AETOS Wire ]

The American University of Ras Al Khaimah (AURAK) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Al Shrooq Green Energy (ASGE), a UAE based company specializing in municipal solid waste (MSW) gasification technologies.

The arrangement agrees to mutual cooperation in terms of sharing expertise, a pilot scaled Skid Mounted Gasification Unit (SMGU), and research on waste to energy systems developed by ASGE. ASGE will deliver the SMGU to RAK Research and Innovation Center (RAKRIC) for research and application development using the sysngas produced from the waste sources in Ras Al Khaimah. This initiative directly joins with RAK Waste Management Authority (RAKWMA) to support their mission of diverting seventy-five percent of the MSW away from landfills by 2021.

As per the terms of the agreement, ASGE will support RAKRIC for research and development in the areas of mutual interest relate ... Read more »

LONDON-Saturday, February 3rd 2018 [ AETOS Wire ]

(BUSINESS WIRE) -- Avanti Communications Group plc (“Avanti”), a leading provider of satellite data communication services in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), has agreed a partnership with Global Partnership for Education (“GPE”), an international organisation which ensures children across developing countries have access to quality education, and has pledged to deliver satellite broadband via its new High Throughput Ka-band Satellite, HYLAS 4, to 1,000 rural schools across Africa.

Through HYLAS 4, which is launching in March 2018, remote and marginalised schools in Africa will be able to access the internet for approximately $10 a day, gaining access to eLearning and digital opportunities.

The connectivity will be delivered via Avanti’s ECO (“Every Community Online”) which provides school and surrounding community with Wi-Fi access. Community members can dow ... Read more »

LONDON-Saturday, February 3rd 2018 [ AETOS Wire ]

(BUSINESS WIRE) -- Institutional Investors with assets under management of USD 31 trillion want more detailed disclosure from portfolio companies about their boards of directors, business strategy and ESG, according to Morrow Sodali’s annual Institutional Investor Survey, released today. The survey highlights three areas of concern for investors looking ahead to the 2018 annual meeting season:

Clear articulation of a company’s business strategy and goals;
Directors’ skills, qualifications, experience and individual contribution to the effectiveness of the board;
Detailed business rationale for board decisions and their alignment with strategy and financial performance.
The Morrow Sodali survey, the third of its kind, was conducted between November and December 2017. Forty-nine global Institutional Investors, with USD 31 trillion of assets under management, responded to the survey. ... Read more »

DAEJEON, South Korea-Friday, February 2nd 2018 [ AETOS Wire ]

(BUSINESS WIRE) -- PharmAbcine Inc., a clinical-stage biotech company developing novel antibody therapeutics for multiple cancer indications, announces it has entered into a collaborative agreement with MSD (tradename of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, N.J., USA), through a subsidiary, to evaluate PharmAbcine’s anti-VEGFR2 mAb, TTAC-0001, in combination with MSD’s anti-PD-1 (programmed death receptor-1) therapy, KEYTRUDA® (pembrolizumab), in patients with recurrent glioblastoma multiforme (rGBM) and metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC).

PharmAbcine’s lead candidate TTAC-0001, an investigational therapy, is a highly selective and potent anti-VEGFR2 (KDR/flk-1) mAb in clinical development for rGBM indications. VEGFR2 is over-expressed in most malignant tumors, such as gastric, liver, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), ovarian, brain, colorectal, and breast cancers and thi ... Read more »

LONDON-Saturday, February 3rd 2018 [ AETOS Wire ]

(BUSINESS WIRE) -- One of the world’s leading crypto publishing platforms, Zloadr, has announced that it is launching a new online cryptocurrency converter calculator, adding to its existing range of digital tools. The calculator acts as an automated world currency and cryptocurrency converter, enabling users of the platform to convert a wide range of global, Government-issued fiat currencies to the value of different cryptocurrencies, and vice versa – quickly and easily. The calculator is expected to rival existing online conversion tools.

Early statistics indicate that bitcoin (BTC) is among one of the most commonly converted cryptocurrencies right now, in line with the coin’s position at the top of the market capitalisation leaderboard. Bitcoin appears to be most frequently considered alongside the United States Dollar (USD) and British Pound (GBP). Ethereum (ETH), second by market cap, is also sh ... Read more »

Doha, Qatar.-Saturday, February 3rd 2018 [ AETOS Wire ]

QNB Group, the largest financial institution in the Middle East and Africa, was recognized once again as the most valuable banking brand in the Middle East and Africa region with brand value worth US $4.2bn, according to The Banker’s 2018 Brand Finance Global 500 report published in its February edition.

QNB’s brand value has grown to US $4.2bn compared to US $3.8bn in 2017, an 11% year-on-year increase, while the Group’s Brand Strength Index (BSI) has increased from 76.4 out of 100 to 78.4 out of 100, driven by its constant strong financial performance and growing international expansion.

QNB also marked a new and significant milestone in support of its vision to become a leading bank in the Middle East, Africa, and Southeast Asia by 2020, ranking second most valuable banking brand in Southeast Asia (SEA) ahead of major banks in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, and Singapore ... Read more »