(Alliance News) - The following is a round-up of updates by global companies, issued on Thursday and Friday and not separately reported by Alliance News:
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Incyte Corp - Delaware, US-based pharmaceutical company - Reports results from its phase 2 POD1UM-202 trial evaluating retifanlimab in previously treated patients with advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the anal canal who have progressed following standard platinum-based chemotherapy. The trial enrolled 94 patients, including those with well-controlled human immunodeficiency virus infection. Retifanlimab monotherapy resulted in a confirmed objective response rate of 14% as determined by independent central review. Responses were observed regardless of PD-L1 status, presence of liver metastases, age or HIV positive status. Retifanlimab was generally well-tolerated with a safety profile as expected of a PD-1 inhibitor and no loss of HIV infection control. "Data from the POD1UM-202 trial are encouraging and support further investigation of the potential of retifanlimab to become a much needed treatment option for patients with SCAC," said Sheela Rao, consultant medical oncologist at Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust.
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Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc and Sanofi SA - New York-headquartered biotechnology company and Paris-based pharmaceutical firm, respectively - Report positive results from the pivotal phase 2 trial for the PD-1 inhibitor Libtayo in patients with locally advanced basal cell carcinoma who had progressed on or were intolerant to hedgehog inhibitor therapy. The data will form the basis of regulatory submissions, including in the US and EU. "This is the first time a prospective trial of an investigational medicine has shown a clinical benefit in this patient population, and the Libtayo data provide hope for this difficult-to-treat cancer," said Alexander Stratigos, professor of Dermatology at the University of Athens Medical School at Andreas Sygros Hospital and a trial investigator.
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Nordex SE - Hamburg, Germany-based wind turbines manufacturer - Receives a 312 megawatts order in the US. For a wind farm in Texas, the company will supply 65 N149/4.0-4.5 turbines in the 4.8 megawatts operating mode. Installation is scheduled to start in May 2021 and the wind farm will be connected to the grid later the same year.
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Texas Instruments Inc - Dallas, US-based semiconductor company - Intends to raise its quarterly cash dividend by 13% to USD1.02, or USD4.08 annualized. The higher dividend will be payable on November 16, to stockholders of record on October 30. This dividend increase reflects the company's continued strength in free cash flow generation and its commitment to return excess cash to stockholders. In the 12-month period ending June, Texas Instruments has paid 56% of its free cash flow in dividends.
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Total SE - Paris-based petroleum refining company - Says the US Department of Energy has allocated USD1.5 million on September 1 to co-fund research and development to support the technical analysis and engineering study of the LH CO 2ment project in Colorado. The carbon capture business project is a partnership of Svante Inc, LafargeHolcim Ltd, Kiewit Engineering Group Inc, and Oxy Low Carbon Ventures LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Occidental and Total. Building on the success of the preliminary study completed in June and the confirmation of funding by the US Department of Energy, Total says the partners have committed for the next phase of the project to assess the feasibility of the device designed to annually capture up to two million tonnes of carbon dioxide, directly from the Holcim cement plant and from the natural gas boiler for steam generation. This carbon dioxide would then be geologically stored permanently by Occidental.
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Toronto-Dominion Bank - Canadian banking and financial services - Does not intend to exercise its right to redeem all or any part of the currently outstanding eight million non-cumulative five-year rate reset preferred shares due on October 31. As a result, the holders of these shares have the right to convert all or part of them, on a one-for-one basis, into non-cumulative floating rate preferred shares due on November 2. Holders who do not exercise their right to convert their shares on such date will continue to hold their shares.
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Zurich Insurance Group AG - Swiss insurance company - Announces the successful placement of EUR200 million of subordinated debt notes. The notes, which will mature in December 2052 and are first callable in September 2032, will be issued by Zurich Finance Ireland DAC. The annual coupon is fixed at 1.6% until December 2032. Thereafter, the holders of the notes will receive a floating rate coupon.
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By Evelina Grecenko; evelinagrecenko@alliancenews.com
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