DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ GSK Confidentially Settles Another Zantac Lawsuit in California
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

(Reuters) -GSK said on Thursday it agreed to confidentially settle one more lawsuit in California that alleged its discontinued heartburn drug Zantac caused cancer, the latest in a series of settlements to end costly litigation. While NDMA can be present in low levels in food and water, research has found it causes cancer in larger amounts. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2020 pulled Zantac and its generic versions off the market, triggering a wave of lawsuits. As of October, GSK still faced about 79,000 cases related to Zantac in the United States, with 73,000 of them in Delaware. Analysts have estimated total settlement costs for GSK of around $5 billion, set to be realised in the first quarter of 2024.

Persons: drugmaker, Zantac, Eva Mathews, Savio D'Souza, Rashmi Organizations: Reuters, GSK, US Food and Drug Administration Locations: California, United States, Delaware . California, Bengaluru

☆ Tech firms, Wall Street lead job cuts in Corporate America
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

TECHNOLOGY, MEDIA AND TELECOM SECTORMeta Platforms (META.O):The Facebook-parent said it would cut 10,000 jobs, just four months after it let go 11,000 employees. read moreMicrosoft Corp (MSFT.O):The U.S. tech giant said it would cut 10,000 jobs by the end of the third quarter of fiscal 2023. The company laid off under 1,000 employees across several divisions in October, Axios reported, citing a source. Workday (WDAY.O):The software company will cut roughly 500 jobs, or 3% of its workforce, citing a challenging macroeconomic environment. Morgan Stanley (MS.N):The Wall Street powerhouse was planning to cut about 3,000 jobs in the second quarter ended June 30, Reuters reported in May.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Goldman Sachs, Axios, Pat Gelsinger, Elon Musk, Morgan Stanley, Lazard, Coinbase, cryptocurrencies, Phillips, Johnson, Joseph Wolk, Deborah Sophia, Akash Sriram, Granth Vanaik, Eva Mathews, Yuvraj Malik, Sourasis Bose, Priyamvada, Tiyashi Datta, Manya Saini, Jaspreet Singh, Maju Samuel, Sriraj Kalluvila, Pooja Desai Organizations: REUTERS, TELECOM, Meta, Facebook, IBM Corp, Spotify Technology SA, Spotify, Microsoft Corp, Intel Corp, Reuters, New York Times, Elon, Cisco Systems, HP, Rivian, Match, Dell Technologies, Technologies, U.S . Central Intelligence Agency, Goldman Sachs, Wall, Citigroup, Bloomberg News, BlackRock, Bed, Dow, Johnson, 3M, Thomson Locations: New, Wall, U.S, York, New Jersey, Bengaluru

☆ UK's Petrofac looking to sell some assets; warns on cash flow
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Dec 4 (Reuters) - Oilfield services firm Petrofac Ltd (PFC.L) said on Monday it was in discussions over the sale of its non-core assets and that it will no longer be able to meet its full-year guidance of "broadly neutral free cash flow" due to payment delays. "While the group has made progress in reaching contractual settlements and unwinding working capital, given delays in securing advance payment guarantees, it no longer expects to receive these advances before the year-end," Petrofac said in a statement. The company added it is exploring potential new financial options across all its classes of capital, and is actively engaged in discussions with investors to take a non-controlling position in certain other components of its business portfolio. Last week, shares in London-listed Petrofac dropped to a record low as analysts flagged concerns over its balance sheet due to payment delays. Reporting by Eva Mathews in Bengaluru; Editing by Nivedita BhattacharjeeOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Petrofac, Eva Mathews, Nivedita Organizations: Petrofac, Thomson Locations: London, Bengaluru

☆ UK regulator says Adobe's $20 bln Figma deal could harm sector
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Adobe logo is seen on smartphone in this illustration taken June 13, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 28 (Reuters) - Britain's competition regulator on Tuesday said Photoshop owner Adobe Inc's (ADBE.O) $20 billion buyout of cloud-based designer platform Figma would "likely harm innovation for software used by the vast majority of UK digital designers." In July, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) launched an in-depth, or phase two, investigation into the deal after Adobe said it would not offer any concessions to ease the regulator's concerns. Reporting by Eva Mathews in Bengaluru; Editing by Nivedita BhattacharjeeOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Eva Mathews, Nivedita Organizations: REUTERS, Adobe, Markets Authority, CMA, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

☆ Barclays in talks to buy Metro Bank's mortgage book worth $3.74 bln - Sky News
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A view shows signage on a branch of Barclays Bank in London, Britain, March 17, 2023. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 27 (Reuters) - Britain's Barclays (BARC.L) is in exclusive talks to buy embattled lender Metro Bank's (MTRO.L) 3 billion pound ($3.74 billion) residential mortgages portfolio, Sky News reported on Monday. Both Barclays and Metro Bank declined to comment. The report comes after Britain's best-known challenger bank announced a 325 million pound capital raise and 600 million pound debt refinancing in early October, in a bid to bolster its finances. Last month, Santander's (SAN.MC) chief executive officer Hector Grisi had said the Spanish bank may consider looking into acquiring a mortgage portfolio from Metro.

Persons: Peter Nicholls, Britain's, Jaime Gilinski, Hector Grisi, Eva Mathews, Anil D'Silva, Shilpi Majumdar Organizations: Barclays Bank, REUTERS, Britain's Barclays, Metro, Sky News, Barclays, Metro Bank, Separately, Reuters, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Colombian, Metro, Spanish, Bengaluru

☆ UK pension transfer boom continues as deals worth $11 bln struck
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Lawrence White | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The logo of Legal & General insurance company is seen at their office in central London March 17, 2008. Legal & General (LGEN.L) said it had agreed a so-called full buy-in to the Boots Pension Scheme worth 4.8 billion pounds, in what it said was the largest such deal in Britain by premium size. The market has been running at around 30 billion pounds a year in Britain, but consultants expect 2023 to top that. Rising funding ratios for pension schemes are driving unprecedented demand, Legal & General (L&G) said, as funds scramble to protect schemes against the vagaries of market movements amid rising interest rates worldwide. L&G has written a total of 13.4 billion pounds worth of pension risk transfer deals this year globally, up from 9.5 billion pounds last year.

Persons: Alessia, Eva Mathews, Lawrence White, Sharon Singleton, Mark Potter Organizations: General, REUTERS, Legal, Co, Regulators, Bank of England's Prudential, Authority, Health, Thomson Locations: London, BRITAIN, Britain, Rothesay, Bengaluru

Handout via REUTERS/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsSummaryCompanies Ozempic shortages expected throughout 2024Victoza shortages expected until at least Q2 2024Diabetes drug Ozempic used 'off label' to treat obesityNov 21 (Reuters) - Novo Nordisk (NOVOb.CO) will ration starter kits of Ozempic in Europe and reduce supplies of another diabetes drug, Victoza, to prioritise producing Ozempic, which has seen a surge in demand from people using it to lose weight. Ozempic contains semaglutide, an ingredient in Novo's hugely popular anti-obesity drug Wegovy. Intermittent Ozempic shortages are expected throughout 2024, while Victoza shortages are expected at least until the second quarter of 2024, according to the statement on the EMA's website. "No new patients should be started on Victoza until at least Q2 2024 when supply is expected to normalise," Novo urged doctors in the document. It also told doctors to consider other injectable GLP-1 drugs or "other suitable alternatives" where Ozempic or Victoza are not available for patients.

Persons: Ozempic, hasn't, Novo, Eli Lilly's, tirzepatide, Ludwig Burger, Eva Mathews, Emelia Sithole, Mark Potter Organizations: Handout, REUTERS, Diabetes, Novo Nordisk, European Medicines Agency, EU, Thomson Locations: Novo, London, Britain, Europe, Danish, United States, France, Austria, Belgium, Germany, Wegovy, Norway, Denmark, EU

☆ LSEG names Publicis finance chief Michel-Alain Proch as CFO
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Signage for the London Stock Exchange Group is seen outside of offices in Canary Wharf in London, Britain, August 3, 2023. REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 20 (Reuters) - The London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG.L) on Monday named Michel-Alain Proch as its new finance chief, starting March 1, 2024. Proch, who currently serves as group CFO of advertising group Publicis <PUBP.PA>, takes on the role from Anna Manz, who stepped down in May. Last week, LSEG, which owns London's 300-year old stock exchange, raised its mid-term growth guidance to "mid-to-high single" digits and said it would return a billion pounds to shareholders in 2024 as it looks beyond the integration of data and analytics company Refinitiv. Reporting by Eva Mathews in Bengaluru; Editing by Sonia CheemaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Toby Melville, Michel, Alain Proch, Proch, Anna Manz, Eva Mathews, Sonia Cheema Organizations: London Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Canary Wharf, London, Britain, Bengaluru

☆ Man United nears sale of 25% stake to Jim Ratcliffe for $33 a share -Sky News
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The Glazer family announced last November that they were exploring "strategic alternatives" for the club, including a possible sale and were open to fresh investment. Manchester United's U.S.-listed shares rose 9.5% to $20.10 in early trading on Friday. Manchester United generates more revenue and has a larger fan base than its London rival. The Glazer family has faced intense criticism from fans over its handling of this key part of the club's operations. The six descendants of American businessman Malcolm Glazer, who died in 2014, currently control 96% of Manchester United's voting stock.

Persons: Glazer, Jim Ratcliffe, Ratcliffe, Sir Alex Ferguson, Richard Arnold, Roman Abramovich, Todd Boehly, Phil Noble, Malcolm Glazer, Ineos, Eva Mathews, Matt Scuffham, Arun Koyyur, Susan Fenton Organizations: Manchester, soccer, Sky News, Old, Manchester United, Premier League soccer, Chelsea, U.S, Clearlake, REUTERS, Reuters, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Forbes, Ligue, Nice, Swiss Super League, FC Lausanne, Racing Club Abidjan, Ivory Coast Ligue, Grenadiers, Thomson Locations: Old Trafford, Manchester United's U.S, London, Manchester, Britain, Ineos, British, Bengaluru

☆ Man United nears $33 per share stake deal with Ratcliffe - Sky News
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The offer represents a premium of 79.1% to the stock's Thursday closing price of $18.43, which gave the Old Trafford club a market capitalization of about $3 billion. Ratcliffe, also the chair of petrochemicals firm Ineos, would pay more than $1.5 billion for a 25% stake in United if his bid for the soccer club is accepted, Reuters reported in October. The Glazer family, which made its fortune in real estate, retail and healthcare and owns the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers, bought the team for 790 million pounds in 2005. The six descendants of American businessman Malcolm Glazer, who died in 2014, together control 96% of Manchester United's voting stock. The deal was yet to be finalised and remained the subject of ongoing negotiations, Sky News reported on Friday.

Persons: Jim Ratcliffe, Phil Noble, Glazer, Ratcliffe, Malcolm Glazer, Richard Arnold, Patrick Stewart, Eva Mathews, Arun Koyyur Organizations: REUTERS, Manchester, soccer, Sky News, Old, U.S, Reuters, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Premier League, Thomson Locations: Old Trafford, Manchester, Britain, United, Bengaluru

☆ UK insurer Aviva posts 13% rise in nine-month premiums
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A man walks past an AVIVA logo outside the company's head office in the city of London March 5, 2009. REUTERS/Stephen Hird (BRITAIN)/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Nov 16 (Reuters) - British insurer Aviva (AV.L) on Thursday posted a 13% rise in its general insurance gross written premiums for the first nine months of the year, saying it would continue to return surplus capital to shareholders. Insurers have dealt with issues such as rising inflation and the higher cost of claims by increasing premiums. The life and general insurer, whose main markets are Britain, Canada and Ireland, reported premiums of 8 billion pounds ($9.91 billion), up from 7.2 billion a year earlier. "We see significant opportunities to generate further higher return, capital-light growth in the future as we prioritise these segments."

Persons: Stephen Hird, Amanda Blanc, Blanc, Eva Mathews, Carolyn Cohn, Huw Jones, Sherry Jacob, Phillips, Jason Neely Organizations: AVIVA, REUTERS, Aviva, RSA, Reuters, Thomson Locations: London, BRITAIN, British, Britain, Canada, Ireland, Bengaluru

☆ Imperial Brands expects profit growth next year, raises dividend
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 14 (Reuters) - Imperial Brands (IMB.L) on Tuesday forecast revenue and profit growth next year led by the second half helped by pricing actions and investments in tobacco alternatives. The maker of Winston cigarettes, Backwoods cigars and Golden Virginia rolling tobacco reported an adjusted operating profit of 3.89 billion pounds ($4.78 billion) for the year ended Sept. 30, up from 3.69 billion. Imperial said next year it anticipates low-single-digit revenue growth, while it expects adjusted operating profit close to the middle of its mid-single digit range. This means adjusted operating profit will likely grow by low single digits in the first half, it continued. Imperial raised its annual dividend by 4%, and said its ongoing multi-year share buyback would increase 10% in 2024.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Winston, Stefan Bomhard, Imperial, Eva Mathews, Emma Rumney, Subhranshu Sahu, Jason Neely Organizations: Imperial Brands, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Virginia, Bengaluru, London

☆ Spirits giant Diageo's shares suffer Latin American hangover
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Eva Mathews | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"Macroeconomic pressures in the region are resulting in lower consumption and consumer downtrading," the world's biggest spirits maker said. Last month, Mexico's Becle (CUERVO.MX), the world's largest tequila producer, said economic challenges in Europe and Latin America were slowing customer spending on liquor, which battered its profits. "Over time, as inflation moderates and productivity from our supply agility program flow through, we expect operating profit to grow ahead of organic net sales growth," Diageo said. Diageo narrowly beat earnings estimates for the year ended June 30, as sales of its more expensive liquor brands offset lower volumes. Reporting by Eva Mathews in Bengaluru; Editing by Rashmi Aich, Emelia Sithole-Matarise and Alexander SmithOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Clodagh, Johnnie Walker, Julio, Sophie Lund, Yates, Hargreaves Lansdown, Mexico's, Eva Mathews, Rashmi Aich, Emelia, Alexander Smith Organizations: REUTERS, Caribbean ., Diageo, Thomson Locations: Dublin, Ireland, North America, Africa, Latin America, Europe, America, Bengaluru

☆ Diageo warns on first-half profit on muted LatAm, Caribbean performance
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Pints of Guinness are seen in a pub, in Dublin, Ireland March 20, 2023. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 10 (Reuters) - Johnnie Walker whisky maker Diageo (DGE.L) on Friday said it expected organic operating profit growth to decline in the first half of its current financial year due to "materially weaker" performance in Latin America and Caribbean. "Macroeconomic pressures in the region are resulting in lower consumption and consumer downtrading," the world's biggest spirits company said in a statement. Latin America and Caribbean makes up nearly 11% of the company's net sales, according to Diageo. Sales in the region are now expected to decline by more than 20%, year-on-year, in the first half of fiscal 2024, the company added.

Persons: Clodagh, Johnnie Walker, Eva Mathews, Rashmi Organizations: REUTERS, Diageo, Thomson Locations: Dublin, Ireland, America, Caribbean, Bengaluru

It also expects total revenue to increase by a mid single-digit percentage, compared with low-to-mid single-digit growth previously. For the third consecutive quarter, strong sales of AstraZeneca's blockbuster cancer treatments and healthy demand for its drugs in emerging markets offset the loss of sales of its COVID-19 vaccine and therapy. The results add to a string of strong quarters for Britain's biggest company by market capitalisation - worth 159 billion pounds ($195 billion) - bolstered by a strong pipeline of drugs. It said that in the first nine months of 2023, nine medicines delivered more than $1 billion in revenue. Excluding sales of its COVID-19 products, third-quarter sales rose 12% to $2.96 billion in emerging markets on a constant currency basis.

Persons: Phil Noble, China's, Maggie Fick, Eva Mathews, Nivedita Bhattacharjee, Mark Potter Organizations: AstraZeneca, REUTERS, Britain's, Thomson Locations: Macclesfield, England, China, London, Swedish, Bengaluru

☆ Advil maker Haleon misses revenue estimates as North America demand drags
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies Haleon Plc FollowGSK plc FollowNov 2 (Reuters) - Haleon (HLN.L) missed market estimates for third-quarter revenue on Thursday, as the world's largest consumer healthcare firm grappled with weak demand for its painkillers, digestive health and vitamin supplements in North America. For the three months ended Sept. 30, Haleon reported a 5% organic increase in revenue to 2.79 billion pounds ($3.40 billion), but it came slightly below analysts' expectations of 2.83 billion pounds, according to a company-compiled consensus. The company said overall volumes for the quarter declined by 1.6%, while North America revenues fell 7.5% on a reported basis. Haleon, which was carved out of British drugmaker GSK (GSK.L) last year, has been raising prices to offset high costs. ($1 = 0.8215 pounds)Reporting by Eva Mathews in Bengaluru; Editing by Rashmi Aich and Gerry DoyleOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Haleon, Eva Mathews, Rashmi Aich, Gerry Doyle Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, GSK, Consumer, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, North America, British, Bengaluru

☆ GSK lifts annual forecasts on strong launch of RSV vaccine
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Eva Mathews | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Arexvy, launched in the United States recently, recorded third quarter sales of 709 million pounds ($862 million), trouncing analysts' expectations of 358 million pounds, according to a company-compiled consensus. GSK accounts for close to two-thirds of RSV shots given in the United States since early September, according to IQVIA data. Full-year sales are seen between 900 million pounds and 1 billion pounds for the shot, GSK said. The company faces about 79,000 cases related to Zantac in the United States, with 73,000 of them in Delaware and scheduled for trial starting January 2024. For the third quarter, Shingrix, the company's top-selling drug for shingles, generated 825 million pounds in sales.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Abrysvo, Dani Saurymper, Emma Walmsley, Eva Mathews, Maggie Fick, Tomasz Janowski, Mark Potter Organizations: GSK, GlaxoSmithKline, REUTERS, stg, CVS, Pfizer, Pacific Asset Management, GSK's, Thomson Locations: London, United States, U.S, Europe, Japan, Delaware, Bengaluru

☆ GSK raises annual forecasts powered by strong Arexvy launch
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Analysts expect the British drugmaker's RSV vaccine Arexvy to power future growth, amid worries about the strength of its pipeline of drugs in development and costly U.S. litigation over discontinued heartburn drug Zantac. Arexvy, launched in the United States recently, is expected to garner full-year sales of between 900 million pounds to 1 billion pounds ($1.22 billion), GSK said. For the third quarter, the shot recorded sales of 709 million pounds, trouncing analysts' expectations of 358 million pounds, according to a company-compiled consensus. Meanwhile, sales are seen to rise by 12% to 13% in 2023 compared with earlier expectations of 8% to 10%. For the reported quarter, sales of Shingrix, the company's top-selling drug to treat shingles, generated 825 million pounds, below market estimates of 868 million pounds.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Eva Mathews, Subhranshu Sahu, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: GSK, GlaxoSmithKline, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: United States, Bengaluru

☆ UK extends deadline on in-depth probe into Adobe's $20 bln deal for Figma
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Figurines are seen in front of displayed Adobe logo in this illustration taken June 13, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOct 25 (Reuters) - Britain's competition regulator, on Wednesday, extended by eight weeks the deadline to complete its in-depth probe into Photoshop owner Adobe Inc's (ADBE.O) $20 billion buyout of cloud-based designer platform Figma, to February 2024. The CMA now has until Feb. 25 to conclude its investigation, compared to the earlier deadline of Dec. 27. In September 2022, Adobe announced a cash-and-stock deal for Figma, the biggest buyout of a privately owned software startup. Reporting by Eva Mathews in Bengaluru; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips and Savio D'SouzaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Eva Mathews, Sherry Jacob, Phillips, Savio D'Souza Organizations: REUTERS, Adobe, Markets Authority, CMA, Figma, Zoom Video Communications, Airbnb Inc, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

☆ Whitbread's profits jump as Premier Inn-owner enjoys steady demand
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( Eva Mathews | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Shares in the British company, originally a brewer, were up 3.5% to 3,437 pence by 0737 GMT to lead London's blue-chip (.FTSE) index. Leisure and business demand are showing signs of staying, Paul said, adding forward-booked revenue was ahead of last year. Whitbread, which owns restaurant chains such as Bar+Block Steakhouse and Brewers Fayre has also seen signs of food inflation easing. The company announced a further 300 million pound share buyback on Wednesday and proposed an interim dividend per share of 34.1 pence, up 40% on last year. ($1 = 0.8193 pounds)Reporting by Eva Mathews in Bengaluru; editing by Subhranshu Sahu and Jason NeelyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Lee Smith, WTB.L, Dominic Paul, Paul, Whitbread, Hargreaves, Derren Nathan, Brewers Fayre, Eva Mathews, Subhranshu Sahu, Jason Neely Organizations: Premier Inn Hotel, Brewers, REUTERS, H1, Whitbread, Inn, Thomson Locations: Durham, County Durham, Britain, British, Germany, Bengaluru

☆ Apollo to take Wagamama owner Restaurant Group private for $623 mln
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( Eva Mathews | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A sign of Wagamama restaurant is seen in London, Britain, October 5, 2020. Under the terms of the deal announced on Thursday, The Restaurant Group's (TRG) shareholders will get 65 pence in cash for each share held, a premium of about 34% to the stock's last closing price. Shares in the small cap constituent (.FTSC) jumped 37.1% to 66.5 pence, its highest percentage gain since April 2020. There has also been pressure from shareholders and activist investors Irenic Capital and Oasis Management in recent months to change management and improve profitability. Another analyst at Shore Capital said the offer price was "too low" given the company's efforts to improve margins and reduce leverage.

Persons: Hannah McKay, Ken Hanna, Benny's, Eva Mathews, Subhranshu Sahu, Elaine Hardcastle, Miral Organizations: REUTERS, Apollo, Irenic Capital, Oasis Management, Cafe, Shore Capital, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, TRG, Cafe Rouge, Bengaluru

The trial for the Cantlay/Harper case, which was set to begin on Nov. 13, will now be dismissed, GSK said, adding it had also settled three remaining breast cancer cases in California related to the same drug. The latest settlements in California were related to cases due to go to trial in November, with a further set scheduled to begin in Delaware courts in January, GSK said. The company still faces about 79,000 cases related to Zantac in the United States, with 73,000 of them in Delaware. GSK did not admit any liability and said it would vigorously defend itself in any other Zantac cases. In June, GSK agreed to settle a similar lawsuit in California.

Persons: Harper, Brendan McDermid, Morgan, Jeffries, Zantac, Boehringer Ingelheim, Eva Mathews, Maggie Fick, Nivedita Bhattacharjee, Bernadette Baum, Louise Heavens, Emelia Organizations: pare, Citi, GSK, Reuters, REUTERS, Barclays, Pfizer, Sanofi, FDA, Thomson Locations: California, British, Delaware, United States, Arexvy, California . California, Bengaluru, London

REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOct 11 (Reuters) - GSK (GSK.L) on Wednesday said it would confidentially settle another lawsuit in California alleging its discontinued heartburn drug Zantac caused cancer, as the British drugmaker sought to end costly litigation. The latest settlements in California related to cases due to go to trial in November, with a further set scheduled to begin in Delaware courts in January, GSK said. The company still faces about 79,000 cases related to Zantac in the United States, with 73,000 of them in Delaware. Late in June, the company agreed to settle a similar lawsuit with California resident James Goetz who alleged he developed bladder cancer after taking Zantac. The settlement could be read that GSK sees a risk that these Zantac cases are strong enough that the company might lose at trial, J.P Morgan added.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Morgan, Harper, Zantac, Boehringer Ingelheim, James Goetz, J.P Morgan, Eva Mathews, Maggie Fick, Nivedita Bhattacharjee, Bernadette Baum Organizations: REUTERS, GSK, Citi, J.P, Pfizer, Sanofi, FDA, Thomson Locations: California, British, Delaware, United States, Bengaluru, London

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON/SHANGHAI Oct 9 (Reuters) - China's largest vaccines company Zhifei (300122.SZ) will pay British drugmaker GSK (GSK.L) 2.5 billion pounds ($3.05 billion pound) for the exclusive rights to distribute GSK's shingles vaccine in the world's No.2 pharmaceuticals market. The deal with Zhifei is part of its efforts to reach more 4 billion pounds ($4.88 billion) in sales by 2026, GSK said. Zhifei will purchase volumes of Shingrix with a value to GSK worth 2.5 billion pounds over an initial three-year period, GSK said. Zhifei shares were up as much as 20% to 58.40 yuan ($8.00) following the filing, their highest point since March 27. Shingrix is currently GSK's biggest product and strongest growth driver, taking in 1.71 billion pounds in first-half sales, up 20% from a year prior.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Zhifei, Shingrix, Maggie Fick, Andrew Silver, Eva Mathews, Savio D'Souza, Louise Heavens Organizations: GSK, GlaxoSmithKline, REUTERS, British, AstraZeneca, Zhifei, Barclays, Reuters, Thomson Locations: SHANGHAI, China, United States, London, Shanghai, Bengaluru

☆ Hipgnosis shareholders preparing to block to music rights deal - FT
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] A headset is seen in front of displayed Hipgnosis logo in this illustration taken, June 28, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOct 6 (Reuters) - Major shareholders in music investor Hipgnosis Songs Fund (SONG.L) are preparing to block the sale of a rights portfolio worth $440 million to a private fund owned by Blackstone, the Financial Times reported on Friday. Hipgnosis had said the deal would help fund a share buyback, pay down debt and bolster its stock price. One of the top 10 investors in the company said that the price being offered by Blackstone was not high enough, according to the FT report. Reporting by Eva Mathews in Bengaluru; Editing by Saumyadeb ChakrabartyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Hipgnosis, Shakira, Nelly, Blackstone, Eva Mathews, Saumyadeb Organizations: REUTERS, Blackstone, Financial Times, U.S, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

Search resuls for: "Eva Mathews"

25 mentions found