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☆ Pfizer makes equity investment in Caribou Biosciences
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

July 6 (Reuters) - Pfizer (PFE.N) has invested $25 million to buy a minority stake in Caribou Biosciences (CRBU.O), making it the latest small biotechnology firm to attract the pharmaceutical giant's interest. The news lifted shares of Caribou more than 61% in early trade. Pfizer purchased nearly 4.7 million Caribou shares at $5.33 per share, Caribou said on Thursday, representing a premium of about 30% over Caribou's previous close price. This represents 7.64% of outstanding shares in Caribou, according to Reuters' calculation based on Refinitiv IBES data. It also made a $25 million equity investment in Akero Therapeutics (AKRO.O) last year.

Persons: Caribou, NASH, Jennifer Doudna, Raghav Mahobe, Leroy Leo, Maju Samuel Organizations: Pfizer, Caribou Biosciences, Biohaven Pharmaceutical, Akero Therapeutics, Thomson Locations: Caribou, California, Bengaluru

☆ 36 Hours on Martha’s Vineyard, Mass.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Remy Tumin | Remy Tumin Is A Breaking News Reporter For The New York Times. She Was Previously A Reporter For The Vineyard Gazette | Based On Martha S Vineyard | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

9 p.m. Dance in a dive barMusic has long been an integral part of the Vineyard (the island was a folk-music destination in the 1960s, drawing the likes of James Taylor and Carly Simon ); these days, there is live music every night of the week during the summer. The Ritz , a year-round dive bar with live music (entry $5), will have you dancing to local bands like Johnny Hoy and the Bluefish and Dukes of Circuit Avenue. Up the block, you can watch the summer crowds from the porch bar at Red Cat Kitchen , where punches (from $17) and nonalcoholic cocktails (about $11) go down easy. For a respite from the noise, you can get ice cream at Ben & Bill’s Chocolate Emporium : Adventurous eaters may reach for the lobster flavor (if you really think you’ll like the taste of frozen crustacean, go crazy), but classics like peach and black forest are the real winners.

Persons: James Taylor, Carly Simon, Johnny Hoy Locations: Dukes

☆ Eli Lilly's weight loss drugs trounce sky-high expectations, boosting the stock
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Christina Cheddar Berk | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

What's more, some showed no signs their weight loss was leveling off, suggesting they could continue to shed pounds. (Both use semaglutide, but Ozempic is marketed as a type 2 diabetes treatment, while Wegovy is primarily for weight loss.) Bank of America's Geoff Meacham said retatrutide "exceeded expectations" for weight loss. "This is important, as while the overall 22.4% weight loss was impressive, looking at men and women separately, weight loss was 21.9% and 28.5%, respectively, with the slope in females not yet plateauing. Schott also described the weight loss as "impressive" and said it will likely compare favorably with Novo's next-generation drug CagriSema, which is expected to show weight loss of more than 25% when it releases its next update.

Persons: Eli Lilly, What's, Lilly, Lilly's, Carter Gould, Gould, orforglipron, Bank of America's Geoff Meacham, retatrutide, Meacham, Chris Schott, Schott, Novo's, Evan David Seigerman, Seigerman, Morgan Stanley, Terence Flynn, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: American Diabetes Association, Wall, Novo Nordisk, Barclays, Bank of America's, JPMorgan, Lilly, BMO Capital, Indianapolis, ~$ Locations: Novo

☆ Here are 5 key trends shaping the liquor industry as spirits overtake beer for the first time
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( Stefan Sykes | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Jason Koerner | Getty ImagesCHICAGO — The spirits industry is overcoming economic headwinds to meet changing consumer preferences as it chips away at the dominance of beer. Despite supply chain issues and high inflation, the beverage alcohol industry has a lot to toast to these days, said Chris Swonger, president and CEO of DISCUS. "This is a great American success story," Swonger said of the industry's market share supremacy. As the spirits industry works to maintain its top spot this year amid fears of a recession, here are some key trends industry leaders who spoke to CNBC see shaping the business today. The company runs incubator and accelerator programs to develop Black talent within the spirits industry.

Persons: Casamigos, Alo, Jason Koerner, Beer, Chris Swonger, Swonger, We're, George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, Wahlberg, Aron Marquez, Ryan Reynolds, Sean, Diddy, Combs, Kendall Jenner, Dwayne Johnson, Michael Jordan, David Beckham, it's, Patrick Shorb, Molson Coors, Tobin Ludwig, Pinkard Organizations: Alo Miami, Getty, CHICAGO, CNBC, Diageo, Chicago, Brands, Heineken, Anheuser, Busch InBev, Molson, Hella, Black Locations: Miami, United States, Chicago, Pennsylvania

☆ US consumer price increases slow; underlying inflation sticky
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Lucia Mutikani | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

But food prices rose 0.2% after being unchanged for two consecutive months as fruits and vegetables, nonalcoholic beverages and other food products became more expensive. While the unemployment rate rose to a seven-month high of 3.7%, that was from a 53-year low of 3.4% in April. The so-called core CPI increased 0.4% in May, rising by the same margin for the third straight month. Beyond May, however, overall core inflation is expected to slow, driven by a moderation in rents and resumption in price declines for used cars and trucks. "We expect a more noticeable deceleration in core prices in the coming months," said Michael Pugliese, a senior economist with Wells Fargo in New York.

Persons: Kathy Bostjancic, Joe Biden, I've, Biden, nonfarm, Michael Pugliese, Wells, Lucia Mutikani, Chizu Nomiyama, Paul Simao, Andrea Ricci Organizations: Federal Reserve, Labor Department, Fed, Nationwide, Reuters, Treasury, Reuters Graphics, Thomson Locations: WASHINGTON, New York, U.S, Ukraine

☆ US grocery prices are rising again. These foods got more expensive in May
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Danielle Wiener-Bronner | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —US grocery prices ticked up in May after dipping in March and April. Overall, grocery prices were 5.8% more expensive in May than they were a year ago. Together, food prices jumped 6.7% throughout the year, once again outpacing overall annual inflation, which came in at 4%. After falling for a few months, grocery prices ticked up again in May. Egg prices are in historic declineEven though grocery prices ticked up overall from April to May, a number of individual items got cheaper — notably, eggs.

Persons: Richard B, Levine, Levine Roberts, Bacon Organizations: New, New York CNN, Bureau of Labor Statistics ’, ZUMA Locations: New York, America, Ukraine

☆ I swapped alcohol for 'Psychedelic Water' popular among sober-curious people online. I found it's the perfect drink to avoid social anxiety without a hangover.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Hannah Towey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

"Psychedelic Water?" Despite the name, Psychedelic Water doesn't include LSD or psilocybin and definitely won't make you hallucinate. The main side effect I experienced while drinking Psychedelic Water was an occasional tingling sensation on my tongue and minor stomach pains. Psychedelic Water was one of the previously unheard-of brands that took off on social media during this time. Psychedelic Water is available in four flavors: hibiscus lime, blackberry yuzu, oolong orange blossom, and prickly pear.

Persons: —, seltzer, Robbie, Abby Wallace, Pankaj Gogia, Ben Rogul, Gogia, psychedelics Organizations: Service, Pacific Islanders, National Institutes of Health, Nielsen, Urban Outfitters

☆ I went sober in my mid-20s and became more confident at work and less anxious
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Sarah Wood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Sarah Wood, 27, says she drank to fit in socially and at work events even as it made her anxious. How stopping drinking affected my work lifeStopping drinking was a personal decision, so I never considered how it might affect my work life. Sobriety made my life at work better tooFeeling as if I could bring my whole self to work and be accepted for it further boosted my confidence. I strongly believe that sobriety has only positively affected my work life. Sobriety hasn't hurt my work life, but that's only my experience.

Persons: Sarah Wood, Wood, —, I've, Eager, Goldman Sachs, I'm, hadn't, they'd Organizations: Service, College, Art Basel Locations: New York, New York City, Miami

☆ Netflix and Athletic Brewing launch 'The Witcher'-themed non-alcoholic beer
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( Ashley R. Williams | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Athletic Brewing Company’s collaboration with Netflix will feature limited edition, co-branded nonalcoholic beers, the brewing company announced in a news release. Athletic Brewing Company's collaboration with Netflix features three limited-edition, co-branded non-alcoholic beers. Athletic Brewing CompanyThe booze-free beer might appeal to the one-third of Americans who reported trying to consume less alcohol, according to a recent survey. Nonalcoholic beer sales were up by 33% this year, the survey found. Athletic Brewing, launched in 2018, ferments its brews to be less than 0.5% alcohol by volume – the legal limit for US-brewed nonalcoholic beer, the company said in the release.

Persons: Netflix’s “, ”, Henry Cavill, Josh Simon, ” Simon, Geralt’s Organizations: CNN, US, Athletic Brewing, Netflix, Athletic Brewing’s Locations: Rivia

☆ Where to Find Family-Style Dining, and More Reader Questions
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Nikita Richardson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

I’m looking forward to eating outdoors as much as humanly possible before it gets unbearably hot. That said, it’s reader question time and, as usual, my inbox was full of thoughtful and fun requests, including where to go for large-format dining, where to find carciofi alla giudia (Jewish-style artichokes) and where to have great nonalcoholic drinks. As always, please email your questions to wheretoeat@nytimes.com, and you may see them answered in a future newsletter. One of our favorite things to do with friends is to go out to eat where fixed-menu, family-style dining is offered. — Joy W.Francie, in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, has a whole roast duck for $135 that’s presented with various flora before it’s carved up.

Persons: W, Francie, It’s, Pete Wells, Monsieur Vo Locations: Williamsburg , Brooklyn, NoLIta, East

☆ Why Are Food Prices So High in Europe?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Eshe Nelson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

It is the most basic of staple food items: sliced white bread. In Germany, the European Union’s largest economy, cheese prices are nearly 40 percent higher than a year ago, and potatoes cost 14 percent more. Throughout the European Union, consumer food prices were on average nearly 17 percent higher in April than a year earlier, a slight slowdown from the previous month, which set the fastest pace of growth in over two and a half decades. The situation is worse in Britain than in its Western European neighbors: Food and nonalcoholic drink prices were 19 percent higher, the quickest pace of annual food inflation in more than 45 years. By comparison, the annual rate of U.S. food inflation was 7.7 percent.

☆ US FDA staff flag 'serious' safety risks for Intercept's NASH treatment
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) briefing document highlighted increased risk of diabetes and liver injury from using the obeticholic acid (OCA) oral tablets for the treatment of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). "During the course of our review, FDA identified modest benefits and serious risks of OCA for treatment of NASH," the staff said in the document and listed increased risk of sludge formation in the gall bladder and imbalance of certain lipids. The staff asked the regulator's panel of outside advisors, who are meeting on Friday, to consider whether the modest benefits from using the drugs for NASH treatment outweigh the serious risks associated with it. The panel's meeting on Friday is the first such meeting for a NASH treatment. However, due to risks of serious liver injury, FDA restricted its usage in 2021 to primary biliary cholangitis patients with advanced cirrhosis, or severe liver scarring.

☆ In Los Angeles, an Indian Chinese Feast Celebrating Female Founders
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Jean Trinh | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Before all of that, though, the women had some cooking to do, with help from chef Akilah York, whom Gao had hired to provide culinary back up. The goal was to kick back while shoring one another up. “We’re going around the table being like, ‘I see you. The guest Yasmine Khatib of the Los Angeles flower studio Yasmine Floral Design provided a trio of pastel arrangements: white vases filled with foxgloves, pincushions, peonies, poppies and alliums. And Shelley Kleyn Armistead, another guest and the chief executive of the Gjelina hospitality group, supplied the speckled white dinner plates from Gjelina’s kitchenware brand, Gjusta Goods.

☆ Novo Nordisk rivals see room to compete in $100 billion weight-loss drug market
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Michael Erman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The company has two oral GLP-1 drugs in mid-stage trials, and aims to choose one for a late-stage trial this year. He forecasts GLP-1s or similar drugs topping $100 billion in annual sales early in the 2030s, with Lilly's product accounting for more than $50 billion in sales. Smaller biotechs are also vying for a piece of the obesity market and hope large pharmaceutical companies will pay up for partnerships. "I don't know if it's $90 billion or $80 billion or $50 billion. The current GLP-1 drugs can cause nausea and vomiting.

☆ Silicon Valley Founders and VCs Are Making Sobriety Popular
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Samantha Stokes | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Sellers is among a growing contingent in the tech community that's going alcohol-free. From founders to investors, members of the startup community are eschewing booze in the name of staying sharp — and healthy. "About six months ago, I stopped drinking alcohol. That's really hard because in this industry, you have to be high energy. That's really hard because in this industry, you have to be high energy.

☆ As Interest in Wellness Stirs Up the Cocktail World, This Executive Gets Her Shot
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Liza Weisstuch | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

There are now enough devotees that it’s spurred a whole lifestyle and a slew of hashtags to go with it. A trade group, the Adult Non-Alcoholic Beverage Association, was founded in 2021 and currently has 110 members. According to IWSR, a firm that provides analysis of the drinks market, global retail sales of no- and low-alcohol products are valued at over $11 billion, up from $8 billion in 2018. As the category continues to expand, nonalcoholic products are driving the increase, and are expected to make up 90 percent of the growth of that subset. This is about: I might lean this way one day, this way another day.

☆ Drug developer 89Bio soars as NASH drug succeeds in mid-stage study
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

March 22 (Reuters) - Drug developer 89Bio Inc <ETNB.O> said on Wednesday its experimental treatment for liver disease NASH met the main goals of a small mid-stage study, sending its shares 30% higher. The drug, pegozafermin, helped reduce liver scarring known as fibrosis as measured on two different scales in patients with NASH, or nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, trial data showed. 89Bio said the drug, administered both weekly and every two weeks in the trial, had a safety profile similar to older trials. In the trial, the drug helped significantly reduce fibrosis or liver scarring without the worsening of NASH, compared to a placebo. NASH, a form of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, is characterized by the organ developing fibrosis or scarring, which can progress to cirrhosis and liver failure.

☆ 3 steps small-business owners can take to build successful (and affordable) influencer collaborations
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Erin Greenawald | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Small-business owner Molly Fedick and consultancy owner Alexandra Shadrow discuss influencer marketing. Molly Fedick founder of Buzzkill Wines Molly FedickMolly Fedick, founder of nonalcoholic beverage company Buzzkill Wines, saw her direct-to-consumer sales jump 327% when she started investing heavily in influencer marketing. Alexandra Shadrow, founder of Trailblaze Consulting, said she's relied heavily on influencer marketing for a recent client, live resale app Jamble. Shadrow and Fedick shared with Insider the best practices they've used to ensure their influencer collaborations are successful — while staying within a small-business budget. Finally, rather than sending out hundreds of influencer packages, Fedick recommends focusing on creating deeper relationships with 20 to 50 people.

☆ The 2023 Super Bowl Ads Will Feature Booze, Betting and Jesus
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Megan Graham | Patrick Coffee | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +10 min

The Super Bowl ads on Sunday are poised to promote an unusual mix of alcohol brands, gambling and Jesus. The Super Bowl still regularly draws an audience of around 100 million people, making it TV’s biggest event of the year and advertising’s biggest night. Planters’ Super Bowl ad features comedians mocking Mr. Peanut. The ads are likely to strike a lighter tone than the occasionally somber messages of Super Bowl ads in recent, highly politicized years or the early pandemic, said Anjali S. Bal, an associate professor of marketing at Babson College. Many Super Bowl advertisers have again released their ads well before Super Bowl Sunday to increase their chances of being seen.

☆ Nonalcoholic Beer Ad in Super Bowl Spotlights ‘Dry Economy’
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Megan Graham | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +7 min

Heineken USA plans to run a 30-second Super Bowl ad for its Heineken 0.0 nonalcoholic beer, enlisting actor Paul Rudd as Marvel’s Ant-Man to make the pitch. Sales volume in low- and no-alcohol was $2.5 billion, while the overall U.S. alcohol market totaled $188.3 billion. Ad spending to promote nonalcoholic beer on national television, by comparison, totaled $9.7 million in January, up from $1.4 million in January 2019. Boisson Inc., a retailer of nonalcoholic beer, wine and spirits with 10 stores in New York and California, said it is increasing its marketing spending. SipSteady co-hosted a Dry Vibes event in January in Kansas City that included tastings of nonalcoholic beverages.

☆ Hong Kong is criminalizing CBD as a ‘dangerous drug’ alongside heroin
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Hong Kong CNN —Two years ago, cannabidiol was booming in Hong Kong. CBD cookies at the Found cafe in Hong Kong on August 11, 2022. And while CBD products could avoid this trace amount by using a pure form of CBD, most manufacturers mix other compounds for higher potency. From 2019 to early 2022, Hong Kong authorities launched nearly 120 “operations” seizing and testing CBD products from restaurants and shops to warehouses, Secretary for Security Tang Ping-keung said last year. Now “there’s less choice for consumers in Hong Kong.

☆ I tried Dry January and quit drinking for the rest of the year. Here are 4 reasons why I'll never go back to alcohol.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Lisa Dittrich | Nathan Rennolds | Business Insider Deutschland | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Insider's Lisa Dittrich gave up drinking alcohol for a year. "I realized that although I had fun drinking, it took away much more than it gave me," she writes. When I stopped drinking alcohol one year ago, I had no idea how I was going to keep it up. Anyone who doesn't drink alcohol knows — and probably hates — the question "Why don't you drink?," myself included. I realized that although I had fun drinking, it took away much more than it gave me.

☆ How to prevent a hangover, and 3 ways to treat one
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —You had a little too much to drink last night, and now you’re nursing that dreaded morning aftermath — a hangover. There is no scientifically proven way to cure a hangover, but experts say you can prevent one — or at least keep that morning-after misery to a minimum. Drink on a full stomachEating a little before you start drinking can reduce your hangover symptoms, experts say. AbstainIn the end, however, experts say there is only one true preventive — or cure — for a hangover: Don’t drink. “There’s no simple cure because there are so many complex factors that are producing the multiple symptoms of a hangover,” Swift said.

Persons: CNN —, ”, Robert Swift, Brown University’s Warren, Swift, “, it’s, John Brick, Downing, bootleggers, That’s, Brick, ” Swift Organizations: CNN, Brown University’s Warren Alpert Medical School, Lightfield, Adobe, of Alcohol Studies, Education, Training, Rutgers University Locations: Providence , Rhode Island, New Jersey

☆ From a Deepfaked Elon Musk to RadioShack’s NSFW Tweets, CMO Today’s Twenty-Two Most-Read Stories of 2022
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( Nat Ives | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +7 min

Our report on deepfakes was the most-read CMO Today story in 2022. Prepare for what’s coming with this list of CMO Today’s most-read coverage in 2022, presented in order of popularity. How NSFW Tweets Plug Into RadioShack’s New Marketing StrategyAbel Czupor, who leads RadioShack’s newly edgy marketing. Newsletter Sign-up WSJ | CMO Today CMO Today delivers the most important news of the day for media and marketing professionals. Photo: KayakA hospitality empire decided to try its hand at ad sales, too.

☆ Surprising Fatty Liver Results Could Put Madrigal in Big Pharma’s Sights
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( David Wainer | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

There have been so many disappointing trial results targeting the liver disease known as NASH, or nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, that investors were understandably cautious going into one small biotech’s late-stage results. Yet the topline results released by Madrigal Pharmaceuticals on Monday looked better than most analysts had expected, sending the stock soaring 220%. Ahead of the results, most analysts expected the study to achieve one of the two primary endpoints—a reduction in inflammation—but weren’t as confident it could also deliver on the reduction of liver scarring. The latter is an important measure because it can lead to complications such as cirrhosis.

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