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June 7 (Reuters) - European regulators have approved the region's first vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which causes thousands of hospitalisations and deaths annually. The shot, called Arexvy, is made by British drugmaker GSK (GSK.L) and is designed to protect people aged 60 and over. The complex molecular structure of the virus and safety concerns with previous vaccine attempts had stymied efforts to successfully develop a shot since the virus was first discovered in 1956. Given the different definitions of the trial endpoints across the GSK and Pfizer trials, a direct comparison of efficacy is difficult. In Europe, RSV leads to over 270,000 hospitalisations and about 20,000 in-hospital deaths in adults over 60 each year.

Persons: Luke Miels, Peter Welford, TD Cowen, Steve Scala, Natalie Grover, Eva Mathews, Maggie Fick, Savio D'Souza, Mark Potter Organizations: GSK, European Commission, European Medicines Agency, Reuters, U.S . Food, Drug Administration, Pfizer, Jefferies, Thomson Locations: British, Europe, U.S, London, Bengaluru

☆ BA, BBC and Boots caught up in file transfer hack
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BA, the BBC and Boots said the breach occurred at their payroll provider, Zellis. The provincial government of Nova Scotia, in Canada, was also hit by the breach. The data from Zellis and the Nova Scotia government was exposed through their use of the MOVEit file transfer software, both organizations said in separate statements. The Nova Scotia government did not immediate return a request for comment. Boots, part of Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA.O), said the attack had included some of its employees' personal details.

Persons: Boots, Zellis, Nova, Colton LeBlanc, MOVEit, extortionists, Raphael Satter, Sarah Young, Muvija, Eva Mathews, Paul Sandle, Bill Berkrot Organizations: British Airways, BBC, Nova, Security, Digital Solutions, IAG, Walgreens Boots Alliance, Progress Software, Microsoft, Reuters, Britain . British Airways, Thomson Locations: Nova Scotia, Canada, Zellis, Britain, Washington, London, Bengaluru

☆ British Airways, Boots staff data compromised by payroll cyber hack
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, June 5 (Reuters) - British Airways and retailer Boots said their staff were amongst those hit by a cyber attack on Zellis, a payroll provider used by hundreds of companies in Britain. British Airways, owned by IAG (ICAG.L), said it had notified affected employees and was providing them with support. Part of the Walgreens Boots Alliance, Boots said the attack had included some of its employees' personal details. Boots employs over 50,000 people in Britain, while British Airways has about 30,000 staff. The compromised data includes names, addresses and national insurance numbers, said the Daily Telegraph newspaper, which first reported which companies had been affected by the breach.

Persons: Boots, Zellis, Sarah Young, Eva Mathews, Shinjini Ganguli, Paul Sandle Organizations: British Airways, Britain . British Airways, IAG, Walgreens Boots Alliance, Daily Telegraph, Thomson Locations: Britain, London, Bengaluru

☆ EQT to take UK's Dechra Pharma private in about $6 bln deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

June 2 (Reuters) - Swedish investment firm EQT will take Dechra Pharmaceuticals (DPH.L) private in a deal with an enterprise value of 4.88 billion pounds ($6.16 billion), the British veterinary drugmaker said on Friday. ($1 = 0.7923 pounds)Reporting by Eva Mathews in Bengaluru; Editing by Dhanya Ann ThoppilOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: EQT, drugmaker, Eva Mathews, Dhanya Ann Thoppil Organizations: Dechra Pharmaceuticals, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

May 30 (Reuters) - Unilever Plc (ULVR.L) said on Tuesday Chief Financial Officer Graeme Pitkethly would leave the consumer goods giant by the end of May 2024 after more than two decades. Pitkethly, who has been with the maker of Dove soap since 2002, succeeded Jean-Marc Huët as finance chief in 2015. The 56-year-old previously served as executive vice president of Unilever's UK and Ireland business, including head of M&A and head of treasury. Unilever, which did not say why Pitkethly planned to "retire from the company", said it would proceed with a formal internal and external search for his successor. "Eight years as CFO of a multinational is a decent time and retiring in May 2024 should enable a useful handover to a new CFO."

☆ Meta offers to limit use of ad data to address UK competition concerns
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, May 26 (Reuters) - Britain's competition watchdog on Friday said social media giant Meta (META.O) had offered to limit its use of other businesses' advertising data for its Facebook Marketplace service to address the regulator's competition concerns. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it was minded to accept the commitments, which include advertisers being able to opt out of allowing their data to be used to improve the Facebook Marketplace classified ads platform. CMA executive director of enforcement Michael Grenfell said: "Reducing the risk of Meta unfairly exploiting the data of businesses who advertise on its platform for its own competitive advantage could help many UK businesses who advertise there. "We are now consulting on these commitments which we believe, at this stage, will address our concerns." Reporting by Eva Mathews in Bengaluru and Paul Sandle in London; Editing by Rashmi Aich and Kate HoltonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Workers Want Ozempic for Weight Loss. Few Employers Want to Pay for It.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Anna Wilde Mathews | Ray A. Smith | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/articles/workers-want-ozempic-for-weight-loss-few-employers-want-to-pay-for-it-215fb5c1

☆ Your Company Doesn’t Want You to Take Ozempic for Weight Loss. Here’s Why.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Anna Wilde Mathews | Ray A. Smith | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

☆ How to Fight Rising Subscription Fees Without Going Cold Turkey
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Wall Street Journal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

How to Get Insurers to Pay for Ozempic and Other Weight-Loss Drugs Ozempic and other weight-loss drugs can list at $900 or more per month. WSJ’s Anna Wilde Mathews joins host J.R. Whalen to discuss how to get your health insurance plan to cover these prescriptions.

☆ Aston Martin stock soars after $295 million Geely investment
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

May 18 (Reuters) - Aston Martin's (AML.L) stock popped nearly 22% on Thursday, after the luxury carmaker announced a 234 million pound investment by China's Geely (0715.HK), that will see the automotive firm become its third-largest shareholder. Geely will acquire about 42 million ordinary shares from Chairman Lawrence Stroll's Yew Tree, which is currently the Aston Martin's largest stakeholder, at 335 pence apiece and subscribe for another 28 million shares at the same price. Aston Martin shares, which closed at 231.2 pence on Wednesday, were trading up to 279.4 pence at 0727 GMT. "Our decision to increase our shareholding in Aston Martin reflects our confidence in the company's growth prospects, its technologies and its management team," said Geely Chairman Eric Li. The investment gives Geely a 17% stake in the company and entitles it to one board seat, behind number two shareholder Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF).

☆ MLB roundup: Astros score four in ninth, stun Cubs
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +11 min

Jake Meyers ripped a two-run homer that cut the deficit to 6-5, and when pinch hitter Mauricio Dubon followed with a walk, Brandon Hughes (0-2) entered in relief of Thompson. Mark Vientos, recalled earlier in the day from Triple-A Syracuse, hit a game-tying two-run homer in the seventh for the Mets. Cardinals 3, Brewers 0Paul DeJong hit a two-run homer and Nolan Arenado delivered his 1,000th career RBI as St. Louis defeated visiting Milwaukee. Boston tied its season high with 16 hits, including six in a six-run second inning. Justin Turner went 3-for-4 with his second homer in as many games.

☆ Experian's outlook highlights North America lending woes
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Eva Mathews | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

May 17 (Reuters) - Experian Plc's (EXPN.L) annual revenue growth forecast on Wednesday signalled a challenging economic backdrop, especially in North America, where the failure of three U.S. regional banks has hurt confidence in the sector. Experian's key customers include banks, non-traditional lenders and insurance providers, which use its credit reports and scores to analyse and make decisions around credit risk, fraud prevention and lending terms. "Tighter lending conditions (especially in North America) are impacting some of Experian's business lines with more direct volume exposure, including its core credit bureau and marketplace, which together account for about 17% of group revenue," Bank of America analysts said. About 67% of Experian's group revenue comes from the North America region. For the year ended March 31, Experian's organic revenue growth of 7% to $6.59 billion compared with analysts' consensus of $6.64 billion.

☆ UK's Melrose Industries lifts 2025 expectations on aerospace focus
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The company raised its adjusted operating margin outlook for aerospace to between 17% and 18% by 2025, compared with 14% previously. The operating margin for the Engines business is expected to be 28% in 2025, compared with 22% in 2023. Shares in Melrose, which spun out its automotive business into Dowlais (DWL.L) last month, rose 6% by 1232 GMT, topping London's blue-chip index. Melrose, which makes airframe and engine structures and electrical interconnection systems for the aerospace industry, said last week it had decided to continue as a pure-play aerospace firm. The outlook for 2025 laid out on Wednesday divides its aerospace business into two divisions, namely engines and structures, for the first time.

☆ IQE's annual revenue falls 2% on weak orders
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 17 (Reuters) - British chip components maker IQE Plc (IQE.L) reported a 2% drop in its annual revenue on Wednesday, hit by reduced orders amid weak demand for consumer electronics. Revenue on a constant currency basis fell to 151.2 million pounds ($190.83 million) for the full-year ended December 2022, from 154.1 million pounds a year earlier. The Cardiff-based company reported a wider operating loss of 73 million pounds, driven by non-cash impairment of goodwill of 62.7 million pounds relating to its wireless operating segment. London-listed IQE said current trading was impacted by temporary semiconductor industry setbacks entailing subdued customer forecasts, orders and related revenue. It expects revenue for the half year ending June 30 to be between 50 million pounds and 56 million pounds.

☆ UK nanotech firm Nanosynth proposes to enter voluntary liquidation
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

May 16 (Reuters) - Nanosynth Group (NNNN.L) said on Tuesday it has proposed to enter into creditors' voluntary liquidation, after an unsuccessful attempt to procure necessary funding. The company had flagged the lack of cash resources last month, saying it was evaluating potential funding options. Creditors' voluntary liquidation - the most common type of insolvency - is a liquidation procedure that enables a company to be wound up by resolution of its members instead of a court order. The AIM-listed firm, which specializes in the synthesis and application of nanoparticles to create products, had a market capitalization of 1.76 million pounds ($2.22 million), according to Refinitiv data. ($1 = 0.7923 pounds)Reporting by Eva Mathews in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh KuberOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ How to Get Your Health Insurance to Cover Ozempic and Other Drugs Used for Weight Loss
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Anna Wilde Mathews | Peter Loftus | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

If you want to take one of the buzzy drugs like Ozempic or Wegovy to lose weight, the toughest part may be finding a way to pay for it. Insurers and employers, fearing the cost of medications that list for $900 or more a month, often put up hurdles when patients seek access to one of the drugs to slim down. Yet there are ways to get your health plan to pay for your prescription, if you qualify—and some alternatives if you don’t.

☆ Wood Group shares sink after Apollo abandons 1.7 bln pound bid
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The shares initially fell by as much as 40% after private equity firm Apollo said it would not go ahead with an offer following an exploratory bid last month. Representatives for Wood and Apollo declined to comment further. Under UK takeover rules, Apollo cannot launch a takeover offer for Wood for the next six months, except with the company's agreement or in the event that a rival bidder swoops in. The news comes just days after British consumer group The Hut Group (THG) (THG.L) ended takeover discussions with Apollo after concluding that a preliminary bid by the fund was based on "inadequate valuations". Last week, Wood released its first-quarter earnings, which saw the group reiterate its 2023 outlook with performance expected to be weighted to the second half of the year.

☆ 94.5% of creators use AI to help them make content, according to a new survey of 660 influencers
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Marta Biino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The firm surveyed 660 creators based in the US on how they use AI, among other topics. 94.5% of them said they use AI, with editing content and image generation being top ways. And for those who are in the business of creating content, AI that can help streamline creative work can be especially enticing. The top three ways chosen were editing content, generating images and videos, and creating text and captions for accessibility. "If you're a content creator, people follow you for your storytelling, your unique point of view.

☆ UK's Melrose Industries to focus on aerospace after automotive spin-off
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The company also said it expects annual revenue between 3.35 billion pounds ($4.23 billion) and 3.45 billion pounds, while analysts are expecting a revenue of 3.4 billion pounds, according to company-compiled estimates. Melrose also said it will not seek acquisitions of "an unrelated industrial business or, in the near term, a material aerospace business," as it shifts its strategy to focus on aerospace. In April, Melrose listed shares in the former automotive division of British engineer GKN on the London Stock Exchange. Newly created Dowlais (DWL.L), which encompasses GKN's Automotive, Powder Metallurgy and Hydrogen businesses, was spun off to existing Melrose shareholders. It is still holding on to GKN's Aerospace division, which manufactures airframe and engine structures and interconnection systems for the aerospace industry.

☆ Factbox: Tech firms, Wall Street lead job cuts in Corporate America
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

read moreSpotify Technology SA (SPOT.N):Music streaming service Spotify is cutting 6% of its workforce, or roughly 600 roles. 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. Workday Inc (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 is planning to cut about 3,000 jobs in the second quarter, Reuters reported. MANUFACTURING SECTOR3M Co (MMM.N):The industrial conglomerate said it would cut 2,500 manufacturing jobs after reporting a lower profit.

☆ Intel climbs as Wall St cheers early signs of recovery
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TD Cowen analysts said the company "was not out of the woods yet but this was a starting point." Intel's market capitalization is set to rise by nearly $8 billion to more than $130 billion, if premarket gains hold. "We see gross margin pressured for the foreseeable future reflecting aggressive process and new product spend as well as IFS (Intel Foundry Services) investment," Oppenheimer said. Intel posted its biggest quarterly loss in the first quarter as it ramped up production and investments in manufacturing plants. Reporting by Eva Mathews and Aditya Soni in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj KalluvilaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

The company's total revenue fell 4.3% to $29.69 billion in the quarter, but beat analysts' average estimate of $29.30 billion, according to Refinitiv data. However, adjusted losses from the ad-reliant platform widened to $704 million from $456 million a year-ago as Comcast continues to invest heavily in content. Theme parks revenue climbed nearly 25%, thanks to a rebound in attendance at its parks overseas and the lifting of COVID curbs in China. Comcast gained 5,000 broadband customers in the March quarter, while Factset had estimated a loss of 20,000 users. Overall, net income attributable to Comcast rose 8% to $3.83 billion in the quarter.

☆ Health System Kaiser Permanente to Combine With Hospital Operator Geisinger
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Anna Wilde Mathews | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Kaiser Permanente has long been a bellwether for uniting different healthcare functions. Photo: Mike Blake/REUTERSKaiser Permanente, a pioneering integrated health system based on the West Coast, has agreed to acquire a Pennsylvania-based hospital operator in a bid to create a new national player in the rapidly consolidating healthcare market. The combination of Kaiser and Geisinger, which must be reviewed by federal and state agencies, would have more than $100 billion in revenue.

☆ Canada's Rogers beats profit estimates on wireless business strength
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 26 (Reuters) - Rogers Communications Inc (RCIb.TO), reported a better-than-expected quarterly profit on Wednesday, as gains in its wireless business helped offset weakness in its cable TV unit. The telecom giant's wireless revenue grew 10% in the first quarter. Rogers blamed increased competitive promotional activity and a decline in video and home phone revenue for the shortfall. In the three months ended March 31, Rogers added 95,000 monthly bill paying wireless phone subscribers, compared with 193,000 in the previous quarter. The Toronto Blue Jays owner is also seeing its media business recover from the effects of the pandemic.

☆ Canada's Rogers misses quarterly revenue estimates on cable weakness
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 26 (Reuters) - Rogers Communications Inc (RCIb.TO), missed Wall Street estimates for first-quarter revenue on Wednesday, hit by weakness in its cable business and stiff competition. The company added 95,000 monthly bill paying wireless phone subscribers in the quarter, compared with 193,000 in the previous quarter. The company's total revenue rose to C$3.84 billion ($2.82 billion) in the first quarter ended March 31, compared with C$3.62 billion a year earlier. Revenue in Rogers' cable business fell 2% in the quarter. Net income rose to C$511 million, or C$1 per share, from C$392 million, or 77 Canadian cents per share, a year earlier.

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