Monthly Archives: February 2020

Destiny 2

9,777,777,700 fractiline is a whole lot of fractiline. Thats how much of the Season of Dawns special currency we need to finish Destiny 2s massive community goal for the end of this season, and were moving quickly towards completion. The last goal, 6,000,000,000 fractiline, fell last week. But weve been moving much more quickly since long-term fractiline investors have begun dumping their considerable stock, and were going to get a massive infusion at reset, as we do every week. It wont be long now.

A little simple math I did just now: if it takes 3 seconds to donate 100 fractiline, we will need to spend a grand total of 3,395 days clicking that little button to donate enough fractiline to fill this goal. Thats just the time spent clicking, mind you, not the time spent acquiring more fractiline, clicking on the associated bounties, clearing out the postmaster, haggling with Spider for more glimmer: etc. The Destiny series has always had good menus, at the end of the day, but that doesnt mean Im all that excited to spend as much time in them as I have been during this event.

At the time of this writing, weve donated just over 8,000,000,000 fractiline, and you can follow along here. It might seem like we have a very long way to go, but as you can see from the tracker we get massive infusions every week at reset, when the obelisks produce their sizable bounty of glowing tetrahedrons. We got nearly 1 billion last Tuesday alone, and if these trends continue, well be finished on Wednesday or so: possibly sooner if some people decide to really put in the clicking work.

Community events are always fun ways to make a game feel alive, to see every other immortal space wizard huddled around the same little obelisk terminal as you are, even if theyre just there to cash in Perfect Paradoxes for shards. Next time we do this Id like to see some sort of combat component too, but well see what Bungie gets up to in the Season of the Worthy(if thats what its called).

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Destiny 2 Empyrean Foundation Fractiline Progress: Were Almost Done With This Thing - Forbes

Justice? Not as far Argentinas new government is concerned. Buenos Aires is eager to walk back any progress made in investigations into the 1994 bombing of a Jewish center in Buenos Aires the worst terror act in the countrys history or the suspicious death of the man who was set to break the case open.

Previous probes yielded ample evidence that Iran was behind the attack on the Asociacin Mutual Israelita Argentina, which killed 85 people, as well as an earlier terrorist act, the 1992 bombing of the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires, when 29 civilians perished. The new Argentinian government would rather ignore it all.

And no wonder. Since December, Kristina Kirchner is Argentinas vice president, a demotion for the woman who was president between 2007 and 2015. At that time, after the Interpol already issued red notices for the arrests of Iranian officials and Hezbollah operatives, Mrs. Kirchner was set to form a joint investigative commission with Tehran.

Before he died, Kirchners foreign minister, Hector Timerman, who sealed struck in 2013 a Memorandum of Understanding with Tehran, scoffed once when I told him the proposed joint investigation sounded as credible as O.J. Simpsons vow to find the real killers. Meanwhile the Interpols red notices were put on ice while Argentina sought to widen its trade with Iran.

In 2015 an investigator, Alberto Nisman, accused Mrs. Kirchner of scheming with the Iranians to allow the Hezbollah and Iranian operatives to escape justice for their alleged role in the AMIA bombing. The night before Nisman was scheduled to present detailed evidence of his findings to Argentinas congress, he was found dead in his apartments bathroom with a single gunshot to the head.

Mrs. Kirchner and her supporters in the press quickly spread the notion that Nisman committed suicide a strange act for a man about to make public a case marking the culmination of his lifes work. Consequent investigations completely demolished the suicide theory.

Most notably, in 2017 a police unit, the Gendarmerie, presented detailed forensic evidence that concluded Nisman was murdered. During the presidency of Ms. Kirchners successor, Mauricio Macri, the suicide theory was widely discarded.

Even after Mr. Macris predsidency, his successor, Alberto Fernandez, said to me personally he didnt believe the suicide theory, says Damian Pachter, an Argentinian journalist who first broke the news of Nismans 2015 death. (Following threats from members of Argentinian intelligence, Mr. Pachter fled the country.)

Since he beat Mr. Macri in last Decembers presidential election, Mr. Fernandez changed his tune. His election victory was made possible after he decided to run on a joint ticket with Ms. Kirchner, who remains popular despite an indictment over her role in covering up the AMIA investigation.

So now President Fernandez says there is no proof Nisman was murdered.

So was it suicide? Murder? Cant be both, although a documentary series on Nismans death, widely distributed on Netflix, tries to present both as possibilities. The six-part series claims to show all sides: Kirchner accolades insist on the suicide theory while others maintain he was murdered.

That is, both flat-earthers and scientists are given equal time.

Mr. Macri tried to end the charade. Mrs. Kirchners MOU with Iran was declared unconstitutional. During his tenure, Mrs. Kirchner and others were indicted on coverup charges. But hes gone and she is vice president, and as such immune from incarceration.

Worse: in February the judge assigned to continue Nismans investigation into the terrorist cases, Claudio Bonadio, passed away after months-long bout with a brain tumor.

Kirchner loyalists were named as successors. And, as Toby Dershowitz of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies notes, in addition to Mrs. Kirchner eleven Argentinians were indicted in relation to the AMIA case and now some of them have influential jobs in the new government.

So it looks like the government is set to wind down the AMIA investigations. The Iranian masterminds, Hezbollah operatives, and Argentine collaborators will not be brought to justice. Mr. Kirchner is protected from any accusation of complicity in Nismans death. Any hope of closure for terror victims loved ones is fast fading.

Yet, as Mr. Pachter, the reporter who fled Argentina to Israel, notes, a top perpetrator of the AMIA bombing, Hezbollah master terrorist Imad Mughniyeh, was assassinated in Syria in 2008 by the Israelis. So some justice was done after all, Mr. Pachter says.

________

Mr. Avni, a contributing editor of the Sun, covers the United Nations.

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Argentina Reversing Progress on Probe Of Big Terror Bombings - New York Sun

The Kanawha County school system won the right in court Wednesday to enter the planned Wolverton Mountain site of the new Bridge/Clendenin consolidated elementary school.

The victory in the eminent domain case may finally open the way to actually building the school. It would replace Clendenin Elementary, which the school system tore down after damage from the June 2016 flood.

But oil and gas companies may fight to be paid millions by the state and federal governments for the property. Eminent domain allows governments to seize private property for public use, but governments must pay those private owners for their loss.

Chuck Smith, the school systems executive director of facilities planning, said the school system estimates it will only have to pay $25,000 for the property, just south of Clendenin, and the mineral rights (including oil and gas rights) beneath it.

On Wednesday, Kanawha Circuit Court Judge Jennifer Bailey denied an attempt by Cunningham Energy LLC to intervene in the case. Cunningham claimed that the school system taking the property would jeopardize an oil drilling well pad that could produce an estimated $59 million in revenue.

Nick Barth, a Charleston-based attorney for the school system, said that property has been up there for millennia, no one has ever drilled and produced millions of dollars of oil I think its just kind of more than coincidental that the school board decides to condemn the property, and all of a sudden we have these claims.

Cunningham could appeal to the state Supreme Court. Bailey also denied its request to stay her ruling until the appeal was done.

Smith said the Federal Emergency Management Agency is expected to reimburse 90 percent of the reasonable costs of the property. The state is supposed to fund the rest.

Barth said FEMAs rules require the school system to buy not just the surface of the land, but the mineral rights beneath it.

The school system filed this eminent domain case last month against Lower Gwynedd, Pennsylvania-based Vesta Oil & Gas Holdings LLC.

Vesta owns half of the surface, and the school system already owns the other half, according to a court filing by Kanawha.

That same document says Cunningham formerly owned the property.

Cunningham attempted to intervene in the case to become an official party that could file its own motions. Company President Ryan Cunningham attended the hearing.

Charleston-based attorney Gerald Titus argued Wednesday that the company had the right to be a party because its currently suing Vesta in federal court to get back its mineral leasehold interests both within and beyond the 35-acre site the school system seeks.

And, Titus said, even if that fails, theres an agreement between Vesta and Cunningham saying that if the school system or anyone else pays above $5 million for the property, part of every dollar above $5 million could go to Cunningham.

So, Titus said, without Cunningham as a party to the case, Vesta could agree that $5 million is sufficient and Cunningham would get nothing.

Theres very little incentive for Vesta to maximize the [financial] recovery, Titus said.

Barth, at one point, literally threw his hands up.

Cunningham has no deed, they have no lease, they have nothing. This is pretty simple were entitled to a right of entry Vesta owns it we need to pay Vesta just compensation, Barth said, adding that the rest was irrelevant.

He asked Bailey to deny that motion, grant right of entry, lets build a school.

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The Kanawha school system won the right to progress toward building new Bridge/Clendenin school. But oil, gas companies may keep up fight over...

CHICAGO In 1979, a man named Jerome Stone, frustrated with the lack of options and information about Alzheimers disease following his wifes diagnosis, brought together experts and families affected by dementia to launch the Alzheimers Association. One of their goals: find a cure for the disease.

Forty years later, an estimated 5.8 million Americans have Alzheimers, with a new person developing the condition about every minute of every day. There is still no treatment that slows progression of the disease, let alone stops or reverses it. There are increasing doubts whether the prevailing theory explaining the foundation of Alzheimers is accurate.

I would have thought wed be further along by now, Harry Johns, the associations CEO, acknowledged in an interview at the groups headquarters here.

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But to listen to Johns and other association executives is to hear a message of hope: The groundwork is now, finally, being laid for future therapies. New approaches are being explored, and awareness of Alzheimers and other forms of dementia and the desire to address them has reached critical mass. The past few years have also been a boon for the association, with an increased profile and fundraising reaching a record $365 million in fiscal 2019.

We now have momentum unlike weve ever had in this field before, Johns said.

The question is whether that outlook reflects a predictably bullish view from an advocacy group one that should be taken with a dose of skepticism or a sign that researchers and patients might be on the precipice of progress. The first new drug for Alzheimers in 15 years could be approved this year. Federal funding for Alzheimers and dementia research has skyrocketed.

On the other hand, the Alzheimers Association has long touted a more positive message. When Johns joined the association in 2005 from the American Cancer Society, he called it a time of unprecedented optimism and momentum using some of the same language.

Asked how he squared what he said then with what he was saying 14 years later, Johns said both sentiments were accurate. Back then, he said, a number of closely watched drugs were in pivotal clinical trials, even though they ultimately joined the heap of failed therapies.

I believe firmly in the momentum we have today compared to what we had then, and what we had then compared to what we had before, said Johns, whose mother and mother-in-law had Alzheimers. Its a relative reality.

Its not for lack of trying that the broader Alzheimers field has failed to find new treatments or cures; the disease has proven an intricate puzzle box to crack. For its part, the Alzheimers Association has been criticized for focusing too heavily on potential treatments, at the expense of providing assistance for people already living with the disease.

The association insists it can do it all, expanding its support for people with dementia while championing both basic science and translational research. And as the group enters its fifth decade, Johns sees a simple path toward therapeutic success, a strategy that he has seen work successfully in cancer: increase awareness, get people including lawmakers mobilized, and clear the runway for scientists to do what they need to do.

Part of it is just being relentless, Johns said. Youve gotta be relentless. We just have to get it done.

If the Alzheimer Associations playbook calls for rallying the public and increasing funding, there are signs that that is working.

Based on the associations own tracking, awareness of the disease has soared over the past five years, as has awareness of the association. And in the absence of treatments, many of the associations biggest wins have come in Washington, dating back to a 2011 law that resulted in the first federal Alzheimers plan.

The plan created a framework for future policy and research initiatives, and offered a way to measure progress, said Robert Egge, the associations chief public policy officer. The first of the plans five goals: prevent and effectively treat Alzheimers by 2025.

The association also pushed the Alzheimers Accountability Act, signed in 2014. It required the National Institutes of Health to tell Congress every year the amount of funding it would need to meet the 2025 goal joining cancer and HIV/AIDS as the only other diseases with hard targets for appropriators to hit.

And federal funding for Alzheimers and dementia has increased from roughly $500 million in 2012 to $2.8 billion in fiscal 2020, giving more scientists more opportunities to pursue a wider ranger of inquiries and potential therapeutic avenues.

Asking a member of Congress to support Alzheimers may seem as difficult as giving out free pie, but the challenge, Egge said, is keeping it on the front burner.

Its not that we have opposition, he said. Its that we have to get a Congress thats besieged by so many issues to carve out the time to focus on something. As big as this is, its still one of scores of issues that any given office in Congress has to think about.

The association has also used politics to promote its work. Take, for example, an ad it aired last year during a Democratic presidential debate. It highlighted the divide between red states and blue states, before reminding viewers that the two colors, when combined, created purple the associations signature color and a metaphor for how to defeat Alzheimers: Divided we fail but united we win.

Another campaign from the association, First Survivor, was designed to signal to the public that, despite clinical setbacks, progress was still happening. The slogan: The first person to survive Alzheimers disease is out there.

Theres momentum in the space and we dont want people to lose hope, said chief marketing officer Michael Carson. We want them to know that theres a place to go for help, that were there, were working hard on their behalf. We need their help, too, and ultimately were going to solve it.

Carson said, though, that the association has been careful not to overpromise or create false hope. Some of the potential first survivors featured in the campaign are older people. But there are also children indicating that it might be decades before the discovery of an actual remedy for dementia.

Ultimately, we make sure that well never come out and say there is a specific timeline on a cure, he said. Dont know it. Cant say, basically, theres going to be a cure for this family.

A few years ago, the association consolidated, bringing local chapters, which had been affiliated but largely independent, into the national organization. The shift was not seamless.

Instead of being subsumed, a number of chapters broke off, arguing that they didnt want to send their local dollars to a national organization that spent millions on salaries and that was focused more on lobbying and marketing than on curating programs for their communities.

The rifts were exacerbated by subsequent fights over fundraising dollars, trademarks, and the establishment of new chapters by the national association in areas where the local organizations chose to strike out on their own, according to people who work in the Alzheimers field. In interviews with other Alzheimers organizations, more than one person referred to the association as the 800-pound gorilla, while declining to criticize it on the record. (The Alzheimers Association is one of a handful of groups for the disease, including UsAgainstAlzheimers and the Alzheimers Drug Discovery Foundation.)

Critics accuse the Alzheimers Association whose mission statement includes supporting patients and caregivers and promoting brain health along with eliminating the disease of sidelining people living with dementia in its single-minded pursuit of treatments.

It is fair to say that the currently stated dual mission of the U.S. Alzheimers Association is technically correct but de facto grossly unbalanced as it is substantially closer in reality to a single mission, Eilon Caspi, a gerontologist and critic of the association, argued in a 2017 paper in Dementia. Describing the millions of people living with dementia and their caregivers, Caspi wrote: These individuals desperately need fundamentally higher level and quality of timely support, education, and training, evidence-based and innovative services and programs, and psychosocial personalized interventions.

Association executives dismiss the criticism, and seem confounded by assertions that it has neglected people with the disease.

I would emphatically disagree with that opinion, said Joanne Pike, the associations chief program officer. Weve done nothing but increase the numbers that we have served and the number of services that we have been providing.

Johns argued that the unification, as association executives call it, led to a more cohesive structure with a streamlined fundraising apparatus, instead of the national organization competing with its own chapters for donations. He said it was a key driver in the groups spike in fundraising, from $160 million in fiscal 2016 to $365 million in fiscal 2019, which has allowed the association to contribute to more research directly and expand its care and support services.

Pike said being one organization also helps programs that have been successful in one region get implemented in another. The association has been holding more community forums and increasing opportunities for volunteers. It also rolled out recommendations for long-term care providers for dementia care in 2018 and is developing guidelines for primary care providers. The association wants these clinicians to able to help diagnose dementia early and for patients and families to feel comfortable talking with their general clinicians about cognitive issues.

Because the treatment options are so limited, Pike said, physicians report that they dont feel like theres something they can do, so its not something they broach as quickly. Cancer and diabetes, heart disease, have a treatment, and so health systems are able to have an actionable item where they see value from that.

The association also runs a 24-hour helpline service from its Chicago headquarters that receives 300,000 calls a year, the majority from caregivers. One day in December, the staff had taken 644 calls by 3:53 p.m., as a screen tracked incoming calls and how quickly they were answered. On the wall is a painted message in capital letters: Making that call is not a sign of weakness.

For decades, the underlying hypothesis in the Alzheimers field has been that the buildup of plaques of beta-amyloid protein in the brain drives the death of neurons and cognitive issues that are hallmarks of the disease. But of scores of amyloid-targeting drugs that have been tested, none has been definitely determined to slow the disease.

I dont think that theres anyone out there today who thinks [amyloid] is exclusively the answer, Johns said. The association has diversified the types of research it funds for several years now.

Still, the amyloid-targeting drug aducanumab, from drug maker Biogen, is expected to be reviewed by the Food and Drug Administration this year. Biogen believes it works, but because the clinical trial results were ambiguous, some experts have argued the drug should be tested in another trial before approval. Johns declined to say whether he thought the FDA should approve aducanumab.

He also dismissed questions about the potential cost of an Alzheimers therapy. Back-of-the-envelope calculations have pegged the cost of a monthly infusion like aducanumab at $40,000 a year (though Biogen has said nothing about how it would price aducanumab if it were approved). With 2 million to 3 million potential customers, thats $100 billion annually more than the entire Medicare prescription drug benefit in 2018.

Johns argued that the associations focus would be on access to any approved treatment, irrespective of the price. Asking a question about how the association would advocate around access despite how many billions of dollars the drug might cost was almost rationing it from the outset, Johns said. A spokeswoman later sent over a 2015 report from the association that found that a treatment arriving in 2025 that pushed back the onset of Alzheimers by five years would save payers $220 billion over five years though it didnt account for the price of that drug.

Its not our choice what the company charges or whats paid for it, Johns said. Our interest is access, when there is a drug available that can make a difference in peoples lives. Thats real for people.

Nicholas Florko contributed reporting from Washington.

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Alzheimer's group sees signs of progress against a grim disease. Is it real? - STAT

INDIANAPOLIS Tua Tagovailoa climbed up a couple stairs, then walked to the podium without a hitch Tuesday.

It was a promising start to a critical week.

Eventually, the former Alabama quarterback revealed what NFL scouts eagerly awaited: He should be cleared to resume all football activities March 9 and will hold his pro day workout April 9 exactly two weeks before the NFL draft.

Its been a process, Tagovailoa said. We went to the hospital for medical checks yesterday at 10 in the morning and I was the last person to leave. I got back about 7:49 last night, so right in time for the informal and formal (team) interviews.

Its been a grueling process ever since the man with the multi-million dollar arm injured his hip Nov. 15. Two days later, he had season-ending surgery.

Tagovailoa spent the next three months working his way back, rehearsing answers to all those nagging questions he expected at the leagues annual scouting combine.

Here, in Indianapolis, the 6-foot, 217-pound college star is one of roughly 300 draft prospects getting poked and prodded, measured and tested this week.

But the continual queries about his health are a stark reminder how tough the comeback journey has been.

I think the lowest point was just at that moment when I got hurt, he said. I didnt feel bad for myself when I was on the helicopter going to Birmingham, when I was in the hospital. The lowest point was when I got hurt.

Hes not quite 100 percent yet, but it is clear Tagovailoa feels a lot more like himself these days. Inside the interview room, he stood behind the microphone, smiling repeatedly as he fielded reporters questions for nearly 30 minutes.

At times, he sounded like a polished pro, even brushing aside a question about how uncomfortable he felt talking about himself.

He explained that hed been throwing a little, nothing crazy, and that hes been training with former NFL quarterback Trent Dilfer and former NFL head coach and offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt to prepare for this week.

PANTHERS: Matt Rhule, Carolinas new coach, made it clear that he wants a healthy quarterback Cam Newton on his roster. He praised Newtons work ethic in his attempt to return to full health for the first time two years and continued to emphasize that the team does not know exactly what the future holds.

Oh yeah, absolutely. I absolutely want Cam here. Theres no doubt about that, Rhule said when asked if he saw Newton on the roster in September. We have to make sure that we continue to get him healthy.

Rhule wouldnt commit to Newton being the Panthers starter in Week 1, but said that philosophy applied to every player on the team not just quarterback; everyone has to earn their place, prioritizing keeping the feeling of competition among all of the players on the roster, regardless of how things stood last year.

He added that Newton has been doing a great job of getting himself ready to return to play: We havent really seen a healthy Cam in two years. I dont really care if hes full speed until September.

GIANTS: Joe Judge said the team is open to trading down from the fourth overall pick, but the Giants rookie head coach said nothing is set in stone this early in the game.

We dont have to do anything, but well listen to anything, Judge said of flipping the No. 4 pick for more draft assets. The Giants are in an advantageous position picking so high in the draft. If a team wants to trade up for Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa or Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert, the Giants are in a prime spot to trade down with a quarterback-needy team.

LIONS: Detroit released defensive tackle Damon Snacks Harrison, less than a year after signing him to an $11 million, one-year contract extension. He went into the 2019 season with two years left on the $46 million contract he signed with the New York Giants.

Harrison started in 15 games last season, but had a career-low 49 tackles and two sacks for the three-win Lions.

COLTS: Longtime left tackle Anthony Castonzo is expected to return next season after contemplating retirement for more than a month.

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NFL notebook: Tagovailoa making progress, expects to be healthy before draft - Press Herald

Obtained FDA approval of Oxbryta (voxelotor), the first treatment that specifically targets the root cause of sickle cell disease (SCD), three months ahead of schedule

Made Oxbryta available to adults and children 12 years of age and older with SCD within days of FDA approval

Conference Call today at 1:30 p.m. PT / 4:30 p.m. ET

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Feb. 26, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Global Blood Therapeutics, Inc. (GBT) (GBT) today reported recent business progress and financial results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2019.

2019 was a momentous year for both the sickle cell community and GBT as we saw the FDA approval of Oxbryta, the first medicine that directly inhibits sickle hemoglobin polymerization, the root cause of this devastating, lifelong genetic disease, three months ahead of schedule, said Ted W. Love, M.D., president and chief executive officer of GBT. With the early investment we made in building out our commercial infrastructure, we were able to make Oxbryta available to patients and physicians within days of its approval. Patient access to this needed therapy is a top priority for us. We will continue to work closely with payers throughout 2020 to meet our goal of obtaining broad coverage by the end of the year. Most importantly, we are encouraged by the positive feedback we have received to date from physicians and patients who have started Oxbryta therapy. We are optimistic about achieving our vision of making sickle cell disease a well-managed chronic condition by establishing Oxbryta as a standard of care, expanding its approved label and availability around the world, and continuing to research new pathways and develop innovative new therapies.

Financial Results for the Fourth Quarter and Year-End 2019Total product sales, net for the fourth quarter of 2019 was $2.1 million, driven by initial sales of Oxbryta. The company did not generate product sales in the fourth quarter of 2018.

Cost of sales for the three months ended December 31, 2019 was $48,000. Manufacturing costs incurred prior to FDA approval of Oxbryta in November 2019 have been recorded as research and development expense in the companys consolidated statement of operations. The company expects that the cost of Oxbryta sales as a percentage of revenue will increase in future periods as product manufactured prior to FDA approval, and therefore fully expensed, is utilized. The company did not incur cost of sales for Oxbryta in 2018 as no product sales were generated.

Research and development (R&D) expenses for the three months endedDecember 31, 2019, were$65.0 millioncompared with$36.8 millionfor the same period in 2018. The increase in R&D expenses for this comparative period was primarily attributable to increased costs related to the companys SCD program for Oxbryta, increased employee-related costs, including non-cash stock compensation expense, increased costs related to preclinical research and manufacturing activities for inclacumab, and a $20 million upfront payment incurred in December 2019 related to the companys Syros collaboration agreement. R&D expenses for the year ended December 31, 2019, were $174.6 million compared with $131.3 million for the same period in 2018. The increase in expenses for the full year were largely driven by the same factors as noted above for the fourth quarter. Total R&D non-cash stock compensation expense incurred for the three months ended December 31, 2019, was$5.3 millioncompared with$3.2 millionfor the same period in 2018. Total R&D non-cash stock compensation expense incurred for the year ended December 31, 2019, was $19.1 million compared with $12.7 million for the same period in 2018.

Sales, general and administrative (SG&A) expenses for the three months endedDecember 31, 2019, were$44.6 millioncompared with$15.3 millionfor the same period in 2018. SG&A expenses for the year ended December 31, 2019, were $117.1 million compared with $51.4 million for the same period in 2018. The increase in SG&A expenses for both comparative periods is primarily attributable to increased employee-related costs, including non-cash stock compensation expense, and increased professional and consulting services associated with the build-out of the company's commercial operations and launch of Oxbryta. Total SG&A non-cash stock compensation expense incurred in the three months endedDecember 31, 2019, was$7.5 million compared with$4.4 millionfor the same period in 2018. Total SG&A non-cash stock compensation expense incurred in the year ended December 31, 2019, was $26.5 million compared with $17.3 million for the same period in 2018.

A non-cash gain on the companys lease modification for the three months ended December 31, 2019, was $8.3 million. This is a non-recurring item related to the upcoming move to the companys new location and related termination of its existing lease.

Net loss for the three months endedDecember 31, 2019, was$96.0 millioncompared with$49.2 millionfor the same period in 2018. Basic and diluted net loss per share for the three months endedDecember 31, 2019, was$1.59compared with$0.93for the same period in 2018. Net loss for the year ended December 31, 2019, was $266.8 million compared with $174.2 million for the same period in 2018. Basic and diluted net loss per share for the year ended December 31, 2019, was $4.57 compared with $3.41 for the same period in 2018. The company expects its operating costs to increase during 2020 due to hiring that occurred in the fourth quarter as well as costs associated with commercialization activities.

Cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities totaled$695.0 millionatDecember 31, 2019, compared with$591.8 millionatDecember 31, 2018.

Conference Call DetailsGBT will host a conference call and webcast today,Wednesday, February 26, 2020, at4:30 p.m. ET (1:30 p.m. PT), during which time management will provide a general business update and discuss the financial results for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2019. To participate in the conference call, please dial 877-407-3982 (domestic) or 201-493-6780 (international). A live audio webcast of the conference call can be accessed on GBTs website at http://www.gbt.com under the Investors section. An archived audio webcast will be available for one month following the event.

About Sickle Cell DiseaseSickle cell disease (SCD) affects an estimated 100,000 people in the United States and millions of people throughout the world, particularly among those whose ancestors are from sub-Saharan Africa. It also affects people of Hispanic, South Asian, Southern European and Middle Eastern ancestry.1 SCD is a lifelong inherited blood disorder that impacts hemoglobin, a protein carried by red blood cells that delivers oxygen to tissues and organs throughout the body.2 Due to a genetic mutation, people with SCD form abnormal hemoglobin known as sickle hemoglobin. Through a process called hemoglobin polymerization, red blood cells become sickled deoxygenated, crescent-shaped and rigid.2-4 The sickling process causes hemolytic anemia (low hemoglobin due to red blood cell destruction) and blockages in capillaries and small blood vessels, which impede the flow of blood and oxygen throughout the body. The diminished oxygen delivery to tissues and organs can lead to life-threatening complications, including stroke and irreversible organ damage.4-6

About Oxbryta (voxelotor) tabletsOxbryta (voxelotor), previously called GBT440, is an oral, once-daily therapy for patients with sickle cell disease (SCD). Oxbryta works by increasing hemoglobin's affinity for oxygen. Since oxygenated sickle hemoglobin does not polymerize, GBT believes Oxbryta blocks polymerization and the resultant sickling and destruction of red blood cells. With the potential to improve hemolytic anemia and oxygen delivery, GBT believes that Oxbryta has the potential to modify the course of SCD. On November 25, 2019, Oxbryta received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) accelerated approval for the treatment of SCD in adults and children 12 years of age and older.7 As a condition of accelerated approval, GBT will continue to study voxelotor in the HOPE-KIDS 2 Study, a post-approval confirmatory study using transcranial Doppler (TCD) flow velocity to assess the ability of Oxbryta to decrease stroke risk in children 2 to 15 years of age.

In recognition of the critical need for new SCD treatments, the FDA granted Oxbryta Breakthrough Therapy, Fast Track, Orphan Drug and Rare Pediatric Disease designations for the treatment of patients with SCD. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has included voxelotor in its Priority Medicines (PRIME) program, and the European Commission (EC) has designated voxelotor as an orphan medicinal product for the treatment of patients with SCD.

IndicationOxbryta is a prescription medicine used for the treatment of sickle cell disease in adults and children 12 years of age and older. It is not known if Oxbryta is safe and effective in children below 12 years of age.

This indication is approved under accelerated approval based on increase in hemoglobin (Hb). Continued approval for this indication may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in confirmatory trial(s).

Important Safety InformationOxbryta should not be taken if the patient has had an allergic reaction to voxelotor or any of the ingredients in Oxbryta. See the end of the patient leaflet for a list of the ingredients in Oxbryta.

Oxbryta can cause serious side effects, including serious allergic reactions. Patients should tell their healthcare provider or get emergency medical help right away if they get rash, hives, shortness of breath or swelling of the face.

Patients receiving exchange transfusions should talk to their healthcare provider about possible difficulties with the interpretation of certain blood tests when taking Oxbryta.

The most common side effects of Oxbryta include headache, diarrhea, stomach (abdominal) pain, nausea, tiredness, rash and fever. These are not all the possible side effects of Oxbryta.

Before taking Oxbryta, patients should tell their healthcare provider about all medical conditions, including if they have liver problems; if they are pregnant or plan to become pregnant as it is not known if Oxbryta can harm an unborn baby; or if they are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed as it is not known if Oxbryta can pass into breastmilk or if it can harm a baby. Patients should not breastfeed during treatment with Oxbryta and for at least 2 weeks after the last dose.

Patients should tell their healthcare provider about all the medicines they take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins and herbal supplements. Some medicines may affect how Oxbryta works. Oxbryta may also affect how other medicines work.

Patients are advised to call their doctor for medical advice about side effects. Side effects can be reported to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088. Side effects can also be reported to Global Blood Therapeutics at 1-833-428-4968 (1-833-GBT-4YOU).

Full Prescribing Information for Oxbryta is available at Oxbryta.com.

About Global Blood TherapeuticsGlobal Blood Therapeutics (GBT) is a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery, development and delivery of life-changing treatments that provide hope to underserved patient communities. Founded in 2011, GBT is delivering on its goal to transform the treatment and care of sickle cell disease (SCD), a lifelong, devastating inherited blood disorder. The company has introduced Oxbryta (voxelotor), the first FDA-approved treatment that directly inhibits sickle hemoglobin polymerization, the root cause of SCD. GBT is also advancing its pipeline program in SCD with inclacumab, a p-selectin inhibitor in development to address pain crises associated with the disease. In addition, GBTs drug discovery teams are working on new targets to develop the next generation of treatments for SCD. To learn more, please visit http://www.gbt.com and follow the company on Twitter @GBT_news.

Forward-Looking StatementsCertain statements in this press release are forward-looking within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements containing the words will, anticipates, plans, believes, forecast, estimates, expects and intends, or similar expressions. These forward-looking statements are based on GBTs current expectations and actual results could differ materially. Statements in this press release may include statements that are not historical facts and are considered forward-looking within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. GBT intends these forward-looking statements, including statements regarding GBTs priorities, goals and vision, the significance of 2019 for the sickle cell community and GBT, the safety, efficacy and mechanism of action of Oxbryta and other product characteristics, the availability, use, commercialization and commercial and medical potential of Oxbryta, the need for Oxbryta and other SCD treatments, making SCD a well-managed condition, establishing Oxbryta as a standard of care, expanding its approved label and availability around the world, and researching new pathways and developing new therapies, working and meeting with payers and obtaining reimbursement for Oxbryta, transforming the treatment and care of SCD and establishing GBT as a leader in addressing blood disorders, ongoing studies of Oxbryta and related protocols, activities and expectations, GBTs collaboration with Syros and related rights, obligations, activities and expectations, the Pharmakon loan, including its significance, the use of its proceeds, the impact on GBTs use of its financial resources, and the availability of additional funds under the loan, GBTs financial position, outlook and expectations, including its financial runway and potential to achieve positive cash flow while continuing research and development, and advancing GBTs pipeline and discovering, developing and delivering innovative treatments, to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act, and GBT makes this statement for purposes of complying with those safe harbor provisions. These forward-looking statements reflect GBTs current views about its plans, intentions, expectations, strategies and prospects, which are based on the information currently available to the company and on assumptions the company has made. GBT can give no assurance that the plans, intentions, expectations or strategies will be attained or achieved, and, furthermore, actual results may differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements and will be affected by a variety of risks and factors that are beyond GBTs control including, without limitation, compliance with the funding and other obligations under the Pharmakon loan, the timing and progress of GBTs and Syros research and development activities under their collaboration, the amount and timing of resources devoted by each of such parties to activities under the collaboration, the risks that GBT has only recently established its commercialization capabilities and may not be able to successfully commercialize Oxbryta, risks associated with GBTs dependence on third parties for development, manufacture and commercialization activities related to Oxbryta, government and third-party payor actions, including those relating to reimbursement and pricing, risks and uncertainties relating to competitive products and other changes that may limit demand for Oxbryta, the risks regulatory authorities may require additional studies or data to support continued commercialization of Oxbryta, the risks that drug-related adverse events may be observed during commercialization or clinical development, and data and results may not meet regulatory requirements or otherwise be sufficient for further development, regulatory review or approval, along with those risks set forth in GBTs Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018, and in GBTs most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, as well as discussions of potential risks, uncertainties and other important factors in GBTs subsequent filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Except as required by law, GBT assumes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

References

Contact Information:Steven Immergut (media)650-410-3258simmergut@gbt.com

Stephanie Yao (investors)650-741-7730syao@gbt.com

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GBT Reports Recent Business Progress and Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2019 Financial Results - Yahoo Finance

On Feb. 19, Nick Katers, associate vice chancellor for facilities management, took university officials on a tour of Sanford Hall to bring them up to speed on where the project is in its development, and what can be expected when construction is completed.

The Sanford Hall renovation is an $18 million project to take a 1960s-era building and put another 25-40 years of life into it, Katers said. Its a holistic renovation of all floors to include a complete redesign of office spaces and classrooms, all-new utilities and all upgraded HVAC and other systems inside the building.

Student fees funded the project, meaning students are supporting the revamping of the building. Katers says Sanford Hall is an important building for App State, and all students are likely to find themselves in the building at some point.

Most freshmen and sophomores take at least one class in Sanford Hall, so its one of the anchor-point buildings for the university and widely used, Katers said. I dont think there are too many students that go four years without having at least one class here.

Connor DavidsonUniversity officials make their way through Sanford Hall as it currently stands on Feb. 19. Nick Katers, associate vice chancellor for facilities management, said that the building already had a good structure and base and that there was a lot of benefit to renewing this building rather than tearing it down and starting over.

The construction, which began in July, is now in the framing stage. The layout of classrooms and office spaces are now visible from inside the building.

We have another couple of months of framing to do, and then well start putting in conduit, electrical, automation, a new HVAC system and starting to push drywall in, Katers said.

For those walking by, the new elevator system will be the most obvious improvement to the outside. There will be two elevators, which is one more than the building had.

The old elevator had frequent maintenance issues, so I think this will make everyone a lot happier being able to get in and out of the building a lot faster, Katers said.

The classrooms will be ready for use by spring 2021, and faculty will move into the office spaces shortly after.

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Hard hat tour shows progress on construction of Sanford Hall - The Appalachian Online

Cross-examination of Mr. Weinstein accusers sought to tap into what were likely deep-seated suspicions held by some jurors of women who report sexual assault. It is no surprise that age-old tactics were used to discredit the witnesses. At times, they were portrayed as lying for fortune or fame. They were blamed for putting themselves in a vulnerable situation. They were presented as vengeful women who regretted having consensual sex. Now the question is how long those familiar tropes will retain their power in an era when accusers stand a chance, however remote, of being believed.

Throughout the trial and the jurys deliberations, many supporters of the #MeToo movement felt a sense of urgency. If Mr. Weinstein was not held to account, they wondered, what hope was there for ordinary survivors of sexual violence seeking criminal justice?

Over the past six months, as I researched a book on credibility, I spent many hours talking with victims of sexual harassment and assault. Our conversations often turned to the meaning of accountability.

Some survivors told me they wanted nothing to do with the criminal justice system. For others, protecting possible future victims was a main reason to turn to the courts. Still others saw a criminal conviction as recognition of the harm they suffered and that it matters. For these survivors and countless others, Mr. Weinsteins conviction is cause for hope.

To be sure, #MeToo aims to accomplish much more than sending the worst offenders to prison. The movements reach is ambitious it demands that we transform our culture of male sexual entitlement and the misconduct it begets. But legal accountability is part of this evolution.

This shift may also require reforming our sexual assault laws, which continue to fixate on physical force rather than on the absence of consent. In the case of Ms. Haley, the jury believed her testimony that he forced oral sex on her, and conviction for this first-degree criminal sex act carries a maximum penalty of 25 years. But the conviction in the third-degree rape case of Ms. Mann did not require proof of force and carries a maximum penalty of only four years. What the law fails to recognize is another dynamic at work: coercion. The Weinstein accusers described him controlling their professional and personal lives in ways that were not mainly physical. But the law of sexual assault does little to account for that kind of power.

The Weinstein convictions show us that real progress is underway. But the system still mostly fails survivors. Women who are poor, of color, who come forward alone especially these women will continue to be disbelieved and blamed. Even women whose cases never make the headlines deserve more than an elusive promise of criminal justice.

Longstanding biases against accusers will not disappear overnight; not even an extraordinary conviction can remake the world. But the Weinstein verdicts indicate that we are beginning to correct course.

Deborah Tuerkheimer is a professor at Northwesterns Pritzker School of Law and a former assistant Manhattan district attorney.

The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. Wed like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips. And heres our email: letters@nytimes.com.

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I Spent Hours Talking to Victims. These Verdicts Will Give Them Hope. - The New York Times

Severe Weather Awareness Week February 23 29, 2020File Photo / The Lexington Progress

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This week, across our state we have set aside time to educate our citizens and to bring awareness to different topics related to severe weather.Tennessee experiences all modes of weather throughout the year, sometimes we experience them all in a single day! Because of this, we in the emergency management community have recognized the need for educating on a large selection of topics that we hope will help you to better prepare yourselves and your family when faced with these issues.

On Wednesday, February 26th at 9:30 a.m., there will be a statewide tornado drill along with a test of the NOAA Weather Radio. Everyone from schools, businesses, churches, healthcare facilities, and even private citizens are encouraged to participate in this and freshen up on the skills it takes to protect yourself during a tornado. Henderson County EMA Director Drew Cook added, I want to encourage everyone to participate in

For complete coverage, see the February 26th edition of The Lexington Progress.

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Severe Weather Awareness Week- February 23 29, 2020 - lexingtonprogress.com

Give Pitt this much credit as it sinks toward the bottom of the ACC standings:

The Panthers do the tough stuff as well as any team in the conference.

Yes, Pitt has lost seven of nine and no longer is a middle-of-the-pack ACC team, but in the areas of defense, offensive rebounding and forcing turnovers, few teams in the conference are better.

Pitt ranks fourth in the ACC in average points allowed (64.4), and only two conference teams hit the offensive glass as successfully as Pitt (333 offensive rebounds).

Victories and defeats are based on shooting and scoring, however, and that has been a problem. Pitt is 13th in average points (65.5) and 14th in shooting percentage (40.6).

Still, there are reasons to carry hope into the last three games of the regular season.

Lets look at three of them:

1. Pitt is pesky on defense

A good example of that was a steal by Xavier Johnson late in Saturdays 59-56 loss to Virginia.

Seconds after he scored to cut the Virginia lead to four, Johnson rushed Virginia guard Kihei Clark from behind it looked like Clark never saw him made the steal off a dribble, scored on a layup and was fouled.

Those were Pitts last points of the game. Johnson missed the free throw, and Pitt squandered subsequent chances to win or force overtime.

But the Panthers didnt roll over after trailing by 14 with 6 minutes, 24 seconds left.

The last four minutes, they made some plays, Virginia coach Tony Bennett said. They attacked.

The steal by Johnson was Virginias 16th turnover of the game, which shouldnt be a surprise to anyone watching Pitt this season. Pitt opponents commit an average of 15.4 (14.4 in ACC games). Pitt leads the conference in turnover margin (plus-3.6) and is second in turnovers forced (431).

We were the aggressor, Johnson said. Were a good defensive team. Thats where we excel.

That is small progress because it occurred in another defeat, but it is an indicator coach Jeff Capel hasnt lost his team.

2. Can Pitt beat Syracuse?

Pitt has lost six in a row to the Orange, who visit Petersen Events Center on Wednesday in the final home game of the season. That includes three last season by margins of 11, nine and 14 points and this seasons 69-61 defeat at the Carrier Dome.

Syracuse (15-12, 8-8) is 2-5 since the most recent meeting, and Pitt scored 40 points in the second half of that game. The Panthers have done that only five times in 34 halves against ACC teams. Pitt shot 53.6% after halftime. Justin Champagnie and Terrell Brown combined to hit 10 of 12 shots.

Capel found a way to solve the Syracuse 2-3 zone. If he wins the battle of wits with Jim Boeheim, Pitt has a good chance for victory.

3. What about the postseason?

With three games remaining in the regular season, Pitt has fallen to a tie for 12th in the 15-team ACC, ahead of only Wake Forest and last-place North Carolina.

That would mean opening the ACC Tournament in Greensboro, N.C., at noon March 10 against the 13th seed, perhaps one of the 10/11-loss teams (Boston College, Miami or Virginia Tech).

The Syracuse game is important for the Panthers (15-13, 6-11), not only for ACC seeding, but to give them a shot at 17 victories entering the tournament and 19 to present to the NIT committee.

Is that looking too far ahead? Capel would offer a definitive, Yes!

Pitt probably needs to win four more games to even be considered an NIT bubble team. That wont be easy.

How bad does that Nicholls State loss look now?

Get the latest news about Pitt basketball and all things Panthers athletics.

Jerry DiPaola is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Jerry by email at jdipaola@tribweb.com or via Twitter .

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Even in losses, Pitt showing signs of progress - TribLIVE