3rd Former GlaxoSmithKline Scientist Pleads Guilty to Stealing Trade Secrets for Chinese Pharma

 United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that Lucy Xi, 44, formerly a resident of Malvern, PA, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal trade secrets from GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) to benefit a Chinese pharmaceutical company named Renopharma.

Lucy Xi’s co-defendants, Yu Xue, Tao Li and Yan Mei, established Renopharma supposedly to research and develop anti-cancer drugs. In reality, though, the company was used as a repository of information stolen from GSK. Renopharma received financial support and subsidies from the government of China. At the time, Lucy Xi (who was married to Yan Mei) and Yu Xue were employed as a scientists at a GSK facility in Upper Merion, PA, which worked on developing biopharmaceutical products. These products typically cost in excess of $1 billion to research and develop. 

In January 2015, Lucy Xi sent Yan Mei a GSK document which contained confidential and trade secret data and information. The document provided a summary of GSK research into monoclonal antibodies at that time. In the body of the e-mail, Lucy Xi wrote, “You need to understand it very well. It will help you in your future business [RENOPHARMA].”

Yu Xue, her sister, Tian Xue, and Tao Li have all pleaded guilty for their roles in this conspiracy. Yan Mei is a fugitive who currently resides in China. 

“This defendant illegally stole trade secrets to benefit her husband’s company, which was financed by the Chinese government,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “The lifeblood of companies like GSK is its intellectual property, and when that property is stolen and transferred to a foreign country, it threatens thousands of American jobs and jeopardizes the strategic benefits brought about through research and development. Such criminal behavior must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

“Pharmaceutical firms like GSK invest staggering amounts of time and money to develop new medications and bring them to market,” said Jacqueline Maguire, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division. “When individuals steal valuable trade secrets concerning one of these drugs, it’s a threat both to that firm and beyond. After all, innovation like this propels the U.S. economy. The FBI is committed to enforcing laws that protect the nation’s businesses from such theft. We will not permit American research and development to be scavenged for the benefit of other companies or countries.”

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Robert J. Livermore and J. Jeanette Kang.

https://www.justice.gov/usao-edpa/pr/third-former-glaxosmithkline-scientist-pleads-guilty-stealing-trade-secrets-benefit

UK nurse reportedly recovers from COVID-19 coma after receiving Viagra

 She recovered from COVID-19 – with help from the little blue pill, according to a report.

Monica Almeida, 37, a fully vaccinated nurse in the UK, spent 28 days in a coma after contracting COVID-19 and was just 72 hours from having her ventilator turned off when she was saved by a “large dose of Viagra,” the Lincolnite reported.

Almeida, an asthma sufferer who has worked as a respiratory specialist for the UK’s National Health Service in Lincolnshire, tested positive for the deadly bug on Oct. 31, 2021, according to the outlet.

Four days later, the mother of two lost her sense of taste and smell, then began coughing up blood and soon experienced a drop in oxygen levels, according to the news outlet.

After being discharged from a hospital in Greater Lincolnshire with a prescription but no treatment, her condition took a turn for the worse and she was taken to Lincoln County Hospital, where she had started her career.

Monica Almeida was in a coma for nearly a month and was almost taken off a ventilator.

Monica Almeida

The critically ill nurse was rushed to the resuscitation room, where she received oxygen before being admitted to the ICU on Nov. 9. A week later, she was placed in a medically induced coma, according to the Lincolnite.

But before going under, Almeida signed a document saying she was willing to take part in a study to try experimental drugs.

She was given the erectile dysfunction drug Viagra about a week after being placed in a coma and her airways opened, the outlet said.

Monica Almeida and her husband, Artur, after Monica awoke from her coma.

Monica Almeida

“It was definitely the Viagra that saved me. Within 48 hours it opened up my airwaves and my lungs started to respond,” Almeida told the Sun. “If you think how the drug works, it expands your blood vessels. I have asthma and my air sacs needed a little help.”

On Christmas Eve, the nurse was finally discharged and was able to spend the holidays with her family — though her complete recovery could take several more months, the Lincolnite reported.

“It was really hard, but the nurse looking after me was a former colleague which made a big difference and the staff could see how frightened I was and they were amazing,” she told the outlet.

“Mentally I am now as good as ever, but I do get a bit teary and frustrated at times. Physically, I am very weak and fragile, but I am determined to recover,” Almeida continued.

She told the Sun that she joked with one of the medical staffers when she awoke from her coma.

According to doctors, Monica Almeida’s lungs began responding to the Viagra within 48 hours of being administered the drug.

Monica Almeida

“He told me it was the Viagra. I laughed and thought he was joking, but he said, ‘No, really, you’ve had a large dose of Viagra,’” she told the outlet. “It was my little Christmas miracle.”

Viagra can be given to COVID-19 patients in the UK if they have agreed to take part in a study to try experimental drugs, the Sun reported.

Scientists are investigating whether the erectile dysfunction drug can be used in the same way as inhaling nitric oxide, which can increase oxygen levels in the blood, according to the outlet.

Almeida, who is recovering at her home with her husband, Artur, and two sons, ages 9 and 14, added: “I could have been gone at just 37 years old, but I suppose I was a bit of a monkey and kept on fighting.”

The grateful mom is urging people to get jabbed after being told she would have died if she hadn’t been vaccinated.

“There are people out there saying the vaccine has killed people,” she told the Sun.

Monica Almeida, who was in an intensive care unit with COVID-19, began showing signs of recovery after being given Viagra for an entire week.

Monica Almeida

“I’m not denying there are people who react and get poorly with the vaccine, but when we look at the amount of deaths we have in unvaccinated people, there is a big message there to have your jab,” Almeida added.

“I never expected at 37 years of age to get as ill as I did. I never thought this would happen to me and I want people to take it more seriously.”

https://nypost.com/2022/01/03/uk-nurse-recovers-from-covid-19-after-being-given-viagra/

Hochul orders clearer accounting of COVID cases in hospitals

 New York state hospitals will have to start reporting the numbers of patients being treated for symptoms of COVID-19 separately from those who test positive after being admitted for other reasons, Gov. Kathy Hochul said Monday.

Hochul said that amid a surge in hospitalizations tied to the spread of the highly contagious Omicron variant, she was “disappointed to see that at least a certain percentage overall are not related to being treated for COVID.”

Hochul said she’d “been doing a random call around to some of the hospital leaders that I touch base with” and was “seeing numbers from 20 to sometimes 50 percent.”

“But we don’t have clear data right now. That’s anecdotal,” she said during a news conference in Rochester.

“Beginning tomorrow, we’re going to be asking all hospitals to break out for us how many people are being hospitalized because of COVID symptoms [and] how many people … happen to be testing positive, just while they’re in there for other treatments.”

Hochul made the remarks while announcing that the state’s latest seven-day hospitalization rate had spiked to 37.3 per 100,000 people, continuing “straight up” a chart that plots the surge amid the spread of the highly contagious Omicron variant of the coronavirus.

Gov. Kathy Hochul asked hospitals to provide more accurate reports on people hospitalized who are actually being treated for COVID-19.

Gov. Kathy Hochul

New York’s latest COVID-19 hospitalization numbers.

Gov. Kathy Hochul

The latest statewide rate represents a nearly 50 percent increase over the 25.3 per 100,000 that the state Health Department reported on Dec. 27.

The highest regional rate announced Monday, 43.4 per 100,000, was recorded on Long Island, while the Finger Lakes and New York City were close behind at 42.1 and 42, respectively.

Hochul also said the latest number of new coronavirus cases had dropped from “nearly 90,000” to around 51,000, but called that figure “misleading” due to the New Year’s Day holiday on Saturday and “people not getting tested over the weekend.”

People lined up to get tested for COVID-19 in the Bronx amid the surge of the Omicron variant on January 3, 2022.

Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images

“So, we’re looking at a critical moment but we also want to — we’re gonna start asking some questions,” she said.

“I have always wondered … is that person in the hospital because of COVID? Or did they show up there and are routinely tested and showing positive and they may have been asymptomatic or even just had the sniffles?”

Hochul also raised the possibility that “someone is in a car accident, they go to the emergency room, they test positive for COVID while they’re there. They’re not they’re being treated for COVID.”

According to Hochul, the latest drop in positive COVID-19 cases can be attributed to “people not getting tested over the weekend.”

Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images

“Now, someone’s conditions can worsen while they’re in the hospital. I’m not saying that won’t happen,” she added.

Hochul said, “I just want to always be honest with New Yorkers about how bad this is.”

“Yes, the numbers — the sheer numbers of people infected — are high,” she said.

“But I want to see whether or not the hospitalizations correlate with that.”

https://nypost.com/2022/01/03/hochul-orders-clearer-accounting-of-covid-cases-in-hospitals/

Acadia Healthcare Acquires CenterPointe Behavioral Health System

 Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc. (NASDAQ: ACHC) today announced the Company has completed the acquisition of CenterPointe Behavioral Health System, the largest dedicated behavioral healthcare provider in the state of Missouri. The acquired assets consist of four inpatient hospitals with 260 acute care beds and 46 specialty beds for substance use and 10 outpatient locations. CenterPointe operates behavioral health networks through regional hubs in St. Louis, Kansas City and Columbia. Acadia funded the acquisition through a combination of cash on hand and borrowings under the Company’s revolving credit facility.

Commenting on the announcement, Debbie Osteen, Chief Executive Officer of Acadia Healthcare, stated, "The acquisition of CenterPointe provides a unique opportunity for Acadia to extend our footprint in high growth markets. This transaction aligns with our growth strategy to expand our operations through select acquisitions that meet the criteria of our disciplined capital allocation framework. As a certificate of need state, Missouri is an attractive market for an acquisition transaction."

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/acadia-healthcare-announces-acquisition-centerpointe-210500827.html

Ministers 'confident' no more Covid curbs needed in England as case growth slows

 Ministers are 'quietly confident' that further Covid restrictions in England can be avoided and say there is 'nothing' in the data to suggest they will be needed despite the recent surge in cases driven by the Omicron variant.

The UK recorded 137,583 new Covid infections yesterday, a week-on-week increase of 14.7% which is lower than over the preceding days.

However data from Scotland was omitted from that total and Scots were today warned that April could be 'too early' to be planning large parties in a sign that Nicola Sturgeon's tougher Covid rules could be extended for months. 

Ministers will review the plan B measures and travel testing requirements this week, and while many restrictions are expected to remain in place, a senior government source told the Times that pre-departure tests could soon be scrapped. 

Growth in Covid hospitalisations in London - seen as a leading indicator of what may happen in the rest of the country - slowed in the run-up to New Year, new official figures revealed yesterday, although holiday reporting glitches could be affecting the total.

There were 319 patients admitted to hospital in London on December 31, a 14 per cent rise on the same day a week before, and 450 on 30 December which is a 15 per cent rise week-on-week.

While a holiday effect may be artificially keeping those numbers low, the rate of increase is well behind the days before that saw a 32% increase on December 29 to 511 admissions.

Edward Argar, a minister at the Department of Health and Social Care, said he was 'seeing nothing at the moment in the data right in front of me in the immediate situation that suggests a need for further restrictions'.

'We need cool, calm heads,' Argar said in an interview with Times Radio. 'We need to look at the data and we need to do everything possible to avoid any restrictions.' 

Meanwhile, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Steve Barclay said that an uptake in testing showed that 'the British public are taking sensible steps to keep themselves safe'.

'We've seen significant behaviour change as a result of Plan B. That's why there has been such a demand for testing in recent weeks,' he said.

'That, combined with the booster programme, is the key way as a country that we will avoid the need for further measures.' 

In other Covid developments:

• The Education Secretary said entire classes may need to be merged into larger groups or sent home to work remotely due to teacher absences caused by coronavirus 
• Fewer Covid patients in hospital are relying on ventilation compared to previous peaks during the pandemic, it has been revealed 
• Britain's streets may soon be littered with rubbish after bin collections were cancelled across the country in the face of severe staff shortages

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10363189/Ministers-confident-NO-Covid-curbs-needed-England-Scots-face-fun-ban-SPRING.html

 

Immix CEO On FDA Designation, Positioning, Price Action

Immix Biopharma Inc 

IMMX +75.84%

 (Get Free Alerts for IMMX) stock is soaring Monday after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted Rare Pediatric Disease designation for IMX-110 for the treatment of rhabdomyosarcoma, a life-threatening form of pediatric cancer in children.

"This clearly provides additional opportunities for us and represents tremendous value for us as a company in addition to the validation of this technology," Immix CEO Ilya Rachman said Monday on "Benzinga Live."

It has been historically difficult to motivate companies to develop therapies for smaller pediatric populations, so there have been regulatory pathways developed to help incentivize companies, the CEO said. 

Companies are now incentivized through vouchers, which can be worth $65 million to $300 million, Rachman said.

"The RPD designation puts us in a position of eligibility to receive the PRV (Priority Review Voucher)."

The voucher's value is dependent upon overall market conditions, the industry's development and investor perceptions, he said. 

"We are sticking to the timelines, working hard to meet them," Rachman said. 

What's Next For Immix: The capital the company has raised has put it in a "fantastic position," the CEO said. He told Benzinga he does not expect that the company will need to raise additional funds in 2022. 

IMX-110 is in Phase 1b trials. Rachman told Benzinga that investors can anticipate quarterly readouts as the trials progress, as well as pre-clinical data from other downstream candidates.

Commenting on the stock's price action today, Rachman said the move isn't "insane."

"We think that this is the beginning of the validation where markets ... begin to understand the potential, the technology and what we represent."

https://www.benzinga.com/general/biotech/22/01/24867764/exclusive-immix-ceo-on-fda-designation-positioning-price-action-on-benzinga-live

COVID-19 infections spiking in US Capitol

 Coronavirus infections in the U.S. Capitol have skyrocketed, with the seven-day average positivity rate rising from less than 1 percent to greater than 13 percent, according to a memo sent to lawmakers Monday from Capitol physician Brian Monahan.

According to Monahan, the daily case rates will increase even more substantially in the coming weeks. Dozens of infections are discovered daily, and the cases represent both a rising rate of "breakthrough infections" among mostly vaccinated individuals as well as cases in several unvaccinated individuals.

The increase in cases at the Capitol corresponds to a historic spike in the greater Washington, D.C., region as the highly contagious omicron variant spreads. According to Monahan, omicron represents approximately 61 percent of positive tests, and the delta virus variant represents 38 percent.

"The most common risk of acquiring infection is the individual's activities outside the workplace, such as attendance at receptions, entertainment venues, celebrations, family gatherings, travel, and crowded indoor situations," Monahan wrote. 

While the majority of the cases are found in vaccinated individuals, Monahan noted those infections have not led to hospitalizations, serious complications or deaths, "attesting to the value of coronavirus vaccinations." 

The numbers also reflect a high percentage of people who are vaccinated — with higher numbers of vaccinated people, there will be higher numbers of breakthrough infections. Most cases are relatively mild, but older individuals and those with underlying medical conditions may experience severe disease even if vaccinated. The best protection against the omicron variant is to get a booster shot. 

Sixty-five percent of cases at the Capitol are symptomatic, while 35 percent are asymptomatic.

The Capitol complex is not changing the rules regarding masks indoors; they are required in the House but not in the Senate. However, Monahan said masks need to be upgraded. 

"Blue surgical masks, cloth face masks and gaiter masks must be replaced by the more protective KN95 or N95 masks," Monahan wrote. 

He recommended offices adopt telework as much as possible to reduce in-person meetings and in-office activities. Additionally, Capitol food vendors and dining facilities will emphasize carry-out, delivery and grab-and-go-type food options.

"Measures to address coronavirus spread remain essential. While some view the SARS CoV2 coronavirus disease as 'endemic,' the 'new normal,' and 'inevitable,' these views are premature. The entire community must continue to take every measure to suppress the rapid spread of this disease," the memo stated.

https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/588010-covid-infections-spiking-in-us-capitol