"Friendshoring" Ramps Up As Apple's Made-In-India Iphones Tops $14 B

 Global supply chains have fractured since former President Trump started the trade war with China. One of the largest beneficiaries is India, which has become the prime spot for "friend-shoring" US manufacturing supply chains out of the world's second-largest economy as relations with the West deteriorate. 

Bloomberg reports that Apple makes 14%, or about 1 in 7 iPhones in India. The rapid increase in iPhone production in India suggests that Apple is accelerating efforts to reduce reliance on China amid worsening Sino-US relations. 

According to Bloomberg sources:

Foxconn Technology Group assembled nearly 67% and Pegatron Corp. about 17% of the India-made iPhones in the fiscal year ended March 2024. The remaining iPhones were made in Wistron Corp.'s plant in southern Karnataka state, which the salt-to-software conglomerate Tata Group took over last year. Tata plans to build one of the country's biggest iPhone assembly plants.

Meanwhile... 

China still produces the largest share of iPhones, though the shift is already underway in a trend called friend-shoring. We have pointed this out for the last several years: 

• "Friendshoring" Trend Sees Companies Moving Ops To Dodge Tensions And Trade Wars
• "Confidence Shaken:" US Firms In China Look Elsewhere As 'Friendshoring' Gathers Steam
• Apple Triples iPhone Production In India As Split With China Accelerates

Michael Every at Rabobank outlined India years ago as the largest beneficiary of friendshoring. 

"... and, of course, Tim Cook can't publicly announce the rejiggering of supply chains out of China as it would infuriate Beijing. So he recently praised Apple's 'symbiotic' relationship with China," we noted last April. 

The shift from China also came as Goldman removed Apple from its "Conviction List" and Evercore ISI dropped Apple from its "Tactical Outperform" list due to sliding iPhone sales in the world's largest smartphone market. 

Furthermore, the relationship between the US and India is entering a new chapter as friend-shoring policies bring the nations closer together. 

https://www.zerohedge.com/technology/friendshoring-ramps-apples-made-india-iphones-tops-14-billion

'DocGo Becomes Official Partner of New York City Football Club'

 New York City FC and DocGo (Nasdaq: DCGO), a leading global provider of technology-enabled mobile health services, today announced a new partnership, making Ambulnz by DocGo an Official Partner of New York City FC. Together, the two organizations will work collaboratively to empower healthier lives through soccer.

As part of the partnership, Ambulnz will provide event medical services at New York City FC events and community initiatives. Ambulnz's brand will also be featured in-stadium at New York City FC’s Major League Soccer (MLS) home matches throughout the season.

"As a premier provider of medical care for the NY Mets, Citi Field, the Brooklyn Nets, Barclays Center, Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Shepperton Studios in the UK and additional partners, we are pleased to work with New York City FC,” said Stan Gitin, SVP of Operations at DocGo. “New York City FC is setting the standard of excellence for soccer in our hometown of New York City, and this collaboration further highlights our commitment to providing accessible, high-quality medical care for players and fans alike.”

https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240402297429/en/

Revolution Medicines Publishes on Inhibitor to Block Full Spectrum of Cancer-Driving Proteins

 Revolution Medicines, Inc. (Nasdaq: RVMD), a clinical-stage oncology company developing targeted therapies for patients with RAS-addicted cancers, today announced the publication of a peer-reviewed research paper in Cancer Discovery. The scientific paper details the discovery and preclinical to clinical translation for RMC-6236, an investigational RAS(ON) multi-selective inhibitor, and includes exemplary case studies from the current Phase 1/1b clinical trial demonstrating the initial anti-tumor activity of RMC-6236. This original research was led by scientists at Revolution Medicines and conducted in collaboration with researchers from across the U.S. and Europe.

Oncogenic RAS proteins drive up to 30 percent of all human cancers, most notably non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), colorectal cancer (CRC) and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). RAS G12 mutations, such as G12D, G12V and G12C, predominate in human cancers. Currently approved KRAS-targeted cancer therapies target one particular KRAS mutation, KRAS G12C, in the GDP-bound (OFF) state. The paper describes the discovery of RMC-6236, an oral, multi-selective inhibitor of the active GTP-bound (ON) state of both mutant and wild-type RAS. In preclinical studies, RMC-6236 was effective in inhibiting the growth of RAS-dependent tumor cells, while sparing normal tissues. RMC-6236 was found to be well-tolerated and drove deep and durable tumor regressions across multiple cancer types including NSCLC, PDAC, CRC, gastric and gynecologic cancers, with tumor models dependent on KRAS G12 mutations being particularly sensitive. This benefit was found to extend to models with K/N/HRAS hotspot mutations at G13 and Q61 as well.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/revolution-medicines-announces-publication-discovery-193400860.html

Entera Publishes on Oral PTH(1-34) Peptide Tablets (EB613) Phase 2 Trial Data

 Entera Bio Ltd. (NASDAQ: ENTX), (“Entera” or the “Company”) a leader in the development of orally delivered peptides, announced today that data from the Phase 2 Trial of its lead clinical compound, EB613 (Oral PTH(1-34) Tablets) for the Treatment of Post-Menopausal Women with Low BMD or Osteoporosis compared to placebo were published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research (JBMR).

As reported in the Journal of Bone Mineral Research:

Despite the superior benefits of bone building (anabolic) agents and guidelines supporting their use, these medications are used in a minority of patients for whom they are appropriate, in part because they require daily or monthly injections, which limit patient acceptance.

An oral anabolic tablet has potential to address this substantial treatment gap.

In this double-blind, placebo controlled, dose-finding randomized study, 161 postmenopausal women with low bone mineral density or osteoporosis were treated with varying doses of the active part of parathyroid hormone [PTH(1-34), EB613] or placebo given in daily oral tablets for 6 months.

The highest EB613 oral PTH tablet dose (2.5 mg), produced an increase in markers of bone formation while simultaneously decreasing the markers of bone breakdown.

Significant gains in bone mineral density of the spine and hip were observed at the end of the 6-month study and there were no significant safety concerns.

The 2.5 mg oral PTH tablet dose was well tolerated when patients were instructed to titrate up to the full dose.

We conclude that this PTH tablet might be the first effective orally administered bone building medication and should be studied further in treatment of women with osteoporosis.

https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2024/04/08/2859187/0/en/Entera-Bio-Announces-Publication-of-Oral-PTH-1-34-Peptide-Tablets-EB613-Phase-2-Trial-Data-in-the-Journal-of-Bone-and-Mineral-Research.html

Mobile-health Network Solutions Prices $9 Million Initial Public Offering

 Mobile-health Network Solutions (“MNDR” or the “Company”), a leading telehealth solutions provider in Singapore, today announced the pricing of its firm commitment initial public offering of an aggregate 2,250,000 Class A Ordinary Shares (the “Offering”). The Offering is priced at $4.00 per share (the “Offering Price”).

The Company has granted the underwriter a 45-day option to purchase up to an additional 337,500 Class A Ordinary Shares at the Offering Price, representing 15% of the Class A Ordinary Shares sold in the Offering (the “Over-allotment”).

Assuming that the Over-allotment is exercised, the Company is expected to receive gross proceeds amounting to $10.35 million, before deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses.

The shares are expected to begin trading on the NASDAQ Stock Market LLC under the ticker symbol “MNDR” on April 10, 2024. The Offering is expected to close on or about April 12, 2024, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions.

Network 1 Financial Securities, Inc. (“Network 1”), a full-service broker/dealer, acted as the sole book-running manager for the Offering. Sidley Austin LLP, Rajah & Tann Singapore LLP, and Harney Westwood & Riegels Singapore LLP are acting as U.S., Singapore, and Cayman legal counsel to the Company, respectively, and Loeb & Loeb LLP is acting as U.S. legal counsel to Network 1 for the Offering.

https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2024/04/09/2860423/0/en/Mobile-health-Network-Solutions-Announces-Pricing-of-9-Million-Initial-Public-Offering.html

Adial Safety, Compliance Data in Phase 3 Trial of Treatment for Alcohol Use Disorder

 Adial Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADIL) (“Adial” or the “Company”), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing therapies for the treatment and prevention of addiction and related disorders, announced the publication of a peer-reviewed article highlighting the promising clinical results, strong safety profile and high compliance among patients administered AD04 (low-dose ondansetron), the Company’s lead investigational new drug product being developed for the treatment of Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD). The publication also reported the results of a new study analyzing the liver safety profile of AD04 compared with placebo in subjects with AUD in the Company’s prior Phase 3 clinical trial.

The published study provides a comprehensive analysis of the liver safety profile of AD04 compared to a placebo in individuals with AUD and a specific 5-marker genetic profile. AUD, characterized by compulsive alcohol consumption and loss of control over intake, poses significant health risks and is a major contributor to alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD), a leading cause of liver transplantation and global mortality.

According to the publication, low-dose AD04 did not significantly change biochemical markers of liver injury, such as ALT, AST, and Serum Bilirubin. Additionally, while patients with AUD displayed elevated GGT levels, typically associated with increased alcohol consumption, this parameter remained unaffected by low-dose AD04. Additionally, no significant adverse effects were observed due to oral low-dose AD04 treatment. The publication also highlighted that low-dose AD04 demonstrated an outstanding safety and tolerability profile compared to placebo, featuring a low occurrence of adverse events (AEs), high medication compliance, and a minimal dropout rate. The authors further noted that there is no existing study in alcohol literature where an effective medication exhibits a similar AE profile to a placebo.

The manuscript entitled, “Safety and compliance of long-term low-dose ondansetron in alcohol use disorder treatment,” was published in the European Journal of Internal Medicine. The publication is available via Open Access at: https://www.ejinme.com/article/S0953-6205(24)00123-7/fulltext

https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2024/04/10/2860731/26135/en/Adial-Pharmaceuticals-Announces-Peer-Reviewed-Publication-Highlighting-Promising-Safety-Data-and-High-Patient-Compliance-in-a-Clinical-Trial-of-AD04-as-a-Potential-Treatment-for-Al.html

Evidence around youth gender care 'remarkably weak', says major English review

 Medical evidence underlying gender care for adolescents is “remarkably weak” and provides little clarity on long-term outcomes, according to an in-depth review of care commissioned by England’s state-funded National Health Service.

Gender care can include anything from counselling to medications related to gender issues, including drugs that can pause puberty.

The final report of the Cass Review, led by prominent pediatrician Dr. Hilary Cass and which includes research from independent academics at the University of York as well as input from families and clinicians was released on Wednesday.

The report concludes that young people with gender dysphoria - the distress of identifying as a gender different from the one assigned at birth - deserve better care but stresses that there is a lack of good evidence about how best to provide that.

The review was commissioned by the National Health Service in 2020, after the service – in line with other countries in Europe as well as the United States – saw increasing numbers of young people seeking gender care and differing opinions among experts about how best to help them.

The NHS has already announced that, in future, puberty-blocking drugs in England will only be available for young people experiencing gender distress in the context of a clinical trial. It acted after the Cass Review published interim recommendations in 2022. There is little detail yet on how this trial may work.

As part of plans to widen access to gender care and broaden the professionals involved, the NHS has also closed the previous provider of gender care for young people and replaced it with two new services in London and northwest England.

However, there is a huge backlog of cases after delays in getting services operational, and several thousand young people remain stuck in limbo on years-long waiting lists.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he welcomed the “care and compassion” of the review.

“We simply do not know the long-term impacts of medical treatment or social transitioning… and we should therefore exercise extreme caution,” he said.

The Cass Review urges extreme caution around providing masculinizing or feminizing hormones before the age of 18.

But on social transition - changing names or pronouns - it concludes there is a lack of good evidence on the impact. It recommends professionals are consulted early on for pre-pubertal children, but for adolescents, “exploration is a normal process and rigid binary gender stereotypes can be unhelpful.”

https://www.yahoo.com/news/evidence-gender-care-remarkably-weak-230315448.html