AC Immune Receives FDA Fast Track Designation for Anti-Amyloid-beta Active Immunotherapy, ACI-24.060, to Treat Alzheimer’s Disease

AC Immune
Receives
FDA
Fast Track Designation for Anti-Amyloid-
beta
Active Immunotherapy
,
ACI-24.060,
to Treat Alzheimer’s
Disease

  • Ongoing Phase 1b/2 ABATE study enrolling well and expanding to sites in USA with Investigational New Drug (IND) clearance for ACI-24.060
  • Dosed first individual with Down syndrome (DS) in the DS cohort of ABATE
  • Interim safety and immunogenicity data in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and DS cohorts expected in H2 2023
  • Initial PET data on amyloid plaque reduction in AD expected H1 2024

Lausanne, Switzerland,
June
27
,
202
3 – AC Immune SA (NASDAQ: ACIU), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company pioneering precision medicine for neurodegenerative diseases, today announced that it has received Fast Track designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its wholly-owned anti-amyloid beta (Abeta) active immunotherapy (vaccine)-candidate, ACI-24.060, for treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. This follows FDA clearance of the Investigational New Drug (IND) application enabling expansion to the USA of the ongoing Phase 1b/2 ABATE study of ACI-24.060 in patients with AD and individuals with DS. Furthermore, the first individual with DS has been dosed in ABATE.

Dr. Andrea Pfeifer, CEO of AC Immune SA, commented: “We are delighted to see the quality and importance of our ACI-24.060 program reflected in the granting of Fast Track designation, which offers opportunities for expedited development and regulatory review. This regulatory progress underscores the attraction of an active immunotherapy targeting toxic species of Abeta. By inducing a polyclonal response including antibodies against both oligomeric Abeta and pyroglutamate-Abeta, ACI-24.060 targets the same toxic species as disease modifying anti-Abeta monoclonal antibodies that slowed AD progression in Phase 3 clinical trials. As ACI-24.060, created using our SupraAntigen® platform, specifically targets the most toxic forms of Abeta, we believe it may offer best-in-class efficacy with all the potential advantages in safety, administration and distribution that can be expected from a vaccine. We look forward to showing in H1 2024 the effect of ACI-24.060 on amyloid plaque reduction, a surrogate marker for disease modification.”

ACI-24.060’s Fast Track designation and IND clearance, as well as the expansion of ABATE to include individuals with DS were supported by positive initial interim safety and immunogenicity data from ABATE’s first, low dose AD cohort. Dosing in a second, higher dose AD cohort began earlier this year.

Dr. Johannes Streffer, CMO of AC Immune SA, commented: “ABATE’s expansion into the USA will allow us to accelerate the trial’s advancement and build upon the strong momentum we’ve generated in Europe. With today’s announcement, we remain firmly on track to report additional interim safety and immunogenicity data later this year, and for the crucial interim readout of Abeta-PET imaging data in AD in the first half of next year. By benchmarking the amount of Abeta plaque reduction achieved with ACI-24.060 against those achieved with FDA-approved monoclonal antibodies, we believe we can generate early evidence of our vaccine’s therapeutic potential to support its expeditious advancement towards pivotal programs in AD and DS-related AD.”

Dr. Michael Rafii, Medical Director of the Alzheimer’s Therapeutic Research Institute
,
Professor of Neurology at the Keck School of Medicine,
and the Principal Investigator of the trial
commented: “Despite representing the world’s largest population that is genetically at high risk for AD, individuals with DS are vastly underserved and underrepresented in clinical trials. I applaud AC Immune for seeking to address the urgent needs of this population and believe ACI-24.060 holds great promise as a novel therapy that can lower Abeta plaques to delay, or perhaps even prevent, the onset of clinical dementia symptoms in AD and DS-related AD. Moreover, I believe the potential safety, efficacy, and logistical advantages of a vaccine over monoclonal antibodies strongly support the development of therapeutics such as ACI-24.060 as the next generation of anti-Abeta therapies.”

About the Phase 1b/2 ABATE Study (

ClinicalTrials.gov

 Identifier: NCT05462106)

The ABATE study is a Phase 1b/2, multicenter, adaptive, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study to assess the safety, tolerability, immunogenicity, and pharmacodynamic effects of ACI-24.060 in subjects with prodromal Alzheimer’s disease and in adults with Down syndrome. All participants in the trial must have brain Abeta pathology confirmed by a positron emission tomography (PET) scan. Recent clinical studies and FDA approvals have validated Abeta as a disease modifying therapeutic target in AD and are supportive of Abeta PET imaging as a surrogate marker of efficacy. The trial begins with a dose escalation phase in AD patients, during which various doses/dosing regimens may be evaluated, and also includes individuals with DS.

About
AD in Down syndrome

Individuals with Down syndrome (DS) have a third copy of all or part of chromosome 21, which contains the gene that codes for amyloid-precursor protein (APP). Overproduction of APP is believed to cause the accumulation of Abeta plaques. Virtually all individuals with DS will develop Abeta plaques and AD1, with DS-related AD sharing a similar pathophysiology and biomarkers with other forms of genetic AD. Given the more predictable onset and progression of symptoms in DS-related AD, AC Immune believes ABATE’s results will offer crucial insights into the ability of ACI-24.060 active immunotherapy to modulate neurodegeneration at its earliest stages and offer this population a much needed therapeutic option.

About ACI-24.060

ACI-24.060, derived from AC Immune’s SupraAntigen® platform, has been shown in preclinical studies to induce a strong polyclonal antibody response that matures and is maintained against both oligomeric and pyroglutamate-Abeta species, key pathological forms of Abeta believed to drive Abeta plaque formation and disease progression. ACI-24.060 is designed to enhance the formation of broad-spectrum protective antibodies with the same safety and tolerability previously demonstrated in the ACI-24 program in Phase 1 and 2 trials. This investigational candidate has the potential to efficiently inhibit plaque formation and increase plaque clearance, and thereby may reduce or prevent disease progression.

Reference

  1. Lott, Ira T., and Elizabeth Head. “Dementia in Down syndrome: unique insights for Alzheimer disease research.” Nature Reviews Neurology 15.3 (2019): 135-147.

About AC Immune SA

AC Immune SA is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company that aims to become a global leader in precision medicine for neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and NeuroOrphan indications driven by misfolded proteins. The Company’s two clinically validated technology platforms, SupraAntigen® and Morphomer®, fuel its broad and diversified pipeline of first- and best-in-class assets, which currently features ten therapeutic and three diagnostic candidates, five of which are currently in Phase 2 clinical trials and one of which is in Phase 3. AC Immune has a strong track record of securing strategic partnerships with leading global pharmaceutical companies including Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, Eli Lilly and Company, and others, resulting in substantial non-dilutive funding to advance its proprietary programs and >$3 billion in potential milestone payments.

SupraAntigen® is a registered trademark of AC Immune SA in the following territories: AU, EU, CH, GB, JP, RU, SG and USA. Morphomer® is a registered trademark of AC Immune SA in CN, CH, GB, JP, KR, NO and RU.

The information on our website and any other websites referenced herein is expressly not incorporated by reference into, and does not constitute a part of, this press release.

For further information, please contact:

Head of
Investor Relations
& Corporate Communications

Gary Waanders, Ph.D., MBA
AC Immune
Phone: +41 21 345 91 91
Email: [email protected]

U.S. Investors

Corey Davis, Ph.D.
LifeSci Advisors
Phone: +1 212 915 2577
Email: [email protected]

International Media

Chris Maggos
Cohesion Bureau
Phone: +41 79 367 6254
Email: [email protected]

 

Forward looking statements

This press release contains statements that constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements are statements other than historical fact and may include statements that address future operating, financial or business performance or AC Immune’s strategies or expectations. In some cases, you can identify these statements by forward-looking words such as “may,” “might,” “will,” “should,” “expects,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “projects,” “potential,” “outlook” or “continue,” and other comparable terminology. Forward-looking statements are based on management’s current expectations and beliefs and involve significant risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, developments and business decisions to differ materially from those contemplated by these statements. These risks and uncertainties include those described under the captions “Item 3. Key Information – Risk Factors” and “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review and Prospects” in AC Immune’s Annual Report on Form 20-F and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These include: the impact of Covid-19 on our business, suppliers, patients and employees and any other impact of Covid-19. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and AC Immune does not undertake any obligation to update them in light of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable law. All forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement.

Attachment



springbig Introduces AI Assistant Tool

Leading provider of SaaS-based marketing tools Utilizes Artificial Intelligence to Offer Industry-Leading Solutions

BOCA RATON, Fla., June 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — springbig (the “Company”) (NASDAQ: SBIG), a leading provider of SaaS-based marketing solutions, today highlighted its use of artificial intelligence to align consumers, retailers and brands in this evolving era of business innovation. The Company launched its first artificial intelligence-based solution in April and today followed up with a new AI Assistant tool.

springbig’s new AI Assistant is a new tool that allows cannabis retailers to leverage artificial intelligence to write engaging content for their email campaigns. The AI text generator powered by OpenAI’s language model, GPT-3.5, is a game-changer for businesses looking to improve email copy, increase customer engagement, and improve efficiency. Currently, this ability is only available for emails, but will soon be made available for other types of campaigns in the future, including SMS.

Artificial intelligence is rapidly revolutionizing the field of technology and impacting business across all industries. springbig remains committed to helping its clients increase retention, boost revenue and build customer loyalty by offering artificial intelligence-based solutions like the Brands Marketplace feature launched in April of this year. The Company’s first AI-based tool uses consumer data to help its retail clients make data-driven decisions. The feature also provides retailers with valuable insight into how each brand aligns with their consumers’ wants and needs, equipping them with the ability to purchase wholesale brands and products that their consumers desire.

“As it becomes more ubiquitous in everyday life, the phrase ‘artificial intelligence’ is met with skepticism and, potentially, animosity,” said Jeffrey Harris, CEO of springbig. “However, strategically used artificial intelligence has the ability to optimize workflow and enhance the consumer experience. Our work with Heed and Pluggi and new suite of AI features is the beginning of what can be a collection of tech-forward solutions that will benefit our clients and reshape our industry. I am eager to learn more about how we can continue to use artificial intelligence to build a brighter future in tech, cannabis and beyond.”

springbig has established partnerships with forward-thinking tech companies using artificial intelligence to enhance the consumer marketplace. Heed, a conversational AI recommendation platform, collaborated with springbig to develop a recommendation engine that suggests relevant products and categories to consumers. The integration streamlines the purchasing process and enhances customer satisfaction by aligning products and services with consumers’ preferences. Additionally, springbig partnered with Pluggi to integrate their AI budtender widget into its platform. The integration drives loyalty rewards enrollment and offers pertinent data that dispensaries can use to develop personalized marketing campaigns. Together, these AI-powered solutions align consumers, retailers, and brands, to result in the optimal consumer marketplace.

For more information regarding springbig’s latest artificial intelligence based solutions, please visit https://springbig.com/.

About springbig

springbig is a market-leading software platform providing customer loyalty and marketing automation solutions to retailers and brands in the U.S. and Canada. springbig’s platform connects consumers with retailers and brands, primarily through SMS marketing, as well as emails, customer feedback system, and loyalty programs, to support retailers’ and brands’ customer engagement and retention. springbig offers marketing automation solutions that provide for consistency of customer communication, thereby driving customer retention and retail foot traffic. Additionally, springbig’s reporting and analytics offerings deliver valuable insights that clients utilize to better understand their customer base, purchasing habits and trends. For more information, visit https://springbig.com/.

Forward Looking Statements

Certain statements contained in this press release constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of federal securities laws. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intends,” “outlook,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “possible,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “would,” and similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. Forward-looking statements are predictions, projections and other statements about future events that are based on current expectations and assumptions and, as a result, are subject to risks and uncertainties. Many factors could cause actual future events to differ materially from the forward-looking statements in this press release, including but not limited to the risks and uncertainties described under “Risk Factors” ’of the registration statement on Form S-4, the proxy statement/prospectus relating to the business combination, the Company’s Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on June 21, 2022, and in the Company’s Form 10-Q for the period ended September 30, 2022 filed with the SEC on November 14, 2022, and other documents filed by the Company from time to time with the SEC. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties (some of which are beyond the control of springbig), and other assumptions, which may cause the actual results or performance to be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements, and the Company assumes no obligation and does not intend to update or revise these forward-looking statements other than as required by applicable law. The Company does not give any assurance that it will achieve its expectations.

Investor Relations Contact

Ryan Flanagan
ICR Strategic Communications & Advisory
[email protected]

Media Contact

MATTIO Communications
Phoebe Wilson
[email protected]



My Best Buy Memberships™ has arrived

My Best Buy Memberships™ has arrived

Updated membership options give customers the opportunity to find the tier that fits their needs.

Sign up now for exclusive deals, deeper discounts, tech support, product protection and more.

MINNEAPOLIS–(BUSINESS WIRE)–
The wait is over! Today, Best Buy is rolling out its new suite of membership options, My Best Buy Memberships™ — three tiers built for customers who want convenience, value and access, and protection and support.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230627818998/en/

My Best Buy Memberships™ has arrived (Photo: Business Wire)

My Best Buy Memberships™ has arrived (Photo: Business Wire)

Each of the options, My Best Buy™, My Best Buy Plus™ and My Best Buy Total™, offer a different set of benefits that give customers more freedom to find a membership that fits their technology needs, budget and lifestyle. My Best Buy Plus and My Best Buy Total members can expect there to be more deals and deeper discounts on the tech they love – just in time for our annual July Fourth Sale, which kicks off this Friday.

“These three tiers create a powerful membership experience for our customers,” said Patrick McGinnis, SVP of Memberships at Best Buy. “We took what our customers told us they value most with their technology and membership, which includes perks like exclusive access to deals and member-only prices,and used it to shape our three tiers with great benefits and more flexibility.”

For more details on our My Best Buy Memberships program, check out this video and read more on the different membership benefits below.

My Best Buy Memberships™

  • My Best Buy: Our free existing membership plan built for customers who want convenience, including benefits like free shipping with no minimum purchase1.
  • My Best Buy Plus: A membership plan built for customers who want value and access. For $49.99/year2, My Best Buy Plus includes everything you get with My Best Buy, plus benefits like exclusive member-only prices; exclusive access to sales, events and products; free 2-day shipping with no minimum purchase3, and more.
  • My Best Buy Total: A membership plan built for customers who want protection and support. For $179.99/year2, My Best Buy Total includes everything you get with My Best Buy Plus, plus Geek Squad® 24/7 tech support, up to two years of product protection (including AppleCare+) on most new Best Buy purchases while you’re a member4, and more.

My Best Buy® Credit Cardmembers get access to even more benefits, including 5%5 back in rewards or flexible financing options on purchases made at Best Buy. As a Cardmember, they also are automatically enrolled into and have access to My Best Buy (free) membership benefits.

For a complete list of benefits for each membership tier and more information on what we learned from our customers to help shape these options, click here.

More deals, deeper discounts

Our annual July Fourth Sale kicks off on June 30 and our My Best Buy Plus and My Best Buy Total members will get access to exclusive offers and deeper discounts on the brands they love. Here’s a sneak peek of some of the member-only offers available during the July Fourth Sale:

  • Save $250 on HP Victus i5 gaming laptop. My Best Buy Plus and My Best Buy Total Members save an additional $50 ($300 total savings).

  • My Best Buy Plus and My Best Buy Total Members save $100 on select models of iPad Air (5th Generation).

  • Save $700 on LG OLED 48A2PUA. My Best Buy Plus and My Best Buy Total Members save an additional $30 ($730 total savings).

My Best Buy Plus and My Best Buy Total members have access to member-only deals every day in-store, on BestBuy.com and on the Best Buy app. Customers can visit bestbuy.com/memberdeals or click on the My Best Buy icon to browse our featured member-only deals, as well as deals by product category, Apple, subscriptions and free trials, and more.

Disclaimers

1Exclusions, terms and conditions apply. See BestBuy.com/Shipping for details.

 

2My Best Buy Plus™ and My Best Buy Total™ memberships automatically renew and are subject to complete Terms and Conditions. A My Best Buy™ account is required, subject to the My Best Buy™ Program Terms. Memberships may be canceled at any time.

 

32-day shipping not available in all areas. Select items limited to free standard shipping at the time of purchase. Limitations apply, including extra days for shipping due to limited inventory or constrained carrier capacity. Orders to P.O. Boxes may result in additional shipping time.

 

4Product protection only applies to purchases at Best Buy®. Terms and conditions apply. The complete Terms and Conditions for Best Buy Protection and AppleCare+ can be found at BestBuy.com/ServicesTermsConditions under the “Protection” tab. Canceling your membership will cancel any remaining months of protection plan(s). Best Buy Product Protection, Inc. is the Obligor and Administrator of the Coverage under Best Buy Protection Plans. The company obligated under AppleCare+ in the United States is AppleCare Service Company, Inc., an Arizona corporation and wholly owned subsidiary of Apple Inc., doing business in Texas as Apple CSC Inc. Service fees apply to Coverage under AppleCare+ and Best Buy Protection. Claim limits apply to Best Buy Protection.

 

5Get 2.5 points per $1 spent (5% back in rewards) on qualifying Best Buy® purchases when you choose Standard Credit with your Best Buy Credit Card. Points are not awarded on promotional credit purchases. Does not include tax. Additional limitations may apply. Subject to My Best Buy™ Program Terms. Subject to change without notice.

 

Katie Klister

[email protected]

KEYWORDS: Minnesota United States North America

INDUSTRY KEYWORDS: Family LGBTQ+ Consumer Electronics Technology Consumer Other Retail Parenting Mobile/Wireless Specialty Office Products Marketing Communications Retail Audio/Video Online Retail Other Consumer Discount/Variety Home Goods Department Stores Women Seniors Men

MEDIA:

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Photo
My Best Buy Memberships™ has arrived (Photo: Business Wire)
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BioRestorative Therapies Receives Unanimous Recommendation from Data Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) to Continue its Phase 2 Clinical Trial without any Changes


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MELVILLE, N.Y., June 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — BioRestorative Therapies, Inc. (“BioRestorative”, “BRTX” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ:BRTX), a clinical stage company focused on stem cell-based therapies, today announced that the independent Data Safety Monitoring Board (“DSMB”), which is overseeing the Company’s ongoing Phase 2 clinical trial to treat chronic lumbar disc disease (“cLDD”), unanimously recommended the continuation of BioRestorative’s study in accordance with the current version of the protocol with no changes. The treated patients will receive BRTX-100, a product formulated from autologous (or a person’s own) hypoxic cultured mesenchymal stem cells collected from the patient’s bone marrow and autologous platelet lysate. Three patients in the safety run-in group received an intradiscal injection of 40,000,000 hypoxic cultured mesenchymal stem cells and one patient received an injection of saline placebo. This safety run-in was used to evaluate the safety and dose limiting toxicity of BRTX-100. There were no DLTs observed in the patients within the safety run segment of the study. Based on the clinical results of the safety run-in segment of the Phase 2 trial, the DSMB recommended that the Company be permitted to commence open enrollment of the 99 patient study. Each of these additional patients (other than those receiving a placebo) will be treated with BRTX-100, which includes 40,000,000 hypoxic cultured mesenchymal stem cells.

“This unanimous recommendation of the DSMB to allow BioRestorative to proceed without any changes to the protocol represents a significant binary outcome and major milestone for the continuation of our clinical program. With the safety profile of BRTX-100 now established through the DSMB process, we intend to accelerate the enrollment of the balance of our 99 patient study. In addition and more importantly, we intend to leverage the product technology platform across multiple indications further extending our pipeline opportunities,” said Lance Alstodt, CEO of BioRestorative Therapies.

“The results of this in-depth safety review by an unbiased team of independent experts provides us with great confidence,” said Francisco Silva, Vice President of Research and Development of BioRestorative Therapies. “The DSMB, which includes experts in chronic lumbar disc disease, has recommended that the study continue at the present dosage of cells. A DSMB recommendation is a critical step towards confirming the safety of our BRTX-100. We hope that the treatment of the next set of patients will provide further evidence that BRTX-100 is a safe and effective treatment option for patients with chronic lumbar disc disease.”

The Company’s Phase 2 clinical trial to treat chronic lumbar disc disease is prospective, randomized, double-blinded and controlled. The multi-center trial will evaluate the safety and preliminary efficacy of a single dose of BRTX-100. A total of up to 99 eligible patients will be randomized at up to 15 clinical sites in the United States. The patients will receive either the investigational drug (BRTX-100) or a placebo in a 2:1 fashion.

About BioRestorative Therapies, Inc.

BioRestorative Therapies, Inc. (www.biorestorative.com) develops therapeutic products using cell and tissue protocols, primarily involving adult stem cells. Our two core programs, as described below, relate to the treatment of disc/spine disease and metabolic disorders:

• Disc/Spine Program (brtxDISC): Our lead cell therapy candidate, BRTX-100, is a product formulated from autologous (or a person’s own) cultured mesenchymal stem cells collected from the patient’s bone marrow. We intend that the product will be used for the non-surgical treatment of painful lumbosacral disc disorders or as a complementary therapeutic to a surgical procedure. The BRTX-100 production process utilizes proprietary technology and involves collecting a patient’s bone marrow, isolating and culturing stem cells from the bone marrow and cryopreserving the cells. In an outpatient procedure, BRTX-100 is to be injected by a physician into the patient’s damaged disc. The treatment is intended for patients whose pain has not been alleviated by non-invasive procedures and who potentially face the prospect of surgery. We have commenced a Phase 2 clinical trial using BRTX-100 to treat chronic lower back pain arising from degenerative disc disease.

• Metabolic Program (ThermoStem®): We are developing a cell-based therapy candidate to target obesity and metabolic disorders using brown adipose (fat) derived stem cells to generate brown adipose tissue (“BAT”). BAT is intended to mimic naturally occurring brown adipose depots that regulate metabolic homeostasis in humans. Initial preclinical research indicates that increased amounts of brown fat in animals may be responsible for additional caloric burning as well as reduced glucose and lipid levels. Researchers have found that people with higher levels of brown fat may have a reduced risk for obesity and diabetes. 

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains “forward-looking statements” 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, and such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You are cautioned that such statements are subject to a multitude of risks and uncertainties that could cause future circumstances, events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors and other risks, including, without limitation, those set forth in the Company’s latest Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You should consider these factors in evaluating the forward-looking statements included herein, and not place undue reliance on such statements. The forward-looking statements in this release are made as of the date hereof and the Company undertakes no obligation to update such statements.

CONTACT:
Email: ir@biorestorative.com



Synlogic Announces Participation in SVB Securities Healthcare Therapeutics Forum

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., June 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Synlogic, Inc. (Nasdaq: SYBX), a clinical-stage biotechnology company advancing novel, oral, non-systemically absorbed biotherapeutics to transform the care of serious diseases, today announced that its management team will participate in the SVB Securities Healthcare Therapeutics Forum, being held in New York, July 11-12, 2023. The Synlogic team will be available for one-on-one investor meetings. To register for the conference or request one-on-one meetings, please contact your SVB Securities representative.

About Synlogic

Synlogic is a clinical-stage biotechnology company advancing novel, oral, non-systemically absorbed biotherapeutics to transform the care of serious diseases in need of new treatment options. The Company’s late-stage pipeline is focused on rare metabolic diseases, led by SYNB1934, currently being studied as a potential treatment for phenylketonuria (PKU) in Synpheny-3, a global, pivotal Phase 3 study. Additional product candidates address diseases including homocystinuria (HCU), enteric hyperoxaluria, gout, and cystinuria. This pipeline is fueled by the Synthetic Biotic platform, which applies precision genetic engineering to well-characterized probiotics. This enables Synlogic to create GI-restricted, oral medicines designed to consume or modify disease-specific metabolites — an approach well suited for PKU and HCU, both inborn errors of metabolism, as well as other disorders in which the disease–specific metabolites transit through the GI tract, providing validated targets for these Synthetic Biotics. Research activities include a partnership with Roche focused on inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and a collaboration with Ginkgo Bioworks in synthetic biology, which has contributed to two pipeline programs to date. For more information, please visit www.synlogictx.com or follow us on Twitter or LinkedIn.

Forward-Looking Statements 

This press release contains “forward-looking statements” that involve substantial risks and uncertainties for purposes of the safe harbor provided by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, included in this press release regarding strategy, future operations, clinical development plans, future financial position, future revenue, projected expenses, prospects, plans and objectives of management are forward-looking statements. In addition, when or if used in this press release, the words “may,” “could,” “should,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “look forward,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “on track,” “plan,” “predict,” “prepare” and similar expressions and their variants, as they relate to Synlogic, may identify forward-looking statements. Examples of forward-looking statements, include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the potential of Synlogic’s approach to Synthetic Biotics to develop therapeutics to address a wide range of diseases including: inborn errors of metabolism and inflammatory and immune disorders; our expectations about sufficiency of our existing cash balance; the future clinical development of Synthetic Biotics; the approach Synlogic is taking to discover and develop novel therapeutics using synthetic biology; and the expected timing of Synlogic’s clinical trials of SYNB1934, SYNB1353, SYNB8802 and SYNB2081 and availability of clinical trial data. Actual results could differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including: the uncertainties inherent in the clinical and preclinical development process; the ability of Synlogic to protect its intellectual property rights; and legislative, regulatory, political and economic developments, as well as those risks identified under the heading “Risk Factors” in Synlogic’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release reflect Synlogic’s current views with respect to future events. Synlogic anticipates that subsequent events and developments will cause its views to change. However, while Synlogic may elect to update these forward-looking statements in the future, Synlogic specifically disclaims any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing Synlogic’s view as of any date subsequent to the date hereof.

Media Contact:
[email protected]

Investor Relations:
[email protected]



Walgreens Boots Alliance Reports Fiscal 2023 Third Quarter Results

Walgreens Boots Alliance Reports Fiscal 2023 Third Quarter Results

Company Achieved Adjusted EPS Growth on Strong Sales Growth

Revises Full-Year Guidance to Reflect Consumer Market Trends and Lower COVID-19 Demand

Immediate Actions to Improve Profitability Including $600 Million of Incremental Cost Savings

Third quarter financial highlights and recent equity sales

  • Thirdquarter earnings per share (EPS*) was $0.14, a decrease of $0.20 from the year-ago quarter; adjusted EPS increased 3.3 percent to $1.00, up 3.6 percent on a constant currency basis reflecting a 19.5 percent headwind from significantly lower COVID-19 vaccine and testing volumes

  • Third quarter sales increased 8.6 percent year-over-year to $35.4 billion, and up 8.9 percent on a constant currency basis

  • Realized approximately $1.9 billion in total proceeds from the monetization of a portion of holdings in AmerisourceBergen mainly through variable prepaid forward structure, and the sale of the remaining shares of Option Care Health in the third quarter and June

  • Accelerated the full acquisition of CareCentrix, completed on March 31, 2023 for approximately $380 million

Fiscal 2023 outlook and preliminary fiscal 2024 commentary

  • Revising full-year adjusted EPS guidance to $4.00 to $4.05 from $4.45 to $4.65, to reflect consumer and category conditions, lower COVID-19 contribution, and a more cautious macroeconomic forward view

  • Taking immediate actions to drive sustainable growth in adjusted operating income in fiscal 2024

  • Raising Transformational Cost Management Program target from $3.5 billion to $4.1 billion in total savings

  • Optimizing the U.S. Healthcare path to profitability, including an increased and accelerated synergy target for VillageMD/Summit Health of $200 million by calendar 2026

  • Preliminary fiscal 2024 expectation for low- to mid-single digit adjusted operating income growth, expected to be driven by U.S. Healthcare and U.S. Retail Pharmacy; adjusted operating income growth expected to outpace adjusted EPS

DEERFIELD, Ill.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–
Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (Nasdaq: WBA) today announced financial results for the third quarter of fiscal 2023, which ended May 31, 2023.

Chief Executive Officer Rosalind Brewer said:

“WBA achieved 8.9 percent constant currency sales growth in the third quarter despite a challenging operating environment. Consumers continue to appreciate the value, convenience, and range of services provided by Walgreens and Boots. However, significantly lower demand for COVID-related services, a more cautious and value-driven consumer, and a recently weaker respiratory season created margin pressures in the quarter. Our revised guidance takes an appropriately cautious forward view in light of consumer spending uncertainty, while still demonstrating clear drivers of a return to operating growth next fiscal year. We are raising our cost savings program target to $4.1 billion and taking immediate actions to optimize profitability for our U.S. Healthcare segment. I am confident that our turnaround strategy positions WBA to drive sustainable core growth and deliver long-term shareholder value.”

Overview of Third Quarter Results

WBA third quarter sales increased 8.6 percent from the year-ago quarter to $35.4 billion, an increase of 8.9 percent on a constant currency basis, reflecting sales growth in the U.S. Retail Pharmacy and International segments, and a significant contribution from the U.S. Healthcare segment.

Operating loss was $0.5 billion in the third quarter compared to a loss of $0.3 billion in the year-ago quarter. Operating loss in the quarter reflects a $431 million non-cash impairment of pharmacy license intangible assets in Boots UK. Adjusted operating income was $1.0 billion, an increase of 0.6 percent on a constant currency basis, reflecting improvements in U.S. core pharmacy and International growth, partly offset by lower volumes of COVID-19 vaccinations and testing, planned payroll investments in U.S. Retail Pharmacy, and investments in U.S. Healthcare.

Net earnings in the third quarter was $118 million compared to net earnings of $289 million in the year-ago quarter, primarily driven by lower operating income. Adjusted net earnings were $860 million, up 3.4 percent on a constant currency basis, primarily driven by adjusted operating income.

Earnings per share in the third quarter was $0.14, compared to EPS of $0.33 in the year-ago quarter. Adjusted EPS increased 3.3 percent to $1.00, an increase of 3.6 percent on a constant currency basis, despite a COVID-19 headwind of 19.5 percent.

Net cash used for operating activities was $20 million in the third quarter. Free cash flow was negative $444 million, a $1.7 billion decrease compared with the year-ago quarter, driven by phasing of working capital and increased capital expenditures including growth initiatives and U.S. Healthcare.

Overview of Fiscal 2023 Year-to-Date Results

Sales in the first nine months of fiscal 2023 were $103.7 billion, an increase of 3.4 percent from the year-ago period, and an increase of 4.8 percent on a constant currency basis.

Operating loss in the first nine months of fiscal 2023 was $6.4 billion compared to operating income of $2.2 billion in the year-ago period. Operating loss in the period reflects a $6.8 billion pre-tax charge for opioid-related claims and litigation. Adjusted operating income was $3.2 billion, a decrease of 26.6 percent on a constant currency basis, reflecting a COVID-19 headwind of approximately 22 percent, planned payroll investments in U.S. Retail Pharmacy and growth investments in U.S. Healthcare, partly offset by improved retail contributions in the U.S., and International growth.

For the first nine months of fiscal 2023, net loss was $2.9 billion compared to net earnings of $4.8 billion in the year-ago period. This decrease is driven by a $5.5 billion after-tax charge for opioid-related claims and litigation and lapping of a $2.5 billion after-tax gain on the Company’s investments in VillageMD and Shields Health Solutions in the year-ago period, partly offset by a $1.5 billion after-tax gain from the partial sale of the Company’s investments in AmerisourceBergen and Option Care Health. Adjusted net earnings were $2.9 billion, a decrease of 20.9 percent on a constant currency basis, primarily driven by lower adjusted operating income.

Loss per share for the first nine months of fiscal2023was $3.36 compared to EPS of $5.49 from the year-ago period. Adjusted EPS decreased 21.7 percent to $3.32, reflecting a decrease of 20.7 percent on a constant currency basis, mainly due to a lower COVID-19 contribution of approximately 20 percent.

Net cash provided by operating activities was $1.2 billion in the first nine months of fiscal 2023, a decrease of $2.6 billion from the year-ago period, and free cash flow was $116 million, a decrease of $2.5 billion from the year-ago period driven by lower earnings, lower working capital contributions, and increased capital expenditures including growth initiatives.

Business Highlights

WBA continues to achieve rapid progress across its four strategic priorities, including:

Transform and align the core

  • Raising Transformational Cost Management Program target from $3.5 billion to $4.1 billion in cumulative savings by fiscal 2024

  • Established scalable partnership with TelePharm, part of Cardinal Health’s Outcomes business, enabling a tele-pharmacy to expand access and reach more patients in local communities

  • U.S. pharmacy comparable script volume growth of 2.8 percent excluding immunizations

  • Addressed industry-wide pharmacist labor shortage by returning an incremental ~300 stores to normal pharmacy operating hours and optimizing hours at an additional ~500 stores

  • U.S. retail comparable sales decline of (0.2) percent, including a 40 basis point headwind from tobacco and an 80 basis point headwind from lower levels of OTC test kits

  • Operating nine automated microfulfillment centers at quarter-end, supporting ~3,900 stores

  • Boots UK retail comparable sales growth of 13.4 percent, on top of robust prior year growth of 24.0 percent

  • Launched world-first super peptide skincare range, in owned brand No7 Future Renew, with one product sold in the UK every two seconds on launch day and over 500,000 transactions in the first four weeks; launched in the U.S. in June

Build our next growth engine with consumer-centric healthcare solutions

  • Service offering resonating with payers, health systems, and other partners:

    • Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield signed on as fourth payor partner for Walgreens Health

    • Shields and CareCentrix recently contracted with leading national health solution and care delivery organization

    • Shields added six new health system partners this year

    • Clinical trials business with first eight contracts signed; achieved milestone outreach to 1 millionth patient for potential participation in trials

  • Managing approximately 850,000 value-based lives under VillageMD/Summit Health

  • Closed full acquisition of CareCentrix on March 31, 2023

  • Closed VillageMD’s acquisition of Starling Physicians, a leading primary care and multi-specialty group in Connecticut, on March 3, 2023

Focus the portfolio; optimize capital allocation

  • Exited Option Care Health stake with common stock sales in March and June, and combined after-tax cash proceeds of ~$800 million; total proceeds of $1.2 billion since August 2022

  • Monetized AmerisourceBergen shares for current proceeds of approximately $1.1 billion in the third quarter and June, including Variable Prepaid Forward structure with no dilutive impact to WBA’s adj. EPS until fourth quarter fiscal 2025; total proceeds of $5.0 billion since May 2022

  • Announced agreement to sell Farmacias Ahumada in Chile; transaction expected to close in calendar 2023

Build a high-performance culture and a winning team

  • Aligned enterprise B2B sales and contracting teams with healthcare expertise, to sell integrated services that improve outcomes and lower cost of care for payors/health systems

  • Appointed Rich Rubino as CFO of VillageMD; formerly held CFO roles at Medco Health Solutions, Aerie Pharmaceuticals, and Cedar Gate Technologies

  • Appointed Beth Leonard as SVP, Chief Communications Officer; formerly held corporate affairs roles at EmblemHealth and America’s Health Insurance Plans

Business Segments

U.S. Retail Pharmacy:

The U.S. Retail Pharmacy segment had third quarter sales of $27.9 billion, an increase of 4.4 percent from the year-ago quarter. Comparable sales increased 7.0 percent from the year-ago quarter.

Pharmacy sales increased 6.3 percent compared to the year-ago quarter, and comparable pharmacy sales increased 9.8 percent, benefiting from branded drug inflation. Comparable prescriptions filled in the quarter increased 1.6 percent, while comparable prescriptions excluding immunizations increased 2.8 percent. Total prescriptions filled in the quarter, including immunizations, adjusted to 30-day equivalents, increased 0.1 percent to 305 million. 0.8 million COVID-19 vaccinations were administered in the quarter compared to 4.7 million in the year-ago quarter.

Retail sales decreased 1.0 percent and comparable retail sales decreased 0.2 percent in the third quarter. Excluding tobacco, comparable retail sales increased 0.2 percent, led by strong results in the grocery & household and beauty categories, partly offset by a 90 basis point headwind from holiday seasonal weakness with discretionary spending pullback, and an 80 basis point headwind from lower sales of OTC test kits.

Gross profit decreased 3.1 percent compared with the year-ago quarter, and adjusted gross profit decreased 3.2 percent. Gross profit and adjusted gross profit were largely driven by a 5 percent headwind from a lower contribution from COVID-19 vaccination and testing.

Selling, general and administrative expenses (SG&A) decreased 12.7 percent to $5.0 billion, driven by a $683 million opioid-related settlement in the year-ago quarter. Adjusted SG&A decreased 5.0 percent to $4.5 billion, reflecting the Transformational Cost Management Program, incentive accruals, and benefits from the sale and leaseback program, partly offset by increased labor investments.

Operating income in the third quarter was $0.4 billion compared to operating loss of $90 million from the year-ago quarter due to lower selling, general and administrative expenses. Adjusted operating income decreased $4 million to $1.0 billion from the year-ago quarter, reflecting a 22 percent headwind from lower COVID-19 vaccination and testing volumes, continued reimbursement pressure, and increased labor investments.

International:

The International segment had third quarter sales of $5.6 billion, an increase of 5.0 percent from the year-ago quarter, held back by an adverse currency impact of 1.9 percentage points. Sales increased 6.9 percent on a constant currency basis, with Boots UK sales growing 10.2 percent, and the Germany wholesale business growing 3.8 percent.

Boots UK comparable pharmacy sales increased 5.7 percent compared with the year-ago quarter. Boots UK comparable retail sales increased 13.4 percent compared to the year-ago quarter, growing market share for the ninth consecutive quarter. Footfall continued to improve, increasing 7 percent compared to the year-ago quarter. Boots.com continued to perform strongly, with sales up over 25 percent compared to the year-ago quarter, accounting for over 14 percent of retail sales.

Gross profit increased 7.1 percent compared with the year-ago quarter, including an adverse currency impact of 3.1 percentage points. Adjusted gross profit increased 10.3 percent on a constant currency basis, with solid growth across all International markets, led by strong retail sales in the UK.

SG&A in the quarter increased 48.2 percent from the year-ago quarter to $1.5 billion primarily reflecting a non-cash impairment of pharmacy license intangible assets, partially offset by a favorable currency impact of 3.3 percentage points. Adjusted SG&A increased 8.3 percent on a constant currency basis, reflecting lapping sale and leaseback gains in the year-ago quarter, higher inflation and increased UK in-store activities.

Operating income decreased from $100 million in the year-ago quarter to a loss of $302 million. Adjusted operating income increased 19.8 percent to $208 million, an increase of 20.9 percent on a constant currency basis.

U.S. Healthcare:

The U.S. Healthcare segment had third quarter sales of $2.0 billion, an increase of $1.4 billion compared to the year-ago quarter. On a pro forma basis, the segment’s businesses grew sales at a combined rate of 22 percent in the quarter. VillageMD, including Summit Health, grew pro forma sales 22 percent, reflecting existing clinic growth and clinic footprint expansion. Shields grew pro forma sales 35 percent, driven by recent contract wins, further expansion of existing partnerships, and strong executional focus. CareCentrix grew pro forma sales 15 percent as a result of additional service offerings with existing partners.

Gross profit was $89 million as Shields and CareCentrix gross profit was partly offset by VillageMD’s expansion. VillageMD added 93 clinics compared to the year-ago quarter. Adjusted gross profit was $114 million, an increase of $135 million compared to the year-ago period as the segment continues to rapidly scale.

Third quarter SG&A was $611 million, and adjusted SG&A was $286 million. Adjusted SG&A increased by $179 million compared to the year-ago quarter, primarily due to the acquisitions of CareCentrix and Summit Health which were not included in the year-ago quarter.

Operating loss was $522 million. Adjusted operating loss was $172 million, which excludes certain costs related to stock compensation, amortization of acquired intangible assets, and acquisition related costs. Adjusted EBITDA loss was $113 million, reflecting VillageMD expansion and lower CityMD visit volume due to a weaker respiratory season, partly offset by positive contributions from Shields.

Fiscal 2023 Outlook and Preliminary Fiscal 2024 Commentary

For the full fiscal year 2023, Walgreens Boots Alliance now expects adjusted EPS of $4.00 to $4.05 from $4.45 to $4.65 previously, reflecting challenging consumer and macroeconomic conditions, and lower COVID-19 vaccine and testing volumes.

The fourth quarter is expected to be negatively impacted by a higher effective tax rate, shifting U.S. consumer spending with heightened macro pressures, and the impact of a weaker respiratory season for both U.S. Retail Pharmacy and U.S. Healthcare. Despite these challenges, the Company expects adjusted operating income growth to accelerate in the fourth quarter from 0.6 percent in the third quarter.

For the fiscal year 2024, Walgreens Boots Alliance is providing preliminary expectations for low- to mid-single digit adjusted operating income growth, with the U.S. Healthcare and U.S. Retail Pharmacy performance more than offsetting headwinds from lower sale and leaseback program benefits, lower COVID-19 contribution, and the sale of holdings in AmerisourceBergen. Adjusted operating income growth is expected to outpace adjusted EPS due to a higher tax rate and a negative impact from non-controlling interest.

The Company’s fiscal year 2024 commentary reflects views on market trends and expected performance based on information available to the management team as of the date hereof. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ from these expectations are set forth below under “Forward-Looking Statements.” The Company will provide detailed 2024 guidance when it reports fourth quarter and full year 2023 results.

The Company is taking immediate actions to drive sustainable growth including:

  • Raising the Transformational Cost Management Program target from $3.5 billion to $4.1 billion in cumulative savings by fiscal 2024; expecting cost savings of $800 million in fiscal 2024

  • Implemented capital and project spend reductions; working capital optimization program launched, benefiting fiscal 2024

  • Advancing portfolio simplification to pay down debt and fund strategic initiatives

  • Announcing swift actions to improve the U.S. Healthcare path to profitability, including realigned CityMD costs, accelerated VillageMD patient panel build, aggressive integration of prior Summit Health acquisitions, upgraded VillageMD management, and an increased and accelerated synergy target for VillageMD/Summit Health

  • Accelerating synergies between U.S. Healthcare and Walgreens operations

The Company’s capital allocation continues to focus on core investments, debt paydown, and dividend payments.

Conference Call

WBA will hold a conference call to discuss the third quarter results beginning at 8:30 a.m. Eastern time today, June 27, 2023. A live simulcast as well as related presentation materials will be available through WBA’s investor relations website at: https://investor.walgreensbootsalliance.com. A replay of the conference will be archived on the website for at least 12 months after the event.

*All references to net earnings or net loss are to net earnings or net loss attributable to WBA, and all references to EPS are to diluted EPS attributable to WBA.

**”Adjusted,” “constant currency” and free cash flow amounts are non-GAAP financial measures. See the appendix to this release for a discussion of non-GAAP financial measures, including a reconciliation to the most closely correlated GAAP measure.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: This release contains forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These include, without limitation, estimates of and goals for future operating, financial and tax performance and results, including our fiscal year 2023 guidance, our preliminary fiscal year 2024 commentary, our long-term growth algorithm, outlook and targets and related assumptions and drivers, as well as forward-looking statements concerning the expected execution and effect of our business strategies, including the potential impacts on our business of COVID-19, our cost-savings and growth initiatives, including statements relating to our expected cost savings under our Transformational Cost Management Program and expansion and future operating and financial results of our U.S. Healthcare segment, including our long-term sales targets and profitability expectations. All statements in the future tense and all statements accompanied by words such as “expect,” “outlook,” “preliminary outlook,” “forecast,” “would,” “could,” “should,” “can,” “will,” “project,” “intend,” “plan,” “goal,” “guidance,” “target,” “aim,” continue,” “transform,” “accelerate,” “model,” “long-term,” “believe,” “seek,” “estimate,” “anticipate,” “may,” “possible,” “assume,” “commentary,” “potential,” “preliminary,” and variations of such words and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements.

These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions, known or unknown, that could cause actual results to vary materially from those indicated or anticipated.

These risks, assumptions and uncertainties include those described in Item 1A (Risk Factors) of our Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2022, as amended, and in other documents that we file or furnish with the Securities and Exchange Commission. If one or more of these risks or uncertainties materializes, or if underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those indicated or anticipated by such forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements we make or that are made on our behalf are qualified by these cautionary statements. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made.

We do not undertake, and expressly disclaim, any duty or obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statement after the date of this release, whether as a result of new information, future events, changes in assumptions or otherwise.

Please refer to the supplemental information presented below for reconciliations of the non-GAAP financial measures used in this release to the most comparable GAAP financial measure and related disclosures.

Notes to Editors:

About Walgreens Boots Alliance

Walgreens Boots Alliance (Nasdaq: WBA) is an integrated healthcare, pharmacy and retail leader serving millions of customers and patients every day, with a 170-year heritage of caring for communities.

A trusted, global innovator in retail pharmacy with approximately 13,000 locations across the U.S., Europe and Latin America, WBA plays a critical role in the healthcare ecosystem. The Company is reimagining local healthcare and well-being for all as part of its purpose – to create more joyful lives through better health. Through dispensing medicines, improving access to a wide range of health services, providing high quality health and beauty products and offering anytime, anywhere convenience across its digital platforms, WBA is shaping the future of healthcare.

WBA employs more than 325,000 people and has a presence in nine countries through its portfolio of consumer brands: Walgreens, Boots, Duane Reade, the No7 Beauty Company, Benavides in Mexico and Ahumada in Chile. Additionally, WBA has a portfolio of healthcare-focused investments located in several countries, including China and the U.S.

The Company is proud of its contributions to healthy communities, a healthy planet, an inclusive workplace and a sustainable marketplace. WBA has been recognized for its commitment to operating sustainably: the Company is an index component of the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) and was named to the 100 Best Corporate Citizens 2022.

More Company information is available at www.walgreensbootsalliance.com.

(WBA-ER)

 

 

WALGREENS BOOTS ALLIANCE, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED CONDENSED STATEMENTS OF EARNINGS

(UNAUDITED)

(in millions, except per share amounts)

 

 

Three months ended May 31,

 

Nine months ended May 31,

 

 

2023

 

 

 

2022

 

 

 

2023

 

 

 

2022

 

Sales

$

35,415

 

 

$

32,597

 

 

$

103,659

 

 

$

100,254

 

Cost of sales

 

28,826

 

 

 

26,025

 

 

 

83,062

 

 

 

78,399

 

Gross profit

 

6,588

 

 

 

6,572

 

 

 

20,596

 

 

 

21,855

 

Selling, general and administrative expenses

 

7,123

 

 

 

7,019

 

 

 

27,215

 

 

 

19,975

 

Equity earnings in AmerisourceBergen

 

58

 

 

 

127

 

 

 

187

 

 

 

330

 

Operating (loss) income

 

(477

)

 

 

(320

)

 

 

(6,431

)

 

 

2,209

 

Other income, net

 

268

 

 

 

410

 

 

 

1,812

 

 

 

2,829

 

(Loss) earnings before interest and income tax (benefit) provision

 

(209

)

 

 

90

 

 

 

(4,619

)

 

 

5,038

 

Interest expense, net

 

173

 

 

 

108

 

 

 

425

 

 

 

295

 

(Loss) earnings before income tax (benefit) provision

 

(382

)

 

 

(18

)

 

 

(5,044

)

 

 

4,743

 

Income tax (benefit) provision

 

(330

)

 

 

(242

)

 

 

(1,707

)

 

 

205

 

Post-tax earnings from other equity method investments

 

4

 

 

 

5

 

 

 

18

 

 

 

29

 

Net (loss) earnings

 

(48

)

 

 

229

 

 

 

(3,320

)

 

 

4,566

 

Net loss attributable to non-controlling interests

 

(166

)

 

 

(60

)

 

 

(420

)

 

 

(186

)

Net earnings (loss) attributable to Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc.

$

118

 

 

$

289

 

 

$

(2,900

)

 

$

4,752

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net earnings (loss) per common share:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic

$

0.14

 

 

$

0.33

 

 

$

(3.36

)

 

$

5.50

 

Diluted

$

0.14

 

 

$

0.33

 

 

$

(3.36

)

 

$

5.49

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weighted average common shares outstanding:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic

 

863.1

 

 

 

864.0

 

 

 

863.1

 

 

 

864.4

 

Diluted

 

863.8

 

 

 

865.3

 

 

 

863.1

 

 

 

866.0

 

 

 

WALGREENS BOOTS ALLIANCE, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED CONDENSED BALANCE SHEETS

(UNAUDITED)

(in millions)

 

 

 

May 31, 2023

 

August 31, 2022

Assets

 

 

 

 

Current assets:

 

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents

 

$

871

 

$

1,358

Marketable securities

 

 

99

 

 

1,114

Accounts receivable, net

 

 

5,843

 

 

5,017

Inventories

 

 

8,164

 

 

8,353

Other current assets

 

 

1,565

 

 

1,059

Total current assets

 

 

16,542

 

 

16,902

 

 

 

 

 

Non-current assets:

 

 

 

 

Property, plant and equipment, net

 

 

11,562

 

 

11,729

Operating lease right-of-use assets

 

 

22,051

 

 

21,259

Goodwill

 

 

28,371

 

 

22,280

Intangible assets, net

 

 

13,578

 

 

10,730

Equity method investments

 

 

3,527

 

 

5,495

Other non-current assets

 

 

2,973

 

 

1,730

Total non-current assets

 

 

82,063

 

 

73,222

Total assets

 

$

98,605

 

$

90,124

 

 

 

 

 

Liabilities, redeemable non-controlling interests and equity

 

 

 

 

Current liabilities:

 

 

 

 

Short-term debt

 

$

3,061

 

$

1,059

Trade accounts payable

 

 

12,029

 

 

11,255

Operating lease obligations

 

 

2,356

 

 

2,286

Accrued expenses and other liabilities

 

 

8,578

 

 

7,899

Income taxes

 

 

146

 

 

84

Total current liabilities

 

 

26,170

 

 

22,583

 

 

 

 

 

Non-current liabilities:

 

 

 

 

Long-term debt

 

 

8,841

 

 

10,615

Operating lease obligations

 

 

22,181

 

 

21,517

Deferred income taxes

 

 

1,657

 

 

1,442

Accrued litigation obligations

 

 

6,407

 

 

551

Other non-current liabilities

 

 

3,829

 

 

3,009

Total non-current liabilities

 

 

42,915

 

 

37,134

 

 

 

 

 

Redeemable non-controlling interests

 

 

160

 

 

1,042

Total equity

 

 

29,359

 

 

29,366

Total liabilities, redeemable non-controlling interests and equity

 

$

98,605

 

$

90,124

WALGREENS BOOTS ALLIANCE, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED CONDENSED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(UNAUDITED)

(in millions)

 

 

Nine months ended May 31,

 

 

 

2023

 

 

 

2022

 

Cash flows from operating activities:

 

 

 

 

Net (loss) earnings

 

$

(3,320

)

 

$

4,566

 

Adjustments to reconcile net (loss) earnings to net cash provided by operating activities:

 

 

 

 

Depreciation and amortization

 

 

1,652

 

 

 

1,502

 

Deferred income taxes

 

 

(2,098

)

 

 

(168

)

Stock compensation expense

 

 

348

 

 

 

266

 

Earnings from equity method investments

 

 

(206

)

 

 

(359

)

Loss on early extinguishment of debt

 

 

 

 

 

4

 

Gain on previously held investment interests

 

 

 

 

 

(2,576

)

Gain on sale of equity method investments

 

 

(1,691

)

 

 

(421

)

Gain on sale-leaseback transactions

 

 

(825

)

 

 

(410

)

Impairment of intangible assets

 

 

431

 

 

 

 

Impairment of equity method investments and investments in debt and equity securities

 

 

16

 

 

 

233

 

Other

 

 

269

 

 

 

211

 

Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

 

 

 

 

Accounts receivable, net

 

 

(411

)

 

 

725

 

Inventories

 

 

326

 

 

 

(510

)

Other current assets

 

 

(184

)

 

 

(58

)

Trade accounts payable

 

 

627

 

 

 

767

 

Accrued expenses and other liabilities

 

 

(588

)

 

 

(362

)

Income taxes

 

 

216

 

 

 

82

 

Accrued litigation obligations

 

 

6,835

 

 

 

 

Other non-current assets and liabilities

 

 

(179

)

 

 

320

 

Net cash provided by operating activities

 

 

1,219

 

 

 

3,813

 

Cash flows from investing activities:

 

 

 

 

Additions to property, plant and equipment

 

 

(1,633

)

 

 

(1,241

)

Proceeds from sale-leaseback transactions

 

 

1,549

 

 

 

809

 

Proceeds from sale of other assets

 

 

3,798

 

 

 

976

 

Business, investment and asset acquisitions, net of cash acquired

 

 

(7,072

)

 

 

(2,040

)

Other

 

 

110

 

 

 

233

 

Net cash used for investing activities

 

 

(3,249

)

 

 

(1,262

)

Cash flows from financing activities:

 

 

 

 

Net change in short-term debt with maturities of 3 months or less

 

 

147

 

 

 

(10

)

Proceeds from debt

 

 

5,240

 

 

 

11,944

 

Payments of debt

 

 

(5,232

)

 

 

(7,350

)

Acquisition of non-controlling interests

 

 

(1,316

)

 

 

(2,108

)

Proceeds from issuance of non-controlling interests

 

 

2,735

 

 

 

 

Proceeds from variable prepaid forward

 

 

644

 

 

 

 

Stock purchases

 

 

(150

)

 

 

(187

)

Proceeds related to employee stock plans, net

 

 

34

 

 

 

13

 

Cash dividends paid

 

 

(1,244

)

 

 

(1,251

)

Early debt extinguishment

 

 

 

 

 

(458

)

Other

 

 

(286

)

 

 

160

 

Net cash provided by financing activities

 

 

573

 

 

 

753

 

Effect of exchange rate changes on cash, cash equivalents, marketable securities and restricted cash

 

 

17

 

 

 

(33

)

Changes in cash, cash equivalents, marketable securities and restricted cash:

 

 

 

 

Net (decrease) increase in cash, cash equivalents, marketable securities and restricted cash

 

 

(1,441

)

 

 

3,270

 

Cash, cash equivalents, marketable securities and restricted cash at beginning of period

 

 

2,558

 

 

 

1,270

 

Cash, cash equivalents, marketable securities and restricted cash at end of period

 

$

1,117

 

 

$

4,541

 

WALGREENS BOOTS ALLIANCE, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION (UNAUDITED)

REGARDING NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES

The following information provides reconciliations of the supplemental non-GAAP financial measures, as defined under SEC rules, presented in this press release to the most directly comparable financial measures calculated and presented in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (GAAP). The Company has provided the non-GAAP financial measures in the press release, which are not calculated or presented in accordance with GAAP, as supplemental information and in addition to the financial measures that are calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP.

These supplemental non-GAAP financial measures are presented because management has evaluated the Company’s financial results both including and excluding the adjusted items or the effects of foreign currency translation, as applicable, and believes that the supplemental non-GAAP financial measures presented provide additional perspective and insights when analyzing the core operating performance of the Company’s business from period to period and trends in the Company’s historical operating results. These supplemental non-GAAP financial measures should not be considered superior to, as a substitute for or as an alternative to, and should be considered in conjunction with, the GAAP financial measures presented in the press release.

The Company does not provide a reconciliation for non-GAAP estimates on a forward-looking basis where it is unable to provide a meaningful or accurate calculation or estimation of reconciling items and the information is not available without unreasonable effort. This is due to the inherent difficulty of forecasting the timing or amount of various items that have not yet occurred, are out of the Company’s control and/or cannot be reasonably predicted, such as unusual one-time charges, tax expenses, and material litigation expenses, and that would impact diluted net earnings per share, the most directly comparable forward-looking GAAP financial measure. For the same reasons, the Company is unable to address the probable significance of the unavailable information. Forward-looking non-GAAP financial measures provided without the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures may vary materially from the corresponding GAAP financial measures.

Constant currency

The Company also presents certain information related to current period operating results in “constant currency,” which is a non-GAAP financial measure. These amounts are calculated by translating current period results at the foreign currency exchange rates used in the comparable period in the prior year. The Company presents such constant currency financial information because it has significant operations outside of the U.S. transacting in currencies other than the U.S. dollar and this presentation provides a framework to assess how its business performed excluding the impact of foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations.

Comparable sales

For the Company’s U.S. Retail Pharmacy and International segments, comparable sales are defined as sales from stores that have been open for at least twelve consecutive months without closure for seven or more consecutive days, including due to store damage, and without a major remodel or being subject to a natural disaster, in the past twelve months as well as e-commerce sales. E-commerce sales include digitally initiated sales online or through mobile applications. Relocated stores are not included as comparable sales for the first twelve months after the relocation. Acquired stores are not included as comparable sales for the first twelve months after acquisition or conversion, when applicable, whichever is later. Comparable sales, comparable pharmacy sales, comparable retail sales, comparable number of prescriptions and comparable number of 30-day equivalent prescriptions refer to total sales, pharmacy sales, retail sales, number of prescriptions and number of 30-day equivalent prescriptions, respectively. The method of calculating comparable sales varies across the retail industry. As a result, the Company’s method of calculating comparable sales may not be the same as other retailers’ methods.

With respect to the International segment, comparable sales, comparable pharmacy sales and comparable retail sales, are presented on a constant currency basis, which is a non-GAAP financial measure. Refer to the discussion above in “Constant currency” for further details on constant currency calculations.

Key Performance Indicators

The Company considers certain metrics, such as comparable sales, comparable pharmacy sales, comparable retail sales, comparable number of prescriptions, comparable 30-day equivalent prescriptions, number of payor/ provider partnerships at period end, number of locations with Walgreens Health Corners at period end, number of VillageMD co-located clinics at period end and number of total VillageMD/Summit/CityMD locations at period end, to be key performance indicators because the Company’s management has evaluated its results of operations using these metrics and believes that these key performance indicators presented provide additional perspective and insights when analyzing the core operating performance of the Company from period to period and trends in its historical operating results. These key performance indicators should not be considered superior to, as a substitute for or as an alternative to, and should be considered in conjunction with, the GAAP financial measures presented herein. These measures may not be comparable to similarly-titled performance indicators used by other companies.

With respect to the total number of VillageMD locations, locations are defined as the primary care locations where the Company or the Company’s affiliates lease or license space and the providers are employed by either the Company or one of the Company’s affiliates. These locations are primarily branded as Village Medical where the Company employs the providers but, in some instances, may operate under their own brands.

NET EARNINGS (LOSS) TO ADJUSTED NET EARNINGS AND DILUTED NET EARNINGS (LOSS) PER SHARE TO ADJUSTED DILUTED NET EARNINGS PER SHARE

 

 

 

 

(in millions, except per share amounts)

 

 

 

Three months ended May 31,

 

Nine months ended May 31,

 

 

 

 

2023

 

 

 

2022

 

 

 

2023

 

 

 

2022

 

 

Net earnings (loss) attributable to Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (GAAP)

 

$

118

 

 

$

289

 

 

$

(2,900

)

 

$

4,752

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Adjustments to operating (loss) income:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Certain legal and regulatory accruals and settlements 1

 

 

268

 

 

 

734

 

 

 

7,249

 

 

 

734

 

 

Acquisition-related amortization 2

 

 

274

 

 

 

201

 

 

 

851

 

 

 

616

 

 

Transformational cost management 3

 

 

414

 

 

 

185

 

 

 

697

 

 

 

458

 

 

Impairment of intangible assets 4

 

 

299

 

 

 

 

 

 

299

 

 

 

 

 

Acquisition-related costs 5

 

 

70

 

 

 

40

 

 

 

257

 

 

 

155

 

 

Adjustments to equity earnings in AmerisourceBergen 6

 

 

61

 

 

 

60

 

 

 

178

 

 

 

155

 

 

LIFO provision 7

 

 

51

 

 

 

55

 

 

 

89

 

 

 

64

 

 

Total adjustments to operating (loss) income

 

 

1,436

 

 

 

1,275

 

 

 

9,620

 

 

 

2,181

 

 

Adjustments to other income, net:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gain on sale of equity method investments 8

 

 

(179

)

 

 

(421

)

 

 

(1,692

)

 

 

(421

)

 

Gains on investments, net 9

 

 

(76

)

 

 

 

 

 

(76

)

 

 

(2,576

)

 

Impairment of equity method investment and investments in debt and equity securities 10

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

190

 

 

Adjustment to gain on disposal of discontinued operations 11

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

38

 

 

Loss on certain non-hedging derivatives 12

 

 

26

 

 

 

 

 

 

26

 

 

 

1

 

 

Total adjustments to other income, net

 

 

(229

)

 

 

(421

)

 

 

(1,742

)

 

 

(2,768

)

 

Adjustments to interest expense, net:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Early debt extinguishment 13

 

 

 

 

 

4

 

 

 

 

 

 

4

 

 

Total adjustments to interest expense, net

 

 

 

 

 

4

 

 

 

 

 

 

4

 

 

Adjustments to income tax (benefit) provision:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Equity method non-cash tax 14

 

 

10

 

 

 

25

 

 

 

33

 

 

 

55

 

 

Tax impact of adjustments 14

 

 

(408

)

 

 

(331

)

 

 

(1,968

)

 

 

(466

)

 

Total adjustments to income tax (benefit) provision

 

 

(397

)

 

 

(306

)

 

 

(1,935

)

 

 

(411

)

 

Adjustments to post-tax earnings from other equity method investments:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Adjustments to earnings from other equity method investments 15

 

 

9

 

 

 

24

 

 

 

31

 

 

 

49

 

 

Total adjustments to post-tax earnings from other equity method investments

 

 

9

 

 

 

24

 

 

 

31

 

 

 

49

 

 

Adjustments to net loss attributable to non-controlling interests:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Transformational cost management 3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(1

)

 

Early debt extinguishment 13

 

 

 

 

 

(1

)

 

 

 

 

 

(1

)

 

Acquisition-related costs 5

 

 

(16

)

 

 

2

 

 

 

(71

)

 

 

(18

)

 

Acquisition-related amortization 2

 

 

(61

)

 

 

(31

)

 

 

(139

)

 

 

(119

)

 

Total adjustments to net loss attributable to non-controlling interests

 

 

(77

)

 

 

(31

)

 

 

(210

)

 

 

(140

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Adjusted net earnings attributable to Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (Non-GAAP measure)

 

$

860

 

 

$

834

 

 

$

2,864

 

 

$

3,667

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Diluted net earnings (loss) per common share (GAAP) 16

 

$

0.14

 

 

$

0.33

 

 

$

(3.36

)

 

$

5.49

 

 

Adjustments to operating (loss) income

 

 

1.66

 

 

 

1.47

 

 

 

11.14

 

 

 

2.52

 

 

Adjustments to other income, net

 

 

(0.27

)

 

 

(0.49

)

 

 

(2.02

)

 

 

(3.20

)

 

Adjustments to interest expense, net

 

 

 

 

 

0.01

 

 

 

 

 

 

0.01

 

 

Adjustments to income tax (benefit) provision

 

 

(0.46

)

 

 

(0.35

)

 

 

(2.24

)

 

 

(0.47

)

 

Adjustments to post-tax earnings from other equity method investments

 

 

0.01

 

 

 

0.03

 

 

 

0.04

 

 

 

0.06

 

 

Adjustments to net loss attributable to non-controlling interests

 

 

(0.09

)

 

 

(0.04

)

 

 

(0.24

)

 

 

(0.16

)

 

Adjusted diluted net earnings per common share (Non-GAAP measure) 17

 

$

1.00

 

 

$

0.96

 

 

$

3.32

 

 

$

4.23

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weighted average common shares outstanding, diluted (in millions) 17

 

 

863.8

 

 

 

865.3

 

 

 

863.8

 

 

 

866.0

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

Certain legal and regulatory accruals and settlements relate to significant charges associated with certain legal proceedings, including legal defense costs. The Company excludes these charges when evaluating operating performance because it does not incur such charges on a predictable basis and exclusion of such charges enables more consistent evaluation of the Company’s operating performance. These charges are recorded within Selling, general and administrative expenses. During the three and nine months ended May 31, 2023, the Company recorded charges related to the previously announced opioid litigation settlement frameworks and certain other legal matters.

2

Acquisition-related amortization includes amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets, inventory valuation adjustments and stock-based compensation fair valuation adjustments. Amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets includes amortization of intangible assets such as customer relationships, trade names, trademarks, developed technology and contract intangibles. Intangible asset amortization excluded from the related non-GAAP measure represents the entire amount recorded within the Company’s GAAP financial statements. The revenue generated by the associated intangible assets has not been excluded from the related non-GAAP measures. Amortization expense, unlike the related revenue, is not affected by operations of any particular period unless an intangible asset becomes impaired, or the estimated useful life of an intangible asset is revised. These charges are primarily recorded within Selling, general and administrative expenses. The stock-based compensation fair valuation adjustment reflects the difference between the fair value based remeasurement of awards under purchase accounting and the grant date fair valuation. Post-acquisition compensation expense recognized in excess of the original grant date fair value of acquiree awards are excluded from the related non-GAAP measures as these arise from acquisition-related accounting requirements or agreements, and are not reflective of normal operating activities.

3

Transformational Cost Management Program charges are costs associated with a formal restructuring plan. These charges are primarily recorded within Selling, general and administrative expenses. These costs do not reflect current operating performance and are impacted by the timing of restructuring activity.

4

Impairment of intangible assets do not relate to the ordinary course of the Company’s business. The Company excludes these charges when evaluating operating performance because it does not incur such charges on a predictable basis and exclusion of such charges enables more consistent evaluation of the Company’s operating performance. These charges are recorded within Selling, general and administrative expenses. During the three months ended May 31, 2023, the Company recognized a $431 million impairment of pharmacy license intangible assets in Boots UK of which $132 million was attributed to additional store closures recognized as part of the Transformational Cost Management Program.

5

Acquisition-related costs are transaction and integration costs associated with certain merger, acquisition and divestitures related activities. These costs include charges incurred related to certain mergers, acquisition and divestitures related activities recorded in operating income, for example, costs related to integration efforts for merger, acquisition and divestitures activities. Examples of such costs include deal costs, severance, stock compensation and employee transaction success bonuses. These charges are primarily recorded within Selling, general and administrative expenses. These costs are significantly impacted by the timing and complexity of the underlying merger, acquisition and divestitures related activities and do not reflect the Company’s current operating performance.

6

Adjustments to equity earnings in AmerisourceBergen consist of the Company’s proportionate share of non-GAAP adjustments reported by AmerisourceBergen consistent with the Company’s non-GAAP measures.

7

The Company’s U.S. Retail Pharmacy segment inventory is accounted for using the last-in-first-out (“LIFO”) method. This adjustment represents the impact on cost of sales as if the U.S. Retail Pharmacy segment inventory is accounted for using first-in first-out (“FIFO”) method. The LIFO provision is affected by changes in inventory quantities, product mix, and manufacturer pricing practices, which may be impacted by market and other external influences. Therefore, the Company cannot control the amounts recognized or timing of these items.

8

Includes significant gains on the sale of equity method investments. During the three and nine months ended May 31, 2023, the Company recorded a gain of $179 million and $1.6 billion, respectively, in Other income, net, due to a partial sale of its equity method investment in AmerisourceBergen and Option Care Health. During the three months ended May 31, 2022, the Company recorded a gain of $424 million in Other income, net due to a partial sale of its equity method investment in AmerisourceBergen.

9

Includes significant gains resulting from the change in classification of investments as well as the fair value adjustments recorded to Other income, net. During the three months ended May 31, 2023, the Company recorded pre-tax gains of $76 million related to the change in classification of its previously held equity method investment in Option Care Health to an investment in equity security held at fair value. During the three months ended November 30, 2021, the Company recorded pre-tax gains of $2.2 billion and $402 million for VillageMD and Shields, respectively, related to the change in classification of previously held minority equity interests and debt securities to fair value on business combinations. These gains were recorded in Other income, net.

10

Impairment of equity method investment and investments in debt and equity securities includes impairment of certain investments. The Company excludes these charges when evaluating operating performance because these do not relate to the ordinary course of the Company’s business and it does not incur such charges on a predictable basis. Exclusion of such charges enables more consistent evaluation of the Company’s operating performance. These charges are recorded within Other income, net.

11

During the three months ended February 28, 2022, the Company finalized the working capital adjustments with AmerisourceBergen related to the sale of the Alliance Healthcare business, resulting in a $38 million charge recorded to Other income, net in the Consolidated Condensed Statement of Earnings.

12

Includes fair value gains or losses on the variable prepaid forward derivatives and certain derivative instruments used as economic hedges of the Company’s net investments in foreign subsidiaries. These charges are recorded within Other income, net. The Company does not believe the volatility related to the mark-to-market adjustments on the underlying derivative instruments reflects the Company’s operational performance.

13

During the three months ended May 31, 2022, the Company incurred a $4 million loss in connection with the early extinguishment of debt related to the integration of Shields. The Company excludes these charges as related activities do not reflect the Company’s ongoing financial performance.

14

Adjustments to income tax (benefit) provision include adjustments to the GAAP basis tax (benefit) provision commensurate with non-GAAP adjustments and certain discrete tax items including U.S. and UK tax law changes and equity method non-cash tax. These charges are recorded within income tax (benefit) provision.

15

Adjustments to post-tax earnings from other equity method investments consist of the proportionate share of certain equity method investees’ non-cash items or unusual or infrequent items consistent with the Company’s non-GAAP adjustments. These charges are recorded within post-tax earnings from other equity method investments. Although the Company may have shareholder rights and board representation commensurate with its ownership interests in these equity method investees, adjustments relating to equity method investments are not intended to imply that the Company has direct control over their operations and resulting revenue and expenses. Moreover, these non-GAAP financial measures have limitations in that they do not reflect all revenue and expenses of these equity method investees.

16

Due to the anti-dilutive effect resulting from the reported net loss, the impact of potentially dilutive securities on the per share amounts has been omitted from the calculation of weighted-average common shares outstanding for diluted EPS for the nine months ended May 31, 2023.

17

Includes impact of potentially dilutive securities in the calculation of weighted-average common shares, diluted for adjusted diluted net earnings per common share calculation purposes.

NON-GAAP RECONCILIATIONS BY SEGMENT

 

 

(in millions)

 

 

Three months ended May 31, 2023

 

 

U.S. Retail Pharmacy1

 

International

 

U.S. Healthcare

 

Corporate and Other

 

Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc.

Sales

 

$

27,866

 

 

$

5,573

 

 

$

1,975

 

 

$

 

 

$

35,415

 

Gross profit (GAAP)

 

$

5,327

 

 

$

1,173

 

 

$

89

 

 

$

 

 

$

6,588

 

Acquisition-related amortization

 

 

5

 

 

 

 

 

 

25

 

 

 

 

 

 

31

 

LIFO provision

 

 

51

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

51

 

Adjusted gross profit (Non-GAAP measure)

 

$

5,383

 

 

$

1,173

 

 

$

114

 

 

$

 

 

$

6,670

 

Selling, general and administrative expenses (GAAP)

 

$

4,990

 

 

$

1,475

 

 

$

611

 

 

$

48

 

 

$

7,123

 

Certain legal and regulatory accruals and settlements

 

 

(268

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(268

)

Acquisition-related amortization

 

 

(76

)

 

 

(15

)

 

 

(152

)

 

 

 

 

 

(243

)

Transformational cost management

 

 

(103

)

 

 

(194

)

 

 

(113

)

 

 

(3

)

 

 

(414

)

Impairment of intangible assets

 

 

 

 

 

(299

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(299

)

Acquisition-related costs

 

 

(3

)

 

 

(2

)

 

 

(59

)

 

 

(6

)

 

 

(70

)

Adjusted selling, general and administrative expenses (Non-GAAP measure)

 

$

4,540

 

 

$

965

 

 

$

286

 

 

$

39

 

 

$

5,830

 

Operating income (loss) (GAAP)

 

$

395

 

 

$

(302

)

 

$

(522

)

 

$

(48

)

 

$

(477

)

Certain legal and regulatory accruals and settlements

 

 

268

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

268

 

Acquisition-related amortization

 

 

81

 

 

 

15

 

 

 

178

 

 

 

 

 

 

274

 

Transformational cost management

 

 

103

 

 

 

194

 

 

 

113

 

 

 

3

 

 

 

414

 

Impairment of intangible assets

 

 

 

 

 

299

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

299

 

Acquisition-related costs

 

 

3

 

 

 

2

 

 

 

59

 

 

 

6

 

 

 

70

 

Adjustments to equity earnings in AmerisourceBergen

 

 

61

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

61

 

LIFO provision

 

 

51

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

51

 

Adjusted operating income (loss) (Non-GAAP measure)

 

$

962

 

 

$

208

 

 

$

(172

)

 

$

(39

)

 

$

959

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gross margin (GAAP)

 

 

19.1

%

 

 

21.0

%

 

 

4.5

%

 

 

 

 

18.6

%

Adjusted gross margin (Non-GAAP measure)

 

 

19.3

%

 

 

21.0

%

 

 

5.8

%

 

 

 

 

18.8

%

Selling, general and administrative expenses percent to sales (GAAP)

 

 

17.9

%

 

 

26.5

%

 

 

30.9

%

 

 

 

 

20.1

%

Adjusted selling, general and administrative expenses percent to sales (Non-GAAP measure)

 

 

16.3

%

 

 

17.3

%

 

 

14.5

%

 

 

 

 

16.5

%

Operating margin2

 

 

1.20

%

 

 

(5.4

) %

 

 

(26.4

) %

 

 

 

 

(1.5

) %

Adjusted operating margin (Non-GAAP measure)2

 

 

3.0

%

 

 

3.7

%

 

 

(8.7

) %

 

 

 

 

2.4

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

Operating income for U.S. Retail Pharmacy includes equity earnings in AmerisourceBergen. As a result of the two-month reporting lag, operating income for the three month period ended May 31, 2023 includes AmerisourceBergen equity earnings for the period of January 1, 2023 through March 31, 2023.

2

Operating margins and adjusted operating margins have been calculated excluding equity earnings in AmerisourceBergen and adjusted equity earnings in AmerisourceBergen, respectively.

 

 

(in millions)

 

 

Three months ended May 31, 2022

 

 

U.S. Retail Pharmacy1

 

International

 

U.S. Healthcare

 

Corporate and Other

 

Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc.

Sales

 

$

26,695

 

 

$

5,305

 

 

$

596

 

 

$

1

 

 

$

32,597

 

Gross profit (GAAP)

 

$

5,499

 

 

$

1,095

 

 

$

(21

)

 

$

 

 

$

6,572

 

LIFO provision

 

 

55

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

55

 

Acquisition-related amortization

 

 

5

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5

 

Adjusted gross profit (Non-GAAP measure)

 

$

5,559

 

 

$

1,095

 

 

$

(21

)

 

$

 

 

$

6,633

 

Selling, general and administrative expenses (GAAP)

 

$

5,716

 

 

$

995

 

 

$

213

 

 

$

95

 

 

$

7,019

 

Acquisition-related costs

 

 

(1

)

 

 

(11

)

 

 

 

 

 

(28

)

 

 

(40

)

Transformational cost management

 

 

(127

)

 

 

(47

)

 

 

 

 

 

(11

)

 

 

(185

)

Acquisition-related amortization

 

 

(74

)

 

 

(16

)

 

 

(106

)

 

 

 

 

 

(196

)

Certain legal and regulatory accruals and settlements

 

 

(734

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(734

)

Adjusted selling, general and administrative expenses (Non-GAAP measure)

 

$

4,781

 

 

$

921

 

 

$

108

 

 

$

56

 

 

$

5,865

 

Operating (loss) income (GAAP)

 

$

(90

)

 

$

100

 

 

$

(234

)

 

$

(95

)

 

$

(320

)

Certain legal and regulatory accruals and settlements

 

 

734

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

734

 

Acquisition-related amortization

 

 

79

 

 

 

16

 

 

 

106

 

 

 

 

 

 

201

 

Transformational cost management

 

 

127

 

 

 

47

 

 

 

 

 

 

11

 

 

 

185

 

Adjustments to equity earnings in AmerisourceBergen

 

 

60

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

60

 

Acquisition-related costs

 

 

1

 

 

 

11

 

 

 

 

 

 

28

 

 

 

40

 

LIFO provision

 

 

55

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

55

 

Adjusted operating income (loss) (Non-GAAP measure)

 

$

966

 

 

$

174

 

 

$

(129

)

 

$

(56

)

 

$

955

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gross margin (GAAP)

 

 

20.6

%

 

 

20.6

%

 

 

(3.5

) %

 

 

 

 

20.2

%

Adjusted gross margin (Non-GAAP measure)

 

 

20.8

%

 

 

20.6

%

 

 

(3.5

) %

 

 

 

 

20.3

%

Selling, general and administrative expenses percent to sales (GAAP)

 

 

21.4

%

 

 

18.8

%

 

 

35.7

%

 

 

 

 

21.5

%

Adjusted selling, general and administrative expenses percent to sales (Non-GAAP measure)

 

 

17.9

%

 

 

17.4

%

 

 

18.0

%

 

 

 

 

18.0

%

Operating margin2

 

 

(0.8

) %

 

 

1.9

%

 

 

(39.3

) %

 

 

 

 

(1.4

) %

Adjusted operating margin (Non-GAAP measure)2

 

 

2.9

%

 

 

3.3

%

 

 

(21.6

) %

 

 

 

 

2.4

%

1

Operating loss for U.S. Retail Pharmacy includes equity earnings in AmerisourceBergen. As a result of the two-month reporting lag, operating loss for the three month period ended May 31, 2022 includes AmerisourceBergen equity earnings for the period of January 1, 2022 through March 31, 2022.

2

Operating margins and adjusted operating margins have been calculated excluding equity earnings in AmerisourceBergen and adjusted equity earnings in AmerisourceBergen, respectively.

 

 

(in millions)

 

 

Nine months ended May 31, 2023

 

 

U.S. Retail Pharmacy1

 

International

 

U.S. Healthcare

 

Corporate and Other

 

Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc.

Sales

 

$

82,648

 

 

$

16,414

 

 

$

4,597

 

 

$

 

 

$

103,659

 

Gross profit (GAAP)

 

$

17,038

 

 

$

3,421

 

 

$

138

 

 

$

 

 

$

20,596

 

Acquisition-related amortization

 

 

16

 

 

 

 

 

 

69

 

 

 

 

 

 

85

 

Acquisition-related costs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

60

 

 

 

 

 

 

60

 

LIFO provision

 

 

89

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

89

 

Adjusted gross profit (Non-GAAP measure)

 

$

17,143

 

 

$

3,421

 

 

$

267

 

 

$

 

 

$

20,831

 

Selling, general and administrative expenses (GAAP)

 

$

22,215

 

 

$

3,264

 

 

$

1,569

 

 

$

167

 

 

$

27,215

 

Certain legal and regulatory accruals and settlements

 

 

(7,249

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(7,249

)

Acquisition-related amortization

 

 

(221

)

 

 

(45

)

 

 

(501

)

 

 

 

 

 

(766

)

Transformational cost management

 

 

(368

)

 

 

(206

)

 

 

(113

)

 

 

(10

)

 

 

(697

)

Impairment of intangible assets

 

 

 

 

 

(299

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(299

)

Acquisition-related costs

 

 

(4

)

 

 

29

 

 

 

(205

)

 

 

(18

)

 

 

(197

)

Adjusted selling, general and administrative expenses (Non-GAAP measure)

 

$

14,373

 

 

$

2,745

 

 

$

750

 

 

$

139

 

 

$

18,007

 

Operating (loss) income (GAAP)

 

$

(4,990

)

 

$

156

 

 

$

(1,431

)

 

$

(167

)

 

$

(6,431

)

Certain legal and regulatory accruals and settlements

 

 

7,249

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7,249

 

Acquisition-related amortization

 

 

236

 

 

 

45

 

 

 

570

 

 

 

 

 

 

851

 

Transformational cost management

 

 

368

 

 

 

206

 

 

 

113

 

 

 

10

 

 

 

697

 

Impairment of intangible assets

 

 

 

 

 

299

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

299

 

Acquisition-related costs

 

 

4

 

 

 

(29

)

 

 

265

 

 

 

18

 

 

 

257

 

Adjustments to equity earnings in AmerisourceBergen

 

 

178

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

178

 

LIFO provision

 

 

89

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

89

 

Adjusted operating income (loss) (Non-GAAP measure)

 

$

3,134

 

 

$

676

 

 

$

(483

)

 

$

(139

)

 

$

3,188

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gross margin (GAAP)

 

 

20.6

%

 

 

20.8

%

 

 

3.0

%

 

 

 

 

19.9

%

Adjusted gross margin (Non-GAAP measure)

 

 

20.7

%

 

 

20.8

%

 

 

5.8

%

 

 

 

 

20.1

%

Selling, general and administrative expenses percent to sales (GAAP)

 

 

26.9

%

 

 

19.9

%

 

 

34.1

%

 

 

 

 

26.3

%

Adjusted selling, general and administrative expenses percent to sales (Non-GAAP measure)

 

 

17.4

%

 

 

16.7

%

 

 

16.3

%

 

 

 

 

17.4

%

Operating margin2

 

 

(6.3

) %

 

 

1.0

%

 

 

(31.1

) %

 

 

 

 

(6.4

) %

Adjusted operating margin (Non-GAAP measure)2

 

 

3.4

%

 

 

4.1

%

 

 

(10.5

) %

 

 

 

 

2.7

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

Operating loss for U.S. Retail Pharmacy includes equity earnings in AmerisourceBergen. As a result of the two-month reporting lag, operating loss for the nine month period ended May 31, 2023 includes AmerisourceBergen equity earnings for the period of July 1, 2022 through March 31, 2023.

2

Operating margins and adjusted operating margins have been calculated excluding equity earnings in AmerisourceBergen and adjusted equity earnings in AmerisourceBergen, respectively.

 

 

(in millions)

 

 

Nine months ended May 31, 2022

 

 

U.S. Retail Pharmacy1

 

International

 

U.S. Healthcare

 

Corporate and Other

 

Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc.

Sales

 

$

82,394

 

 

$

16,686

 

 

$

1,173

 

 

$

 

 

$

100,254

 

Gross profit (GAAP)

 

$

18,332

 

 

$

3,508

 

 

$

15

 

 

$

 

 

$

21,855

 

LIFO provision

 

 

64

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

64

 

Acquisition-related amortization

 

 

18

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

18

 

Adjusted gross profit (Non-GAAP measure)

 

$

18,414

 

 

$

3,508

 

 

$

15

 

 

$

 

 

$

21,936

 

Selling, general and administrative expenses (GAAP)

 

$

16,006

 

 

$

3,182

 

 

$

505

 

 

$

283

 

 

$

19,975

 

Acquisition-related costs

 

 

2

 

 

 

(73

)

 

 

(24

)

 

 

(60

)

 

 

(155

)

Transformational cost management

 

 

(319

)

 

 

(114

)

 

 

 

 

 

(25

)

 

 

(458

)

Acquisition-related amortization

 

 

(300

)

 

 

(50

)

 

 

(249

)

 

 

 

 

 

(598

)

Certain legal and regulatory accruals and settlements

 

 

(734

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(734

)

Adjusted selling, general and administrative expenses (Non-GAAP measure)

 

$

14,655

 

 

$

2,945

 

 

$

233

 

 

$

198

 

 

$

18,031

 

Operating income (loss) (GAAP)

 

$

2,656

 

 

$

326

 

 

$

(491

)

 

$

(283

)

 

$

2,209

 

Certain legal and regulatory accruals and settlements

 

 

734

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

734

 

Acquisition-related amortization

 

 

317

 

 

 

50

 

 

 

249

 

 

 

 

 

 

616

 

Transformational cost management

 

 

319

 

 

 

114

 

 

 

 

 

 

25

 

 

 

458

 

Adjustments to equity earnings in AmerisourceBergen

 

 

155

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

155

 

Acquisition-related costs

 

 

(2

)

 

 

73

 

 

 

24

 

 

 

60

 

 

 

155

 

LIFO provision

 

 

64

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

64

 

Adjusted operating income (loss) (Non-GAAP measure)

 

$

4,243

 

 

$

563

 

 

$

(218

)

 

$

(198

)

 

$

4,389

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gross margin (GAAP)

 

 

22.2

%

 

 

21.0

%

 

 

1.2

%

 

 

 

 

21.8

%

Adjusted gross margin (Non-GAAP measure)

 

 

22.3

%

 

 

21.0

%

 

 

1.2

%

 

 

 

 

21.9

%

Selling, general and administrative expenses percent to sales (GAAP)

 

 

19.4

%

 

 

19.1

%

 

 

43.1

%

 

 

 

 

19.9

%

Adjusted selling, general and administrative expenses percent to sales (Non-GAAP measure)

 

 

17.8

%

 

 

17.6

%

 

 

19.9

%

 

 

 

 

18.0

%

Operating margin2

 

 

2.8

%

 

 

2.0

%

 

 

(41.8

) %

 

 

 

 

1.9

%

Adjusted operating margin (Non-GAAP measure)2

 

 

4.6

%

 

 

3.4

%

 

 

(18.6

) %

 

 

 

 

3.9

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

Operating income for U.S. Retail Pharmacy includes equity earnings in AmerisourceBergen. As a result of the two-month reporting lag, operating income for the nine month period ended May 31, 2022 includes AmerisourceBergen equity earnings for the period of July 1, 2021 through March 31, 2022.

2

Operating margins and adjusted operating margins have been calculated excluding equity earnings in AmerisourceBergen and adjusted equity earnings in AmerisourceBergen, respectively.

OPERATING LOSS TO ADJUSTED EBITDA FOR THE U.S. HEALTHCARE SEGMENT

 

 

(in millions)

 

 

Three months ended May 31,

 

Nine months ended May 31,

 

 

 

2023

 

 

 

2022

 

 

 

2023

 

 

 

2022

 

Operating loss (GAAP) 1

 

$

(522

)

 

$

(234

)

 

$

(1,431

)

 

$

(491

)

Acquisition-related amortization 2

 

 

178

 

 

 

106

 

 

 

570

 

 

 

249

 

Acquisition-related costs 3

 

 

59

 

 

 

 

 

 

265

 

 

 

24

 

Transformational cost management 4

 

 

113

 

 

 

 

 

 

113

 

 

 

 

Adjusted operating loss (Non-GAAP measure)

 

 

(172

)

 

 

(129

)

 

 

(483

)

 

 

(218

)

Depreciation expense

 

 

43

 

 

 

9

 

 

 

92

 

 

 

23

 

Stock-based compensation expense 5

 

 

16

 

 

 

13

 

 

 

45

 

 

 

17

 

Adjusted EBITDA (Non-GAAP measure)

 

$

(113

)

 

$

(106

)

 

$

(346

)

 

$

(178

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

The Company reconciles Adjusted EBITDA for the U.S. Healthcare segment to Operating loss as the closest GAAP measure for the segment profitability. The Company does not measure Net earnings attributable to Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. for its segments.

2

Acquisition-related amortization includes amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets, inventory valuation adjustments and stock-based compensation fair valuation adjustments. Amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets includes amortization of intangible assets such as customer relationships, trade names, trademarks, developed technology and contract intangibles. Intangible asset amortization excluded from the related non-GAAP measure represents the entire amount recorded within the Company’s GAAP financial statements. The revenue generated by the associated intangible assets has not been excluded from the related non-GAAP measures. Amortization expense, unlike the related revenue, is not affected by operations of any particular period unless an intangible asset becomes impaired, or the estimated useful life of an intangible asset is revised. These charges are primarily recorded within Selling, general and administrative expenses. The stock-based compensation fair valuation adjustment reflects the difference between the fair value based remeasurement of awards under purchase accounting and the grant date fair valuation. Post-acquisition compensation expense recognized in excess of the original grant date fair value of acquiree awards are excluded from the related non-GAAP measures as these arise from acquisition-related accounting requirements or agreements, and are not reflective of normal operating activities.

3

Acquisition-related costs are transaction and integration costs associated with certain merger, acquisition and divestitures related activities. These costs include charges incurred related to certain mergers, acquisition and divestitures related activities recorded in operating income, for example, costs related to integration efforts for merger, acquisition and divestitures activities. Examples of such costs include deal costs, severance, stock compensation and employee transaction success bonuses. These charges are primarily recorded within Selling, general and administrative expenses. These costs are significantly impacted by the timing and complexity of the underlying merger, acquisition and divestitures related activities and do not reflect the Company’s current operating performance.

4

Transformational Cost Management Program charges are costs associated with a formal restructuring plan. These charges are primarily recorded within Selling, general and administrative expenses. These costs do not reflect current operating performance and are impacted by the timing of restructuring activity.

5

Includes GAAP stock-based compensation expense excluding expenses related to acquisition-related amortization and acquisition-related costs.

EQUITY EARNINGS IN AMERISOURCEBERGEN

 

 

(in millions)

 

 

Three months ended May 31,

 

Nine months ended May 31,

 

 

 

2023

 

 

2022

 

 

 

2023

 

 

 

2022

 

Equity earnings in AmerisourceBergen (GAAP)

 

$

58

 

$

127

 

 

$

187

 

 

$

330

 

Gain from antitrust litigation settlements

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(8

)

 

 

3

 

Turkey hyperinflation impact

 

 

1

 

 

 

 

 

6

 

 

 

 

LIFO expense / (credit)

 

 

7

 

 

(3

)

 

 

31

 

 

 

(13

)

Acquisition-related intangibles amortization

 

 

32

 

 

39

 

 

 

98

 

 

 

114

 

Litigation and opioid-related expenses

 

 

2

 

 

 

 

 

4

 

 

 

 

Acquisition integration and restructuring expenses

 

 

10

 

 

 

 

 

15

 

 

 

 

Tax reform

 

 

 

 

3

 

 

 

4

 

 

 

7

 

Employee severance, litigation, and other

 

 

 

 

18

 

 

 

21

 

 

 

45

 

Restructuring and other expenses

 

 

10

 

 

 

 

 

10

 

 

 

 

Impairment of non-customer note receivable

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4

 

Impairment of assets

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5

 

Goodwill impairment

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2

 

Certain discrete tax expense

 

 

 

 

4

 

 

 

(2

)

 

 

7

 

Gain on remeasurement of equity investment

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(1

)

 

 

(18

)

Adjusted equity earnings in AmerisourceBergen (Non-GAAP measure)

 

$

119

 

$

188

 

 

$

365

 

 

$

484

 

ADJUSTED EFFECTIVE TAX RATE

 

 

(in millions)

 

 

Three months ended May 31, 2023

 

Three months ended May 31, 2022

 

 

(Loss) earnings before income tax provision

 

Income tax (benefit) provision

 

Effective tax rate

 

(Loss) earnings before income tax provision

 

Income tax (benefit) provision

 

Effective tax rate

Effective tax rate (GAAP)

 

$

(382

)

 

$

(330

)

 

86.3

%

 

$

(18

)

 

$

(242

)

 

NM

 

Impact of non-GAAP adjustments

 

 

1,207

 

 

 

417

 

 

 

 

 

858

 

 

 

339

 

 

 

Adjusted tax rate true-up

 

 

 

 

 

(10

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(8

)

 

 

Equity method non-cash tax

 

 

 

 

 

(10

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(25

)

 

 

Subtotal

 

$

825

 

 

$

68

 

 

 

 

$

841

 

 

$

65

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exclude adjusted equity earnings in AmerisourceBergen

 

 

(119

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(188

)

 

 

 

 

 

Adjusted effective tax rate excluding adjusted equity earnings in AmerisourceBergen (Non-GAAP measure)

 

$

706

 

 

$

68

 

 

9.6

%

 

$

653

 

 

$

65

 

 

9.9

%

NM – Not meaningful. Percentage increases above 200% or when one period includes income and other period includes loss are considered not meaningful.

 

 

(in millions)

 

 

Nine months ended May 31, 2023

 

Nine months ended May 31, 2022

 

 

(Loss) earnings before income tax provision

 

Income tax (benefit) provision

 

Effective tax rate

 

Earnings before income tax provision

 

Income tax provision

 

Effective tax rate

Effective tax rate (GAAP)

 

$

(5,044

)

 

$

(1,707

)

 

33.8

%

 

$

4,743

 

 

$

205

 

 

4.3

%

Impact of non-GAAP adjustments

 

 

7,878

 

 

 

1,787

 

 

 

 

 

(583

)

 

 

398

 

 

 

Adjusted tax rate true-up

 

 

 

 

 

181

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

68

 

 

 

Equity method non-cash tax

 

 

 

 

 

(33

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(55

)

 

 

Subtotal

 

$

2,833

 

 

$

228

 

 

 

 

$

4,160

 

 

$

617

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exclude adjusted equity earnings in AmerisourceBergen

 

 

(365

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(484

)

 

 

 

 

 

Adjusted effective tax rate excluding adjusted equity earnings in AmerisourceBergen (Non-GAAP measure)

 

$

2,468

 

 

$

228

 

 

9.2

%

 

$

3,676

 

 

$

617

 

 

16.8

%

FREE CASH FLOW

 

 

(in millions)

 

 

Three months ended May 31,

 

Nine months ended May 31,

 

 

 

2023

 

 

 

2022

 

 

 

2023

 

 

 

2022

 

Net cash (used for) provided by operating activities (GAAP)

 

$

(20

)

 

$

1,629

 

 

$

1,219

 

 

$

3,813

 

Less: Additions to property, plant and equipment

 

$

(525

)

 

$

(371

)

 

 

(1,633

)

 

 

(1,241

)

Plus: Acquisition related payments 2

 

$

101

 

 

$

 

 

 

530

 

 

 

 

Free cash flow (Non-GAAP measure) 1

 

$

(444

)

 

$

1,258

 

 

$

116

 

 

$

2,572

 

1

Free cash flow is defined as net cash provided by operating activities in a period less additions to property, plant and equipment (capital expenditures), plus acquisition related payments made in that period. This measure does not represent residual cash flows available for discretionary expenditures as the measure does not deduct the payments required for debt service and other contractual obligations or payments for future business acquisitions. Therefore, we believe it is important to view free cash flow as a measure that provides supplemental information to our entire statements of cash flows.

2

During the three months ended February 28, 2023, the Company paid $335 million to settle liability classified share-based payment awards related to acquiring the remaining 30% equity interest in Shields. The Company also paid one-time compensation costs related to VillageMD’s acquisition of Summit. During the three months ended May 31, 2023, the Company paid $101 million to settle liability classified share-based payment awards related to acquiring the remaining 45% equity interest in CareCentrix. These payments are not indicative of normal operating performance.

 

Media Relations

U.S. / Jim Cohn

+1 224 813 9057

International

+44 (0)20 7980 8585

Investor Relations

Tiffany Kanaga

+1 847 315 2922

KEYWORDS: United States North America Illinois

INDUSTRY KEYWORDS: Discount/Variety Seniors Other Retail Convenience Store Health Consumer Pharmaceutical General Health Retail

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Aldeyra Therapeutics Announces Statistically Significant Reduction in Cough Frequency in Phase 2 Clinical Trial of ADX‑629 in Patients With Chronic Cough

Aldeyra Therapeutics Announces Statistically Significant Reduction in Cough Frequency in Phase 2 Clinical Trial of ADX‑629 in Patients With Chronic Cough

  • Relative to Placebo, Statistical Significance Achieved for Reduction in Awake Cough Frequency (P=0.01), 24‑Hour Cough Frequency (P=0.001), Awake Cough Count (P=0.001), and 24‑Hour Cough Count (P=0.001)
  • ADX-629 Was Well Tolerated and No Safety Concerns Were Identified
  • Company to Discuss Results in Conference Call and Webcast at 8:00 a.m. ET Today

LEXINGTON, Mass.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Aldeyra Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: ALDX) (Aldeyra),a biotechnology company devoted to discovering and developing innovative therapies designed to treat immune-mediated diseases, today announced positive top-line results from the Phase 2 clinical trial of orally administered ADX629, an investigational new drug, in patients with chronic cough. The clinical trial demonstrated statistically significant reduction in cough frequency following administration of ADX629 relative to placebo.

“Consistent with previously demonstrated activity in clinical trials of patients with psoriasis, asthma, and COVID-19, the reduction in cough frequency observed in the Phase 2 clinical trial in chronic cough supports the potentially broad-based activity of ADX629 as a novel, immune-modulating therapeutic approach,” stated Todd C. Brady, M.D., Ph.D., President and CEO of Aldeyra. “We look forward to discussing the results with regulatory authorities as we consider the expansion of clinical testing to include patients with co-morbid conditions of frequent coughing and active inflammation.”

The multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, two-period Phase 2 crossover trial enrolled 51 patients with refractory or unexplained chronic cough, which is often defined as a cough that persists for more than eight weeks and is unresponsive to treatment. Patients were randomized to receive ADX-629 or placebo twice daily for 14 days, followed by a 14-day washout period prior to crossing over to 14 days of treatment with ADX629 or placebo, whichever was not received in the first period. The primary endpoint of the clinical trial was safety. Secondary endpoints included awake cough frequency (the key secondary endpoint), 24-hour cough frequency, quality of life, and clinical impression scales.

Fifty-one patients were enrolled, and all patients completed both treatment periods. Relative to placebo, statistical significance was achieved for the key secondary endpoint of reduction in awake cough frequency (P=0.01), the secondary endpoint of 24-hour cough frequency (P=0.001), and the related post-hoc analyses of awake cough count (P=0.001) and 24-hour cough count (P=0.001). Quality of life and clinical impression scales did not consistently change between treatment groups over the two-week treatment periods. ADX629 was well tolerated, and no safety concerns were identified following administration of either ADX629 or placebo. No serious adverse events were reported, adverse event frequencies were similar across treatment groups, and no patients discontinued due to adverse events.

“Frequent coughing, which is characteristic of a number of inflammatory pulmonary diseases, represents a persistently disturbing condition for patients,” stated Gary N. Gross, MD., Clinical Professor of Internal Medicine at Southwestern Medical School and a Board-certified allergist and immunologist with the Dallas Allergy & Asthma Center. “The difficulty in treating chronic coughing highlights the medical need for new therapies.”

Consistent with a Phase 1 clinical trial and the Phase 2 clinical trial in psoriasis, improvement in LDL and HDL levels was observed following treatment with ADX629 relative to treatment with placebo. ADX629, an investigational new drug, is a novel, orally administered RASP (reactive aldehyde species) modulator for the potential treatment of systemic immune-mediated diseases. ADX629 is also currently in development for atopic dermatitis, idiopathic nephrotic syndrome, and Sjögren-Larsson Syndrome. Initial results from each trial are expected in the second half of 2023. A Phase 2 clinical trial of ADX629 in moderate alcohol-associated hepatitis is expected to initiate in the second half of 2023.

Conference Call & Webcast Information

Aldeyra will host a conference call at 8:00 a.m. ET today to discuss top-line results of the Phase 2 clinical trial of ADX629 in chronic cough. The dial-in numbers are (888) 415‑4305 for domestic callers and (646) 960‑0336 for international callers. The access code is 5858366. A live webcast of the conference call will be available on the Investor Relations page of the company’s website at https://ir.aldeyra.com. After the live webcast, the event will remain archived on the Aldeyra Therapeutics website for 90 days.

About Aldeyra

Aldeyra Therapeutics is a biotechnology company devoted to discovering innovative therapies designed to treat immune-mediated diseases. Our approach is to develop pharmaceuticals that modulate immunological systems, instead of directly inhibiting or activating single protein targets, with the goal of optimizing multiple pathways at once while minimizing toxicity. Our product candidates include RASP (reactive aldehyde species) modulators ADX629, ADX246, ADX248, and chemically related molecules for the potential treatment of systemic and retinal immune-mediated diseases. Our pre-commercial product candidates are reproxalap, a RASP modulator for the potential treatment of dry eye disease (under U.S. Food and Drug Administration New Drug Application Review) and allergic conjunctivitis, and ADX-2191, a novel formulation of intravitreal methotrexate for the potential treatment of proliferative vitreoretinopathy and retinitis pigmentosa.

Safe Harbor Statement

This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, but not limited to, statements regarding Aldeyra’s future expectations, plans, and prospects, including without limitation statements regarding: the goals, opportunity and potential for ADX629 and anticipated clinical or regulatory milestones for ADX629. Aldeyra intends such forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements contained in Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as, but not limited to, “may,” “might,” “will,” “objective,” “intend,” “should,” “could,” “can,” “would,” “expect,” “believe,” “anticipate,” “project,” “on track,” “on schedule,” “target,” “design,” “estimate,” “predict,” “contemplates,” likely,” “potential,” “continue,” “ongoing,” “aim,” “plan,” or the negative of these terms, and similar expressions intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are based upon current expectations that involve risks, changes in circumstances, assumptions, and uncertainties. Aldeyra is at an early stage of development and may not ever have any products that generate significant revenue. All of Aldeyra’s development timelines may be subject to adjustment depending on recruitment rate, regulatory review, preclinical and clinical results, funding, and other factors that could delay the initiation, enrollment, or completion of clinical trials. Important factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those reflected in Aldeyra’s forward-looking statements, include, among others, the timing of enrollment, commencement and completion of Aldeyra’s clinical trials, the timing and success of preclinical studies and clinical trials conducted by Aldeyra and its development partners; delay in or failure to obtain regulatory approval of Aldeyra’s product candidates, including as a result of the FDA not accepting Aldeyra’s regulatory filings, requiring additional clinical trials or data prior to review or approval of such filings; the ability to maintain regulatory approval of Aldeyra’s product candidates, and the labeling for any approved products; the risk that prior results, such as signals of safety, activity, or durability of effect, observed from preclinical or clinical trials, will not be replicated or will not continue in ongoing or future studies or clinical trials involving Aldeyra’s product candidates in clinical trials focused on the same or different indications; the scope, progress, expansion, and costs of developing and commercializing Aldeyra’s product candidates; the current and potential future impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Aldeyra’s business, results of operations, and financial position; uncertainty as to Aldeyra’s ability to commercialize (alone or with others) and obtain reimbursement for Aldeyra’s product candidates following regulatory approval, if any; the size and growth of the potential markets and pricing for Aldeyra’s product candidates and the ability to serve those markets; Aldeyra’s expectations regarding Aldeyra’s expenses and future revenue, the timing of future revenue, the sufficiency or use of Aldeyra’s cash resources and needs for additional financing; the rate and degree of market acceptance of any of Aldeyra’s product candidates; Aldeyra’s expectations regarding competition; Aldeyra’s anticipated growth strategies; Aldeyra’s ability to attract or retain key personnel; Aldeyra’s commercialization, marketing and manufacturing capabilities and strategy; Aldeyra’s ability to establish and maintain development partnerships; Aldeyra’s ability to successfully integrate acquisitions into its business; Aldeyra’s expectations regarding federal, state, and foreign regulatory requirements; political, economic, legal, social, and health risks, including the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent public health measures, and war or other military actions, that may affect Aldeyra’s business or the global economy; regulatory developments in the United States and foreign countries; Aldeyra’s ability to obtain and maintain intellectual property protection for its product candidates; the anticipated trends and challenges in Aldeyra’s business and the market in which it operates; and other factors that are described in the “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” sections of Aldeyra’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, and Aldeyra’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2023, which are on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and available on the SEC’s website at https://www.sec.gov/. Additional factors may be described in those sections of Aldeyra’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2023, expected to be filed with the SEC in the third quarter of 2023.

In addition to the risks described above and in Aldeyra’s other filings with the SEC, other unknown or unpredictable factors also could affect Aldeyra’s results. No forward-looking statements can be guaranteed, and actual results may differ materially from such statements. The information in this release is provided only as of the date of this release, and Aldeyra undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this release on account of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by law.

Investors & Media:

David Burke

Tel: (917) 618-2651

[email protected]

KEYWORDS: United States North America Massachusetts

INDUSTRY KEYWORDS: Health Clinical Trials Research Pharmaceutical Science Biotechnology

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Unity Unleashes the Power of AI for Creators, Supercharging Content Creation and User Engagement

Unity Unleashes the Power of AI for Creators, Supercharging Content Creation and User Engagement

Worlds come alive across billions of devices with Unity Sentis while Unity Muse supports creators with powerful AI-assisted workflows to accelerate development of real-time 3D games and experiences

SAN FRANCISCO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–
Unity (NYSE: U), the world’s leading platform for creating and growing real-time 3D (RT3D) content, today launched Unity Sentis and Unity Muse, two new AI platforms designed to make creators more productive and their RT3D experiences more engaging. Unity Sentis is a cross-platform runtime inference engine that helps deploy AI models in any Unity project, and Unity Muse consists of tools used to accelerate creation of RT3D content. Together, both Unity Muse and Unity Sentis leverage AI to enhance the interactivity of gameplay and RT3D powered experiences, while accelerating creative workflows. Unity today also launched a dedicated marketplace on the Unity Asset Store with a collection of Verified Solutions that accelerate AI-driven game development. Today’s announcement marks a significant leap forward for developers, of any skill level, to create immersive and interactive experiences for multiple audiences across any supported device in the Unity ecosystem.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230627849452/en/

“We expect AI to revolutionize gaming, much like the transformative impacts we’ve seen from 3D, mobile, and the internet,” said John Riccitiello, CEO, Unity. “We believe that Unity’s new AI platforms will be powerful for creators and artists as we expect Unity Muse to make them 10 times more productive while Unity Sentis will help them bring their creations to life with interactive intelligence in a way never before possible.”

Harnessing the power of Unity’s Runtime, Unity Sentis delivers on-device AI model inference and allows creators to deploy neural networks across any platform supported by Unity. This allows creators to imagine and deliver the most interactive, dynamic experiences without the need to worry about high cloud compute costs or latency. Specifically, Unity’s Sentis Runtime expands the possibilities of interactive game play and digital twins beyond what’s possible today from “smart” Non-Playable Character to predictive factory floors.

Unity Muse encompasses AI solutions that accelerate the way creators make RT3D content for games, applications and digital twins. The platform consists of tools accessible in the Unity Editor and on the web for developers who want to create assets and animations faster, without interrupting their workflows. One of the first tools available now is Unity Muse Chat which speeds up troubleshooting and access to information, anywhere in the Unity workflow, just by typing into the Muse Chat prompt. Over the coming weeks, additional functionality will be introduced to Unity Muse, making it easier to create assets and animations with just a text prompt or a doodle.

“We believe that every object, every system, every pixel in every game will be touched by AI at create time, helping creators at every step be more productive and ultimately more creative, and at runtime, AI will bring worlds and characters alive, allowing for experiences that just can’t be done today,” said Marc Whitten, President, Create, Unity. “Unity’s Sentis and Muse will help automate repetitive tasks, streamline workflows, and generate high-quality output with remarkable speed and accuracy, without replacing human creativity and expertise. Our focus is to make these capabilities available, easy, and powerful on every device that creators want to target.”

Unity also launched a dedicated AI marketplace on the Unity Asset Store, including Verified Solutions for AI-driven game development. The AI marketplace allows creators to harness the power of AI and generative AI to accelerate how they create RT3D content and experiences in gaming and beyond. Verified Solutions are professional caliber third-party tools, plug-ins, and SDKs, tested for compatibility and supported by Unity.

Unity Sentis and Unity Muse are currently available in closed beta. Developers can request access through a dedicated website, https://create.unity.com/ai-beta. Global general availability of these solutions is expected later this year.

For more information, please visit www.unity.com/AI.

About Unity

Unity is the world’s leading platform for creating and growing interactive, real-time 3D (“RT3D”) content and experiences. Our comprehensive set of software and AI solutions supports content creators of all sizes through the entire development lifecycle as they build, run, and grow immersive, real-time 2D and 3D content and experiences for mobile phones, tablets, PCs, consoles, and augmented and virtual reality devices. For more information, visit Unity.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This publication contains “forward-looking statements,” as that term is defined under federal securities laws, including, in particular, statements about Unity’s plans, strategies and objectives. The words “believe,” “may,” “will,” “estimate,” “continue,” “intend,” “expect,” “plan,” “project,” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties, and assumptions. If the risks materialize or assumptions prove incorrect, actual results could differ materially from the results implied by these forward-looking statements. Further information on these and additional risks that could affect Unity’s results is included in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) which are available on the Unity Investor Relations website. Statements herein speak only as of the date of this release, and Unity assumes no obligation to, and does not currently intend to, update any such forward-looking statements after the date of this publication except as required by law.

Media Relations:

Ryan M. Wallace

[email protected]

Kelly Ekins

[email protected]

KEYWORDS: North America United States Ireland United Kingdom Europe California

INDUSTRY KEYWORDS: Software Internet Artificial Intelligence Data Management Technology Apps/Applications Electronic Games Entertainment

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Origin Materials Announces Startup of Origin 1, World’s First Commercial CMF Plant

Origin Materials Announces Startup of Origin 1, World’s First Commercial CMF Plant

New fundamental chemical building block, CMF, to be available at commercial scale for the first time

Plant to act as innovation center for scaling up and deploying Company’s core technology platform, with a focus on funded joint development programs and qualifying materials for higher value applications

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Origin Materials, Inc. (“Origin,” “Origin Materials,” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ: ORGN, ORGNW), the leading carbon negative materials company with a mission to enable the world’s transition to sustainable materials, announced today it has begun startup of Origin 1, the world’s first commercial CMF plant, located in Sarnia, Ontario, in-line with prior guidance.

“Yesterday we initiated startup at Origin 1, a tremendous accomplishment and milestone in our journey to decarbonize the world’s materials,” said John Bissell, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Origin Materials. “This plant substantially scales up our revolutionary core technology platform. We expect the power of our platform intermediates, CMF and HTC, to be transformative for the chemical industry and how the world generally makes things.”

The new plant will supply industry with intermediate chemicals and materials that can be used across a wide range of end markets, including clothing, textiles, plastics, packaging, car parts, tires, carpeting, toys, fuels, and more with a ~$1 trillion addressable market. The plant represents a significant scale-up of Origin’s technology platform for converting sustainable wood residues into versatile intermediate chemicals.

CMF (chloromethyl furfural) is a versatile chemical building-block that can be used to make numerous downstream products, including para-xylene, which is the precursor to PET plastic, and FDCA (furandicarboxylic acid), which can be used in numerous sustainable products and materials such as the next-gen polymer PEF (polyethylene furanoate). The plant will also produce HTC (hydrothermal carbon), whose applications include sustainable carbon black for automotive tires.

“We are thrilled to be making our intermediates available to industry on a scale never before achieved,” said Bissell. “The commercialization of a molecule like CMF is historic, on the order of an ethylene. After working with CMF for over a decade at pilot scale, we couldn’t be more excited to begin commercial production here in Sarnia.”

Origin 1 will be operated to optimally fulfill customer demand around qualification and sampling. The plant is expected to play a key role in the development of higher-value products and applications for CMF, HTC, and other co-products. These higher value products are expected to be produced and sold at world-scale from future plants, including Origin 2, Origin 3, and potentially licensed plants.

“The startup of Origin 1 is a testament to the strength of our team in the face of pandemic and related supply-chain headwinds,” said Bissell. “We are excellently positioned to meet the massive customer demand for our renewable, carbon negative products, as we continue to execute on our mission to enable the world’s transition to sustainable materials.”

About Origin Materials

Headquartered in West Sacramento, Origin Materials is the world’s leading carbon negative materials company. Origin’s mission is to enable the world’s transition to sustainable materials. For over a decade, Origin has developed a platform for turning the carbon found in inexpensive, plentiful, non-food biomass such as sustainable wood residues into useful materials while capturing carbon in the process. Origin’s patented technology platform can help revolutionize the production of a wide range of end products, including clothing, textiles, plastics, packaging, car parts, tires, carpeting, toys, fuels, and more with a ~$1 trillion addressable market. In addition, Origin’s technology platform is expected to provide stable pricing largely decoupled from the petroleum supply chain, which is exposed to more volatility than supply chains based on sustainable wood residues. Origin’s patented drop-in core technology, economics and carbon impact are supported by a growing list of major global customers and investors.

For more information, visit www.originmaterials.com.

Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Forward-looking statements generally are accompanied by words such as “believe,” “may,” “will,” “estimate,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “expect,” “should,” “would,” “plan,” “predict,” “potential,” “seem,” “seek,” “future,” “outlook,” and similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are not statements of historical matters. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding Origin Materials’ business strategy, estimated total addressable market, access to traditional financing sources, ability to operate and produce material at Origin 1, budget and timelines to complete Origin 2 and other future plants, ability to convert capacity reservations and offtake agreements into revenue, ability to enter new end-markets, ability to develop new product categories, commercial and operating plans, product development plans, anticipated growth and projected financial information and ability to realize the anticipated benefits of any partnerships discussed in the press release. These statements are based on various assumptions, whether or not identified in this press release, and on the current expectations of the management of Origin Materials and are not predictions of actual performance. These forward-looking statements are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to serve as, and must not be relied on as, a guarantee, an assurance, a prediction, or a definitive statement of fact or probability. Actual events and circumstances are difficult or impossible to predict and will differ from assumptions. Many actual events and circumstances are beyond the control of Origin Materials. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including that Origin Materials may be unable to successfully commercialize its products; the effects of competition on Origin Materials’ business; the uncertainty of the projected financial information with respect to Origin; disruptions and other impacts to Origin’s business as a result of outbreaks such as the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia’s military intervention in Ukraine, the impact of severe weather events, and other global health or economic crises; changes in customer demand; and those factors discussed in the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on May 10, 2023, under the heading “Risk Factors,” and other documents Origin Materials has filed, or will file, with the SEC. If any of these risks materialize or our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results could differ materially from the results implied by these forward-looking statements. There may be additional risks that Origin Materials presently does not know, or that Origin Materials currently believes are immaterial, that could also cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements. In addition, forward-looking statements reflect Origin Materials’ expectations, plans, or forecasts of future events and views as of the date of this press release. Origin Materials anticipates that subsequent events and developments will cause its assessments to change. However, while Origin Materials may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, Origin Materials specifically disclaim any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing Origin Materials’ assessments of any date subsequent to the date of this press release. Accordingly, undue reliance should not be placed upon the forward-looking statements.

Origin Materials

Investors: [email protected]

Media: [email protected]

KEYWORDS: United States North America California

INDUSTRY KEYWORDS: Consulting Banking Accounting Manufacturing Professional Services Other Natural Resources Natural Resources Textiles Packaging Finance Chemicals/Plastics

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Wabtec’s Certified Pre-Owned Program Wins Its Largest Order for 69 Locomotives from Six Genesee & Wyoming Railroads

Wabtec’s Certified Pre-Owned Program Wins Its Largest Order for 69 Locomotives from Six Genesee & Wyoming Railroads

PITTSBURGH–(BUSINESS WIRE)–
Wabtec Corporation (NYSE: WAB) announced today its largest certified pre-owned locomotive order from six Genesee & Wyoming Inc. (G&W) subsidiaries – Buffalo & Pittsburgh Railroad; Chicago, Ft. Wayne & Eastern Railroad; Connecticut Southern Railroad; Indiana & Ohio Railway; New England Central Railroad and Providence and Worcester Railroad. The order of 69 locomotives builds upon Wabtec’s certified pre-owned program and enables G&W to further enhance its fleet of locomotives.

“These engines will make our fleet more efficient, enabling us to better meet our customers’ needs for safe and reliable freight-rail transportation,” said Michael Miller, President of G&W’s North American operations. “Furthermore, with rail being the most sustainable way for our customers to move goods over land, these locomotives will generate lower emissions to help both us and our customers achieve our ESG goals.”

G&W’s order consists of 35 Dash 9 and 34 Dash 8 locomotives. The deal also includes an extended warranty to ensure reliable service in the future. Wabtec will start delivery of these locomotives immediately and will complete delivery of all 69 by December this year. These additional engines will grow G&W’s fleet of Wabtec locomotives to more than 100.

“This order demonstrates the value of our certified pre-owned program to the short line market,” said Alicia Hammersmith, President of Wabtec’s Global Freight Services. “Certified pre-owned locomotives provide G&W an affordable way to upgrade its fleet while improving performance, reliability and fuel efficiency as well as reducing carbon emissions. These locomotives deliver the performance G&W needs to continue meeting their customers’ growing demands.”

Wabtec’s certified pre-owned program provides a range of high-performance locomotives that are equipped with original design specifications, maintenance records and operational histories. The company certifies the locomotives through a rigorous 275-point inspection process to ensure each is roadworthy and meets its standards. To date, Wabtec has sold over 210 locomotives to 8 different customers through its certified pre-owned program.

About Wabtec

Wabtec Corporation (NYSE: WAB) is revolutionizing the way the world moves for future generations. The company is a leading global provider of equipment, systems, digital solutions and value-added services for the freight and transit rail industries, as well as the mining, marine and industrial markets. Wabtec has been a leader in the rail industry for over 150 years and is the worldwide leader in the decarbonization of freight rail. Visit Wabtec’s website at www.wabteccorp.com.

About Genesee & Wyoming Inc.

G&W owns or leases 115 freight railroads with 7,300 employees serving 3,000 customers. The company’s North American operations include 110 short line and regional railroads that serve 43 U.S. states and four Canadian provinces over more than 13,000 track-miles, while its UK/Europe operations include the U.K.’s largest rail-centric intermodal logistics franchise and the leading heavy haul freight rail provider, as well as regional rail services in Continental Europe.

G&W subsidiaries and joint ventures also provide rail service at more than 30 major ports, rail-ferry service between the U.S. Southeast and Mexico, transload services, and industrial railcar switching and repair.

G&W is owned by Brookfield Infrastructure Partners, L.P. and GIC.

For more information, visit https://gwrr.com.

Wabtec Media Contact:

Tim Bader

682-319-7925

[email protected]

G&W Media Contact:

Tom Ciuba

203-202-8926

[email protected]

KEYWORDS: Pennsylvania United States North America

INDUSTRY KEYWORDS: Rail Transport Other Transport

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