Market Newsdesk

OTTAWA, Nov. 12, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF) announces the release of a new fact sheet, Road Safety Monitor 2020: The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Travel Behaviour & Road Safety, a summary based upon data from the Road Safety Monitor (RSM) conducted by TIRF, with sponsorship by Beer Canada, Desjardins and Labatt. The results reveal a majority of respondents reported their driving behaviour did not change and a small proportion indicated they were less likely to engage in dangerous driving behaviours. Results also revealed a shift in the preferred method of travel during the pandemic; early findings suggest this may be permanent for some Canadians.

“While these results are encouraging, it’s also important to acknowledge that a concerning proportion of respondents indicated they were more likely to engage in risky or dangerous driving behaviours during the pandemic, as compared to before COVID-19,” cautions Ward Vanlaar, Chief Operating Officer of TIRF.

Compared to before the pandemic, 5.5% of Canadians admitted they were more likely to excessively exceed the posted speed limit during COVID-19 which translates to approximately 1.46 million licensed drivers. In addition, 4.2% said they were more likely to be driving distracted, 9.1% of respondents reported they had more difficulty focusing while driving, 2.4% admitted they were more likely to drive within two hours of consuming alcohol, and, 2.2% were more likely to drive within two hours of using drugs. While these percentages may reveal only a minority of Canadians engage in these dangerous driving behaviours, they still represent well over a million drivers.

“The results from TIRF are a reminder that drivers must remain vigilant during the pandemic,” says Valérie Lavoie, President & COO of Desjardins General Insurance Group. “Injuries and fatalities on our road are preventable, so it is important to remind drivers of the dangerous habits that can put themselves and others at risk.”

Almost 1 in 4 Canadians (23.3%) indicated their preferred method of travel changed during the pandemic. Prior to COVID-19, personal vehicle use was the main preferred method of travel of respondents (42.2%), followed by public transit (41.2%). During the pandemic, a significant increase to 69.9% in those using a personal vehicle was observed while there was a significant decrease to 4.4% in respondents who reported using public transit.

“Despite historically preferred methods of travel prior to COVID-19, a significant increase of between 120% and 150% in the use of active transportation such as walking and cycling was observed during the pandemic,” noted Heather Woods-Fry, TIRF Senior Research Scientist. “Even more encouraging is almost 1 in 3 respondents (30%) indicated this change in preferred travel method was likely to be permanent.”

Although the full impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on road safety is presently unknown, these data help illustrate the self-reported behaviours of Canadian drivers during COVID-19 restrictions, and can help complement other sources of data such as crash and fatality data. A more in-depth understanding of how the pandemic has affected road safety, and how a gradual re-opening and possible subsequent restrictions may affect driver behaviours is still to be determined. As such, close attention must be paid to these indicators to determine if there is a continued effect of pandemic restrictions on road safety.

Download Fact
Sheet in English and French:

Road Safety Monitor 20
20
:
The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Travel Behaviour & Road Safety

Sondage sur la sécurité routière 2020 : L’impact de la pandémie COVID-19 sur les habitudes de déplacement et la sécurité routière

About the poll:

These results are based on the RSM, an annual public opinion poll developed and conducted by TIRF. A total of 1,500 Canadians completed the poll in September 2020. Results can be considered accurate within plus or minus 2.5%, 19 times out of 20. The majority of the questions were answered using a scale from one to six where six indicated high agreement, concern, or support and one indicated low agreement, concern or support.

About the Traffic Injury Research Foundation:

The mission of the Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF) is to reduce traffic-related deaths and injuries. TIRF is an independent, charitable road safety research institute. Since its inception in 1964, TIRF has become internationally recognized for its accomplishments in identifying the causes of road crashes and developing programs and policies to address them effectively.

For more information, please contact:

Karen Bowman
Director, Marketing and Communications
Traffic Injury Research Foundation
613-238-5235 (office)
250-797-0833 (direct/cell)
1-877-238-5235 (toll-free)
613-238-5292 (fax)
[email protected] / [email protected]

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/fa53ffc6-2ab7-4d7c-a692-ab7e7d9908af



https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6e8f9b76-7e5c-4172-a203-6db329d9cb9b

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla., Nov. 12, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Integrity Implants Inc., a privately held medical device company dedicated to delivering innovative solutions for spine surgery, today announced the publication of a series of articles in the International Journal of Spine Surgery (www.ijssurgery.com) that demonstrate fusion efficacy of the FlareHawk^® expandable interbody device without the use of costly processed biologics. Additionally, there were no observed reports of device subsidence. Moreover, the study set provides confirmation of the cage’s ability to conform to patients’ endplate geometry.

The October Special Issue features several studies on FlareHawk expandable cage technology, including:

• Bidirectional Expandable Technology for T
  ransforaminal
  or
  Posterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion
  : A Retrospective Analysis of Safety and Performance, by Domagoj Coric, Raphael R. Roybal, Mark Grubb, Vincent Rossi, Alex K. Yu, Isaac R. Swink, Jason Long, Boyle C. Cheng and Jason A. Inzana in International Journal of Spine Surgery October 2020, 7123; DOI: https://doi.org/10.14444/7123

• Current Concepts of Contemporary Expandable Lumbar Interbody Fusion Cage Designs: An Editorial on Their Biomechanical Characteristics, Part 1, by Boyle C. Cheng, Isaac Swink, Rachelle Yusufbekov, Michele Birgelen, Lisa Ferrara, Kai Uwe Lewandrowski and Domagoj Coric in International Journal of Spine Surgery October 2020, 7128; DOI: https://doi.org/10.14444/7128

• Current Concepts of Contemporary Expandable Lumbar Interbody Fusion Cage Designs, Part 2: Feasibility Assessment of an Endplate Conforming Bidirectional Expandable Interbody Cage, by Boyle C. Cheng, Isaac Swink, Rachelle Yusufbekov, Michele Birgelen, Lisa Ferrara and Domagoj Coric in International Journal of Spine Surgery October 2020, 7129; DOI: https://doi.org/10.14444/7129

The articles present favorable clinical outcomes, as well as a discussion of some of the unique design features of the multidirectional expandable FlareHawk device that may contribute to its clinical efficacy.

I.

The lumbar Interbody fusion study substantiating the safety and efficacy of the FlareHawk biplanar expandable cage is presented by principal investigator Dom Coric, M.D., of Carolina Neurosurgery & Spine Associates, Chief of Neurosurgery at Carolinas Medical Center and Spine Division Chief at Atrium Musculoskeletal Institute in Charlotte, North Carolina. The study followed strict inclusion criteria including the allowance of only allograft and/or autograft to facilitate fusion and its participants represented patients with noteworthy comorbidities, including high BMI, diabetes, and current/former smokers. Among subjects with radiographs at 12 ± 3 months, nearly all (56 of 58 patients, or 96.6%, and 75 of 77 levels, or 97.4%) achieved fusion based on Bridwell-Lenke grading. Among 45 evaluable subjects, 71% (32 patients) achieved clinically significant improvements in VAS leg pain, and 76% (34 patients) achieved clinically significant improvements in VAS back pain. Additionally, there were no (0%) reported device-related adverse events (AEs). Common device-related AEs associated with interbody fusion devices include, but are not limited to, subsidence, displacement, and nerve injury. The incidence rate for non-device-related AEs was consistent with other PLIF/TLIF studies. There were no (0%) observations of cage subsidence (defined as an overlap between the vertebral endplates and the device exceeding 25% of the device height) and only one case (1.7%) of observed device migration (defined as displacement of the device relative to the position within intra-operative or immediate post-operative images). Analysis of that case reveals that the cage moved only slightly within the disc space and the patient went on to fuse.

Dr. Coric notes, “This study adds to the evidence base supporting the safe and effective use of expandable interbody spacers in the treatment of lumbar spine diseases. The FlareHawk implant’s ability to expand in both cephalad-caudal and lateral-medial planes is especially advantageous for decreasing neural retraction while maximizing vertebral body endplate coverage and fusion area.”

Raphael Roybal, M.D., M.B.A, co-author of the paper and Director of The Spine Institute at Chatham Orthopaedics in Savannah, Georgia, notes, “Popular minimally invasive TLIF techniques, typically involving a unilateral approach to the disc space, may limit the amount of disc space preparation and/or bone graft delivery, thereby impeding fusion rates. Biplanar expandable spacers that support minimally invasive surgery, safer implantation, and optimal patient outcomes will be relevant in delivering value-based spine care. The FlareHawk device has transformed my practice by allowing me to transition cases to an outpatient setting that is better for my patients and staff.”

Mark Grubb, M.D., co-author and minimally invasive spine surgeon at Northeast Ohio Spine Center in Akron, Ohio, adds, “Most expandable spacers use complex articulation mechanisms to expand the implant profile in either in height or width, but typically do not achieve multidirectional expansion. Furthermore, these complex mechanisms can limit the space available for bone grafting. I appreciate that the FlareHawk cage features a small insertion profile and expands in footprint, height, and lordosis via an unobtrusive mechanism that allows me to deliver bone graft through the expanded cage and into the intervertebral body space. Additionally, the ability to treat my patients via a single-position, posterior surgery allows me to improve both the quality and efficiency of my practice.”

II.

Similarly, the work from Boyle Cheng, Ph.D., Professor at Drexel University College of Medicine in Pennsylvania and Director of Research at the Allegheny Health Network (AHN) Neuroscience Institute, assesses the feasibility of a bidirectional expandable interbody cage to achieve interbody fusion and discusses two novel aspects of the FlareHawk device: (1) its multimaterial, open-architecture design that provides a combined spring effect for a modulus of elasticity similar to that of bone while maintaining sufficient support and stiffness from the titanium shim, and (2) implant geometry that allows for the naturally occurring deformation of the PEEK shell to conform to each patient’s endplate configuration.

Dr. Cheng’s study hypothesizes that utilizing two components, each with the appropriate intrinsic material stiffness, provides both flexibility and stability resulting in a device with a composite construct stiffness more favorable to load transfer over a large contact area with the endplates. Reducing the construct stiffness is essential, not only to reduce the risk of subsidence but also to increase the load sharing and improve bone formation as a function of Wolff’s Law. As such, the multimaterial construct, open architecture, and bi-directionally expanding design of the FlareHawk cage may contribute to the positive clinical outcomes observed.

Additionally, the shim-in-a-shell design conforms to patient-specific endplate anatomy. Measurement of the relative position of the tantalum markers revealed that 16 of the 18 devices showed coronal plane deformation of 1.82mm (18.55%) anteriorly and 1.41mm (15.49%) posteriorly. This measured deformation correlates well with values of endplate concavity reported in the literature (1.37 – 1.90mm), suggesting that the PEEK shell is conforming to the natural endplate anatomy. This material behavior, along with bidirectional expansion, serves to increase the surface area of the bone-implant interface and may better distribute the loads across the endplate.

Dr. Cheng notes, “This represents yet another design aspect potentially contributing to the favorable fusion rates seen with the FlareHawk device. In the study, all 18 devices (100%) were determined to have fused based on demonstrated bone growth evidence (average volume of 586.42 mm³) and Bridwell-Lenke classification. An interbody device with this unique combination of compliant and rigid components has the potential to conform to the interbody space while maintaining sufficient stability to achieve fusion. This represents a significant advancement not just in expandable cage technology, but in the larger context of achieving successful lumbar interbody fusion. The cage appears to conform in shape obliquely, sagittally, and coronally, resulting in adaptive implant geometry that surgeons may desire. Additionally, the lack of endplate violation suggests that the FlareHawk cage is an atraumatic implant.”

The FlareHawk spinal implant is the flagship product for Integrity Implants and represents the first of its kind in the expandable cage market. Much like coronary stents that offer patients a less-invasive alternative to open-heart procedures, the FlareHawk expandable cage features a PEEK shell that is inserted in a compressed form that can be effectively passed through small neural pathways and, once within the intervertebral disc space, expanded to a larger footprint and height. A titanium shim inserted within the PEEK shell produces the expansion and creates a solid-state construct that is resistant to collapse yet has shown the potential to conform to endplate anatomy to increase surface contact area and lower stresses. The Adaptive Geometry™ and advanced multimaterial composition embodied in the FlareHawk device respect patient anatomy both during insertion and for long-term stability. To date, approximately 8,500 FlareHawk cages have been implanted in more than 6,000 patients.

Chris Walsh, Integrity Implants CEO, shares, “The data suggests that the FlareHawk cage changes the PLIF/TLIF algorithm, enabling a single-position, reproducible, facility-friendly interbody solution that can provide surgeons significant efficiencies and latitude for their practices. There may be profound medical and economic ramifications to study in the future. Before founding Integrity Implants, Wyatt Geist and I observed, as distributors, the power of the lateral approach to transform the modern spine practice through a less-invasive technique. What we are observing with the FlareHawk device, we believe, is even greater in scale. The simple design works in inpatient and outpatient facilities, as well as international markets. This supports our thesis that Adaptive Geometry™ – the ability of an implant to change shape intraoperatively to respect the patient’s anatomy – reconciles the desire for a minimally invasive approach that yields a maximum clinical result through a variety of surgical approaches to the spine, and in a variety of clinical settings. In addition to these papers, IJSS has published Dr. Lee Tan’s Clinical and Radiographic Outcomes After Minimally Invasive Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion – Early Experience Using a Biplanar Expandable Cage for Lumbar Spondylolisthesis. We are excited about the promise of the FlareHawk expandable cage for MIS TLIF and will discuss those findings in a future release.”

About FlareHawk Expandable Lumbar Interbody Fusion System

The FlareHawk Interbody Fusion System is indicated for spinal intervertebral body fusion with autogenous bone graft and/or allogeneic bone graft composed of cancellous and/or corticocancellous bone in skeletally mature individuals with degenerative disc disease (DDD) at one or two contiguous levels from L2 to S1, following discectomy. DDD is defined as discogenic back pain with degeneration of the disc confirmed by history and radiographic studies. These patients should have at least six (6) months of non-operative treatment. Additionally, these patients may have up to Grade 1 spondylolisthesis or retrolisthesis at the involved level(s). FlareHawk system spacers are intended to be used with supplemental fixation instrumentation, which has been cleared for use in the lumbar spine.

About Integrity Implants Inc.

Integrity Implants, founded in 2016 by seasoned business partners and spine leaders Chris Walsh and Wyatt Geist, is a privately held medical device company headquartered in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. The Company is dedicated to delivering innovative spine products and solutions to surgeons and their patients around the globe. Its proprietary Adaptive Geometry™ technology fundamentally respects a patient’s neural, vascular, bony, and soft tissue anatomy, both during and after implantation.

For more information, please visit the Company’s website at www.integrityimplants.com.

Media Contact:

Mark Richards
512-913-9572
[email protected]

News
H
ighlights

• HP Indigo supplying Shutterfly a new fleet of more than 60 digital presses in landmark deal
• Agreement for advanced HP Indigo digital presses is biggest HP customer rollout to date
• Relationship deepens amid growth in digital printing and personalization business

PALO ALTO, Calif. and REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Nov. 12, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — HP Inc. (NYSE: HPQ) and Shutterfly, the world’s leading online retailer of personalized products, today announced a landmark expansion of their strategic relationship to deliver next-level productivity to supply the growing ecommerce market of photo gifts and photo products.

Shutterfly is investing in more than 60 new high-performance HP Indigo Digital Presses to drive higher productivity for its range of high-quality, photo-based and personalized products including photo gifts, photo books, school portraits, holiday cards, and home decor.

The agreement with Shutterfly, the leading US supplier of HP Indigo digital print, is the largest single customer order to date for the HP Graphics business. Now underway, the rollout includes next-generation, high-productivity B2 sized HP Indigo 100K digital presses, high versatility HP Indigo 12000 digital presses, as well as significant investment in web-fed photo presses to transform photo portrait printing to digital.

“Over our 20+ year legacy, Shutterfly has committed to investing in the best and most innovative technology to fuel our business, delivering high-quality products to our customers, hosts and partners,” said Shutterfly Inc.’s chief operating officer Dwayne Black. “This latest upgrade of our HP Indigo fleet continues that investment in quality, productivity and innovation, with significant advancements in speed and automation that help us deliver even higher quality products to our customers, even faster at a time when sharing tangible memories is more important than ever.”

The annual global photo printing and merchandise market is expected to reach a value of $3.117 billion by the end of 2026, with a CAGR of 8.1% during 2021-2026, compared with USD 1.7960 billion in 2019.¹

“Today more than ever before, tangible, personalized experiences are becoming more precious. Consumers are looking for quick turnaround, alongside real-to-life photo quality. We at HP Indigo are proud to be Shutterfly’s provider of choice in making this a reality,” said Haim Levit, general manager, HP Indigo.

In this latest wave of installations, Shutterfly is investing across three HP Indigo press generations and formats. Shutterfly was one of the first customer beta sites for the new 29-inch format HP Indigo 100K, engineered for high productivity and nonstop printing while delivering Indigo’s renowned digital offset look and feel. Shutterfly’s new HP Indigo 12000 presses loaded with a value pack deliver higher end prints using a wider range of inks and materials up to 24 pt, including synthetic, metalized and canvas applications.

The presses will be installed across four manufacturing facilities in Shakopee, Minnesota; Fort Mill, South Carolina; Tempe, Arizona; and Plano, Texas over the next 18 months.

To keep production at the highest level, Shutterfly takes advantage of HP PrintOS, the cloud-based PSP management solution, to monitor productivity of presses in real-time to keep press uptime to a maximum.

More information on HP’s award-winning HP Indigo digital presses is available at www.hp.com/go/Indigo.

About Shutterfly, Inc.

Committed to making all of life’s experiences unforgettable, Shutterfly Inc., is the leading digital retailer and manufacturing platform for photography and personalized products.

Shutterfly Inc. operates three divisions: a Consumer division, Lifetouch, and Shutterfly Business Solutions. The Consumer division helps customers create the most from life’s moments through its flagship personalized Shutterfly products; premium offerings in its Tiny Prints boutique; Snapfish custom photo gifts, as well as wedding invitations and stationery; and GrooveBook, an iPhone and Android app and subscription service that prints up to 100 mobile phone photos in a GrooveBook and mails it out every month. Lifetouch is the national leader in school photography, built on the enduring tradition of “Picture Day,” and also serves families through portrait studios and other partnerships. Shutterfly Business Solutions delivers enterprise digital printing services that enable efficient and effective customer engagement through personalized communications. For more information, please visit www.shutterflyinc.com.

About HP
Inc.

HP Inc. (NYSE: HPQ) creates technology that makes life better for everyone, everywhere. Through our product and service portfolio of personal systems, printers and 3D printing solutions, we engineer experiences that amaze. More information about HP Inc. is available at www.hp.com.

Nina Gilbert, HP [email protected] www.hp.com/go/newsroom

Graham Day, HP [email protected]

©Copyright 2020 HP Development Company, L.P. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. The only warranties for HP products and services are set forth in the express warranty statements accompanying such products and services. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting an additional warranty. HP shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein.

¹ 2020 Photo Printing and Merchandise Market Report by 360 Market updates. August, 2020.

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/430368bd-292b-4260-9743-258b2011536f

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/947b283c-525f-442c-8231-6e604fb8faea

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/dad75b9f-fe4f-4a94-8d6b-5dad53b72f6f

TORONTO, Nov. 12, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Adlib today announced a rebrand that represents its evolution into an AI-driven, SaaS-based Content Intelligence and Contract Analytics leader. The rebrand consists of an enhanced SaaS-based solution, a website with an improved user experience, and a new logo and brand colours that use bold, simple graphics to convey Adlib’s sophisticated solutions in a simple way.

With the growing demand for data-driven insights, companies from all industries are now able to leverage AI to surface clean data from complex unstructured content to simplify compliance, accelerate customer experiences, fuel innovation and reduce corporate risk. Adlib’s enhanced Content Intelligence and Contract Analytics capabilities solve these challenges with a greater level of speed, cost-effectiveness, and agility. The corporate rebrand will allow Adlib to communicate its strong history as a Content Transformation company while signaling its broader capabilities in the Contract Analytics realm.

“In the last year, Adlib has diversified its service offering while broadening our global footprint,” says Brett Mellon, CEO of Adlib. “With this launch, our customers will continue to experience our rich suite of Content Transformation solutions plus additional Contract Analytics capabilities,” he adds. “This strategic decision supports our future growth and delivers a clearer message behind a clean, reinvigorated brand.”

“Adlib is always adapting to market shifts, and we have seen plenty over the last year,” says Peter Duff, Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer. “Covid-19 is pressing organizations to comb through millions of contracts in search of force majeure clauses, Banks are dealing with the LIBOR transition, IFRS 17 will be impacting Insurance, and there are other ongoing compliance and risk-reduction initiatives,” he adds. “Our new brand will guide us forward into the Contract Analytics space while allowing us to stay true to our roots as a Content Transformation company.

“The new Adlib brand better reflects our core ethos: to amplify human potential and maximize business performance with intelligent data,” says Marc Fuentes, Senior Director of Marketing. “Adlib’s new logo includes organic upward curves which signifies the performance, profitability, and growth that Adlib helps our customers achieve,” he adds. “Our new identity is sophisticated, simple, and powerful, much like the solutions we provide.”

Media Contact:
Marc Fuentes, Senior Director of Marketing
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 905 631 2875

About Adlib

Our purpose is to create intelligent data that amplifies human potential and maximizes business performance. How do we get there? Our content intelligence and automation solutions make it easy to discover, standardize, classify, extract, and leverage clean structured data from complex unstructured documents. In doing so, our global customers reduce risk, simplify compliance, automate processes, and enter a whole new level of performance. For more information, contact us at [email protected], or follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

CHICAGO, Nov. 12, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — TransUnion (NYSE: TRU) and Atlas Digital Group have partnered to enable cable operators and other broadband internet service providers with solutions that decrease their risk while ensuring their customers have a seamless online experience.

As part of the partnership, TransUnion is providing a proprietary score that will allow Atlas’s customers to seamlessly determine the likelihood of fraud without introducing friction into the online experience. The score identifies consumers that are likely to be high-risk, allowing Atlas customers to determine how to respond, so that they can retain control over the application.

“We are thrilled to partner with TransUnion to create a frictionless fraud scoring solution for our clients,” said Mark Mihalevich, CEO of Atlas Digital Group. “Maximizing sales conversion and revenue growth for cable and broadband service providers can only be accomplished if they are more easily able to identify good customers while at the same time identifying those persons that may be more risky.”

The new score will be utilized in Atlas’s CORE eCommerce solution, the only turn-key, managed SAAS eCommerce platform designed specifically for providers of broadband internet services. 

CORE enables providers to: 

• Accelerate market share gains through frictionless shopping flow.
• Reduce cost of customer acquisition by shifting sales from high touch channels.
• Optimize package and pricing strategy through industry leading analytics.
• Increase revenue per customer by boosting take rate of high revenue products.
• Enable highly targeted location-based marketing and lead generation.

“The combined power of TransUnion and Atlas offerings is a real difference-maker, especially for small- and mid-sized cable and broadband internet service providers,” said Rachael Olson, director of strategic planning for TransUnion’s diversified markets group. “In this growing, competitive marketplace, leveraging top-tier solutions is critical to both safeguard your business and convert new customers.”

More information about the solutions provided via the partnership can be found here.

About TransUnion (NYSE: TRU)

TransUnion is a global information and insights company that makes trust possible in the modern economy. We do this by providing a comprehensive picture of each person so they can be reliably and safely represented in the marketplace. As a result, businesses and consumers can transact with confidence and achieve great things. We call this Information for Good.®

A leading presence in more than 30 countries across five continents, TransUnion provides solutions that help create economic opportunity, great experiences and personal empowerment for hundreds of millions of people.

http://www.transunion.com/business

About
Atlas Digital G
roup

Founded in 2017 and based in St. Louis, Atlas Digital Group delivers fast, innovative and transformative eCommerce and digital marketing solutions and results for cable and fiber operators. The group’s signature CORE eCommerce platform and related services improve sales conversion rates, reduce costs, increase revenue and optimize return on investment. With decades of digital marketing and sales conversion experience within the cable and fiber industry, Atlas Digital Group will carry your online business forward. For more information about Atlas Digital Group, please visit www.atlasdigitalgroup.com.

Contact	Dave Blumberg
	TransUnion
E-mail	[email protected]
Telephone	312-972-6646

 

WOBURN, Mass., Nov. 12, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Replimune Group Inc. (Nasdaq: REPL), a biotechnology company developing oncolytic immuno-gene therapies derived from its Immulytic™ platform, today announced that members of its senior management team will host investor meetings at the at the SVB Leerink Oncology 1×1 Day being held on Thursday, November 19, 2020.

About Replimune

Replimune Group, Inc., headquartered in Woburn, MA, was founded in 2015 to develop the next generation of oncolytic immune-gene therapies for the treatment of cancer. Replimune is developing novel, proprietary therapeutics intended to improve the direct cancer-killing effects of selective virus replication and the potency of the immune response to the tumor antigens released. Replimune’s Immulytic™ platform is designed to maximize systemic immune activation, in particular to tumor neoantigens, through robust viral-mediated immunogenic tumor cell killing and the delivery of optimal combinations of immune-activating proteins to the tumor and draining lymph nodes. The approach is expected to be highly synergistic with immune checkpoint blockade and other approaches to cancer treatment across a broad range of cancers. Replimune intends to progress these therapies rapidly through clinical development in combination with other immuno-oncology products with complementary mechanisms of action. For more information, please visit www.replimune.com.

Replimune Contact

Pamela Esposito, Ph.D.
Replimune Group Inc.
[email protected]

Investor Inquiries

Chris Brinzey
Westwicke, an ICR Company
339.970.2843
[email protected]

Media Inquiries

Arleen Goldenberg
Verge Scientific Communications
917.548.1582
[email protected]

Chicago, IL, Nov. 12, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — via NewMediaWire — Drug Free Solution Inc., (OTC: DSOL), Board of directors announced today that the company has completed the task of digitalization of their alternative health program, “Get Your Feelz On”. This is a big step for the company in that all programs will be available to customers and clients with a click of a mouse or touch of a button. The company is very committed to help to change the world through its alternative health programs and anticipates increased revenues and profits dramatically in the near term.

The company also hired new financial advisors over the summer and are now confident that the disclosures and financial statements will be accurate and timely. Our corporate administration has been reorganized to support the increased revenues expected and to be compatible with our required financial reporting.

Our website has been revised and can be viewed at www.drugfreesolution.com.  

Genie O’Malley, President of the company, stated, “We are excited to now offer our Get Your Feelz programs to all of our consumers, through a proprietary digital platform; this is a way to alleviate the negative emotional symptoms of a variety of mental health conditions, such as drug addiction to reduce the negative emotional symptoms of detoxification, and other related cognitive disorders including depression, as well as, several stress-related anxiety conditions. We believe we can help to heal the world and our excited about the immediate future.”

About the Company

Drug Free Solution, Inc. dba Get Your Feelz On (www.getyourfeelzon.com) is the proprietary services, education, and marketplace of the emotional wellness digital system called Get Your Feelz On, pioneered by the company’s founder, Genie O’Malley. The company’s signature product, the Daily Feelz, is a three-step process that combines self-analysis, breath, and proprietary language sequences that Ms. O’Malley has been developing, testing, and delivering since 1996 in key markets as products, education, and services. Get Your Feelz On offers consumers, through a proprietary digital platform, a way to alleviate the negative emotional symptoms of a variety of mental health conditions, such as drug addiction to reduce the negative emotional symptoms of detoxification, and other related cognitive disorders including depression, as well as, several stress-related anxiety conditions. This suite of products and services are specifically designed for listening on a digital platform, which enables any internet-connected smart phone or device to serve as a portal. These products primarily serve the Mental Health and Emotional Wellness markets along with their sub-markets which include Fitness and Mind-Body; Preventative & Personalized Medicine and Public Health; as well as Workplace Wellness.

Please Follow us on Social Media:

https://twitter.com/getyourfeelzon

https://www.instagram.com/getyourfeelzon/

https://www.facebook.com/getyourfeelzon/

https://www.pinterest.com/getyourfeelzonmedia/

https://www.tiktok.com/tag/getyourfeelzon

Forward-Looking Statement

This press release may include certain statements that are forward-looking in nature and that involve a number of uncertainties and risks. Such forward-looking statements are within the meaning of that term in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The forward-looking statements in this press release are based on Drug Free Solution, Inc., current expectations and projections regarding future events, which are based on currently available information. The forward-looking statements in this press release may also include statements relating to Drug Free Solution, Inc.’s anticipated new developments, business prospects, financial performance, strategies and similar matters. Drug Free Solution, Inc. disclaims any obligation to update any of its forward-looking statements, except as may be required by law.

Contact: [email protected] 888-919-9095

WALL, N.J., Nov. 12, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — BIO-key International, Inc. (Nasdaq: BKYI), an innovative provider of biometric and other multi-factor identity and access management (IAM) solutions for strong, convenient user authentication and large-scale identity applications, today reported results for its third quarter ended September 30, 2020 (Q3’20). BIO-key will host a conference call today at 10:00 a.m. ET (details below) to review its results and outlook.

Recent
News and
Highlights:

• BIO-key ended Q3’20 with $18.4M of cash reflecting the completion of a $24.8 million underwritten public offering of stock and warrants in July.
• Q3’20 revenue of $943K or more than double Q3’19 revenue of $453K. BIO-key’s Q3’20 results benefitted from the acquisition of PortalGuard® developer PistolStar. PortalGuard is an enterprise multifactor authentication and single sign-on platform deployed and used by millions of users at hundreds of customers around the world, with particular strength in education.
• PortalGuard continues to be deployed by educational institutions across the U.S., including in Florida, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Georgia, California, Guam, and Washington D.C., as well as by a major nonprofit healthcare organization, a global medical device company, a major municipality, and the U.S. General Services Administration.
• A multinational agriculture company also deployed BIO-key’s biometric software solutions and PIV-pro finger print readers to secure system access by workers at two facilities in California with the potential to add additional facilities in coming months.
• BIO-key’s biometric user access solution for voter registration data was utilized across 45 counties in two states during recent elections.
• BIO-key’s Channel Alliance Program continues to expand and now includes 50 partners worldwide.
• One of two large African contracts is expected to commence in Q4’20, with anticipated orders of $650K for an initial deployment.
• BIO-key expects Q4 performance to continue to improve from Q3 levels, with continued momentum into FY 2021.

BIO-key CEO Michael DePasquale commented, “Despite lingering business development challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Q3 proved a pivotal and exciting quarter for BIO-key as we completed the recapitalization of the Company and built revenue momentum for our new PortalGuard solution. We began to see a return to more normalized sales and marketing dialogues following a very challenging Q2 during which most customer IT decision-making had been put on hold. We are now seeing business activity slowly moving to a more normal pace and level of engagement. Importantly, Q3’20 marked the first quarter incorporating results of our PistolStar/PortalGuard business, and we saw very strong traction for the solution, particularly within higher education institutions seeking to strengthen and streamline online access to educational resources for students, faculty and administration.

“In recent weeks we have also seen initial traction in Africa as we have commenced work on the first of our two large projects in Nigeria. The projects have been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and more recently some civil unrest, however business activity has begun to normalize with the opening of the economy and the projects are beginning to move forward. The first contract is an approximate $45M project to provide biometric software and hardware solutions in support of a Nigerian Ministry of Labour program to create employment for one million recent college graduates in Nigeria. It appears that this program has become an even more important priority in the wake of the economic disruption from the pandemic. We look to close an initial deployment for this project this month with anticipated orders for $650k in the fourth quarter and we expect the project to scale substantially over the next two years.

“Additionally, our $30M project to provide biometric security solutions to securely authenticate millions of customers for an African telecommunications company is now slated to start in 2021. Further, we are building out our BIO-key Africa subsidiary to support growth objectives in the Civil ID and enterprise security markets across the African continent. We continue to believe our unique suite of biometric and multifactor authentication solutions are extremely well matched for a wide array of opportunities across Africa.

“PortalGuard was an important contributor to Q3 revenues of $943K, which more than doubled our Q3’19 revenues. PortalGuard adds high margin, recurring license and maintenance revenue, as evidenced by a 78% gross margin achieved in Q3’20. PortalGuard substantially expands our software product offerings and potential available market particularly in key verticals, such as higher education, financial services, and state and local government. The acquisition also bolstered our sales, marketing and R&D teams while increasing our customer base and providing significant cross-selling opportunities.

“To provide cohesive marketing leadership across the company, in August we appointed Kimberly Johnson as V.P. of Product Marketing. Kimberly is a talented, experienced marketing executive with a strong track record in shaping and executing go-to-market strategies, effective positioning, messaging and demand creation. Under her leadership, we recently unveiled a brand new integrated corporate website to clarify and strengthen our messaging and to enhance our marketing efforts.

“In summary, it is a very exciting time for BIO-key as we progress into 2021 with an enhanced product suite, an expanded team of professionals, tremendous financial strength, and a growing base of opportunities around the globe.”

Q
3
2020
Results

Q3’20 revenues more than doubled to $943,000 from $453,000 in Q3’19, due primarily to a full quarter’s contribution from the PistolStar/PortalGuard acquisition which closed on June 30.

Gross margin improved to 78% in Q3’20 as compared to a negative 12% gross margin in Q3’19, due primarily to $281,250 in non-cash software license amortization expense recorded in Q3’19 which did not recur in Q3’20.

Q3’20 operating expenses increased to $1.8 million from $1.2 million, primarily reflecting the inclusion of PortalGuard operating expenses in consolidation. BIO-key reported a Q3’20 operating loss of $1.1M compared to $1.3M in Q3’19.

BIO-key’s Q3’20 results reflect $2.2M of net interest expense, consisting primarily of amortization of costs associated with the repayment of the Company’s convertible notes, compared to net interest expense of $0.6M in Q3’19.

BIO-key reported a net loss available to stockholders of $3.3M, or $0.06 per basic share, in Q3’20 compared to a net loss of $1.8M, or $0.13 per basic share, in Q3’19. Weighted average basic shares outstanding were approximately 51.5M in Q3’20 compared 14.4M in the third quarter of 2019.

Financial Strength

At the close of Q3’20, BIO-key had $18.4M in cash, reflecting the net proceeds of public offering of common stock and warrants, the repayment of $4.23M of convertible notes, and the payment of approximately $0.5M of accounts payable. Additionally, BIO-key had $235,000 of remaining notes payable related to the PistolStar acquisition.

Conference Call Details
Date / Time: Call Dial In #: Live Webcast / Replay: Audio Replay:		Today, Thursday, November 12th at 10 a.m. ET 1-877-418-5460 U.S. or 1-412-717-9594 International Investor Webcast & Replay – Available for 3 months. 1-877-344-7529 U.S. or 1-412-317-0088 Int’l; code 10149810

About BIO-key International, Inc. (


www.bio-key.com


)
BIO-key is revolutionizing authentication with biometric centric, multi-factor identity and access management (IAM) solutions, including its PortalGuard IAM solution, that provide convenient and secure access to devices, information, applications and high-value transactions. BIO-key’s proprietary software and hardware solutions, with industry leading biometric capabilities, enable large-scale on-premise and Identity-as-a-Service (IDaaS) solutions as well as customized enterprise and cloud solutions.

BIO-key Safe Harbor Statement

All statements contained in this press release other than statements of historical facts are “forward-looking statements” as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the “Act”). The words “estimate,” “project,” “intends,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “believes” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are made based on management’s beliefs, as well as assumptions made by, and information currently available to, management pursuant to the “safe-harbor” provisions of the Act. These statements are not guarantees of future performance or events and are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those included within or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, our history of losses and limited revenue; our ability to raise additional capital; our ability to protect our intellectual property; changes in business conditions; changes in our sales strategy and product development plans; changes in the marketplace; continued services of our executive management team; security breaches; competition in the biometric technology industry; market acceptance of biometric products generally and our products under development; our ability to execute and deliver on contracts in Africa; our ability to expand into Asia, Africa and other foreign markets; our ability to integrate the operations and personnel of PistolStar into our business; the duration and severity of the current coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic and its effect on our business operations, sales cycles, personnel, and the geographic markets in which we operate; delays in the development of products and statements of assumption underlying any of the foregoing as well as other factors set forth under the caption see “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. Except as required by law, the Company undertakes no obligation to disclose any revision to these forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Additionally, there may be other factors of which the Company is not currently aware that may affect matters discussed in forward-looking statements and may also cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed. In particular, the consequences of the coronavirus outbreak to economic conditions and the industry in general and the financial position and operating results of our Company in particular have been material, are changing rapidly, and cannot be predicted.

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Investor & Media Contacts
William Jones, David Collins
Catalyst IR
212-924-9800
[email protected]

BIO-KEY INTERNATIONAL, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

		September 30, 2020				December 31, 2019
		(Unaudited)
ASSETS
Cash and cash equivalents		$	18,395,508			$	79,013
Accounts receivable, net			492,380				126,000
Due from factor			63,262				110,941
Note receivable			295,000				–
Inventory			399,396				429,119
Prepaid expenses and other			204,019				108,397
Investment			516,121				512,821
Total current assets			20,365,686				1,366,291
Resalable software license rights			68,758				73,802
Equipment and leasehold improvements, net			78,941				95,509
Capitalized contract costs, net			149,860				231,519
Deposits and other assets			8,712				8,712
Operating lease right-of-use assets			556,915				566,479
Intangible assets, net			1,617,171				154,386
Goodwill			1,132,526				–
Total non-current assets			3,612,883				1,130,407
TOTAL ASSETS		$	23,978,569			$	2,496,698
LIABILITIES
Accounts payable		$	314,546			$	844,557
Accounts payable – related party			–				188,737
Accrued liabilities			399,756				572,885
Convertible notes payable, net of debt discount and debt issuance costs			–				2,255,454
Note payable – PistolStar, net of debt discount			235,000				–
Deferred revenue			813,505				359,212
Operating lease liabilities, current portion			229,853				170,560
Total current liabilities			1,992,660				4,391,405
Operating lease liabilities, net of current portion			325,454				390,466
Total non-current liabilities			325,454				390,466
TOTAL LIABILITIES			2,318,114				4,781,871
Commitments and contingencies
STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Common stock — authorized, 170,000,000 shares; issued and outstanding; 62,376,443 and 14,411,432 of $.0001 par value at September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively			6,237				1,441
Additional paid-in capital			119,748,463				87,436,402
Accumulated deficit			(98,094,245	)			(89,723,016	)
TOTAL STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY (DEFICIT)			21,660,455				(2,285,173	)
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY (DEFICIT)		$	23,978,569			$	2,496,698

BIO-KEY INTERNATIONAL, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(Unaudited)

		Three months ended September 30,								Nine months ended September 30,
		2020				2019				2020				2019
Revenues
Services		$	491,535			$	237,372			$	928,561			$	710,975
License fees			346,479				98,272				605,366				241,780
Hardware			105,311				117,070				239,025				779,965
Total Revenues			943,325				452,714				1,772,952				1,732,720
Costs and other expenses
Cost of services			173,823				65,683				336,940				214,933
Cost of license fees			10,775				369,604				29,486				1,119,147
Cost of hardware			27,011				73,366				117,900				458,049
Total costs and other expenses			211,609				508,653				484,326				1,792,129
Gross Profit (Loss)			731,716				(55,939	)			1,288,626				(59,409	)
Operating Expenses
Selling, general and administrative			1,512,241				915,066				4,105,568				3,350,770
Research, development and engineering			331,213				300,131				986,675				975,466
Total operating expenses			1,843,454				1,215,197				5,092,243				4,326,236
Operating loss			(1,111,738	)			(1,271,136	)			(3,803,617	)			(4,385,645	)
Other income (expense)
Interest income			1,106				19				26,908				143
Government grant – Paycheck Protection Program			–				–				340,819				–
Interest expense			(2,204,920	)			(558,449	)			(4,323,577	)			(673,316	)
Loss on extinguishment of debt			–				–				(499,076	)			–
Total other income (expense), net			(2,203,814	)			(558,430	)			(4,454,926	)			(673,173	)
Net loss			(3,315,552	)			(1,829,566	)			(8,258,543	)			(5,058,818	)
Deemed dividend from trigger of anti-dilution provision feature			–				–				(112,686	)			–
Net loss available to common stockholders		$	(3,315,552	)		$	(1,829,566	)		$	(8,371,229	)		$	(5,058,818	)
Basic and Diluted Loss per Common Share		$	(0.06	)		$	(0.13	)		$	(0.28	)		$	(0.36	)
Weighted Average Shares Outstanding:
Basic and Diluted			51,486,756				14,387,467				29,305,427				14,163,120