Market Newsdesk

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla., Dec. 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Carrier Global Corporation (NYSE: CARR), a leading global provider of healthy, safe and sustainable building and cold chain solutions, is proud to announce that Wabash Plastics has joined the Carrier Alliance program and signed a strategic long-term agreement with Carrier. Wabash will supply a wide array of injection molded components and assemblies for use across Carrier’s Residential HVAC portfolio.

“We are excited to expand our strategic relationship and collaboration with Wabash and welcome them to the Carrier Alliance program,” said Ed Dunn, Vice President, Supply Chain, Carrier. “We’ve worked together for decades, and Wabash has always had an unrelenting focus on quality, service and cost excellence. Wabash’s consistent quality and on-time delivery remains best-in-class, helping Carrier to deliver for our customers and adapt to rapidly changing requirements.”

Wabash has been a supplier to Carrier for more than 20 years in North America. Wabash manufactures assemblies and other components which are critical to Carrier’s 90% high-efficiency gas furnaces and heating systems produced in Indianapolis. These energy-efficient heating units offer great appeal to homeowners interested in advanced technology for reducing energy costs and environmental impact.

Designed to optimize and strengthen the supply chain and help drive cost savings, Carrier launched the Carrier Alliance program to help provide certainty, security and growth opportunities for Carrier and its key suppliers. Joining the Carrier Alliance program is a win-win for Carrier and Wabash as it solidifies Wabash’s position as a key supplier.

 “Joining the Carrier Alliance allows Wabash to further strengthen our long-standing relationship with Carrier and we look forward to the opportunity to grow and expand our presence in Carrier’s portfolio of products,” said Scott Schroeder, Executive Vice President, Wabash.

For more information, visit corporate.carrier.com/suppliers or follow Carrier on social media at @Carrier.

About Carrier
 
Carrier Global Corporation is a leading global provider of healthy, safe and sustainable building and cold chain solutions. Since our founding, we’ve led in creating solutions that matter for people and our planet. Today, our portfolio includes industry-leading brands such as Carrier, Kidde, Edwards, LenelS2 and Automated Logic that offer innovative HVAC, refrigeration, fire, security and building automation technologies to help make the world safer and more comfortable for generations to come. For more information, visit www.corporate.carrier.com or follow Carrier on social media at @Carrier.

CARR-IR

 

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SOURCE Carrier Global Corporation

VANCOUVER, BC, Dec. 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ – Eat Beyond Global Holdings Inc. (CSE: EATS) (OTCPK: EATBF) (FSE: 988) (“Eat Beyond” or the “Company“), an investment issuer focused on the global plant-based and alternative food sector, is announcing that it has joined the Plant Based Foods Association (PBFA).

The PBFA is a San Francisco-based trade association that represents over 170 leading plant-based food companies and is focused on building a strong foundation for the plant-based foods industry to succeed and grow. Launched in March 2016, PBFA works to expand market opportunities for this fast-growing sector of the food industry. 

“We are very excited to join the Plant Based Foods Association,” said Patrick Morris, CEO of Eat Beyond. “The association acts as a catalyst for the industry, providing up-to-date reports and data and working closely with investors, as well as retailers to expand opportunities for plant-based food companies.”

This May, the PBFA released a report that showed that U.S. retail sales of plant-based foods were outpacing total food sales throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and that animal meat sales are declining. During the 16-week period ending April 19, 2020, plant-based food sales were up 90% when compared to the year prior. Throughout the four weeks following the “panic buying” period, total plant-based foods sales grew at 27%, which was 35% faster than total retail food.

About Eat Beyond Global Holdings

Eat Beyond Global Holdings Inc.
 (“Eat Beyond”) (CSE: EATS) (OTCPK: EATBF) (FSE: 988) is an investment issuer that makes it easy to invest in the future of food. Eat Beyond identifies and makes equity investments in global companies that are developing and commercializing innovative food tech as well as plant-based and alternative food products. Led by a team of food industry experts, Eat Beyond is the first issuer of its kind in Canada, providing retail investors with the unique opportunity to participate in the growth of a broad cross-section of opportunities in the alternative food sector, and access companies that are leading the charge toward a smarter, more secure food supply. Learn more: https://eatbeyondglobal.com/

Find Eat Beyond on Social Media on LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook

For media inquiries, please contact: [email protected]

For investment inquiries, please contact: [email protected]

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SOURCE Eat Beyond Global Holdings Inc.

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Dec. 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — AcelRx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: ACRX), a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of innovative therapies for use in medically supervised settings, today announced the publication by the Journal of Universal Surgery of clinical data on the use of DSUVIA for acute perioperative pain management.

The article entitled “A Medication Use Evaluation of Sufentanil Sublingual Tablet 30 mcg for the Perioperative Management of Surgical Pain” by lead author Koth Cassavaugh, PharmD, Director of Pharmacy, reports that perioperative dosing of the sublingual sufentanil tablet 30 mcg (SST; DSUVIA) can provide enhanced postanesthesia care unit (PACU) recovery compared to standard intravenous (IV) opioid administration. The evaluation was conducted at Auburn Community Hospital, Auburn, NY, and included 298 patients in a perioperative setting undergoing a wide variety of inpatient and outpatient procedures including abdominal, orthopedic, gynecologic, genitourinary, otolaryngologic and spinal surgeries.

The evaluation focused on 140 patients who were dosed with SST 30 mcg compared to 158 patients who had been dosed with traditional IV opioids during the same time period undergoing the same surgical procedures. Key findings included the following:

• Intraoperative IV opioid use – patients in the control group overall received 66% higher mean dosing of intraoperative IV opioids compared to patients receiving SST (p<0.001).
   
• Postoperative opioid use – the mean opioid requirement of the SST group was less than half of the control group (p<0.001), with orthopedic surgery patients having the largest decrease (69%).
   
• PACU time to discharge – Phase 1 recovery time in the PACU was reduced by an average of 14 minutes across patients in the SST group compared with the control group (p<0.001), with the largest decrease in recovery time observed among abdominal surgery patients (23 minutes; 25% reduction).
   
• Respiratory depression – 3 patients in the control group required naloxone use for respiratory depression whereas no patients in the SST group required naloxone use.

The authors concluded that overall, SST dosed preoperatively or intraoperatively, significantly reduced both PACU opioid dosing requirements and Phase 1 unit discharge time compared to control patients receiving standard IV opioids intraoperatively. SST was well tolerated with no significant adverse events. In addition, the authors noted that decreasing discharge time per patient can have a substantial financial impact when multiplied over thousands of patients each year taking into account surgical throughput inefficiency that congestion in the PACU creates. Study limitations include that it was a single-center, retrospective study of SST dosing in a surgical patient population and both inpatient and outpatient surgery data was combined. The study did not control for whether patients were opiate naïve or opiate tolerant in the treatment groups, however, there is no reason for these patients to be present at a substantially higher frequency in either group. AcelRx did not provide funding for the conduct of the evaluation but did fund medical writing support. AcelRx did not provide any compensation to the authors for the evaluation.  Dr. Cassavaugh is a paid consultant of AcelRx.

“We are thrilled this clinical data supports DSUVIA as a well-tolerated and effective pain management solution across a wide variety of both inpatient and outpatient surgical procedures, and also indicates shorter patient recovery time and economic benefits for hospitals,” said Dr. Pamela Palmer, AcelRx Chief Medical Officer and co-founder. “Importantly, the findings of reduced overall IV opioid use and PACU discharge time are consistent with other recently published clinical data on the use of DSUVIA in the perioperative environment.”

A
bout DSUVIA (sufentanil sublingual tablet), 30 mcg

DSUVIA®, known as DZUVEO™ in Europe, approved by the FDA in November 2018, is indicated for use in adults in certified medically supervised healthcare settings, such as hospitals, surgical centers, and emergency departments, for the management of acute pain severe enough to require an opioid analgesic, and for which alternative treatments are inadequate. DSUVIA was designed to provide rapid analgesia via a non-invasive route and to eliminate dosing errors associated with intravenous (IV) administration. DSUVIA is a single-strength solid dosage form administered sublingually via a single-dose applicator (SDA) by healthcare professionals. Sufentanil is an opioid analgesic previously only marketed for IV and epidural anesthesia and analgesia. The sufentanil pharmacokinetic profile when delivered sublingually avoids the high peak plasma levels and short duration of action observed with IV administration. The European Commission approved DZUVEO for marketing in Europe in June 2018 and the Company is currently in discussions with potential European marketing partners. This release is intended for investors only. For more information, including important safety information and black box warning for DSUVIA, please visit www.DSUVIA.com.

About AcelRx Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

AcelRx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of innovative therapies for use in medically supervised settings.  AcelRx’s proprietary, non-invasive sublingual formulation technology delivers sufentanil with consistent pharmacokinetic profiles. AcelRx has one approved product in the U.S., DSUVIA^® (sufentanil sublingual tablet, 30 mcg), known as DZUVEO™ in Europe, indicated for the management of acute pain severe enough to require an opioid analgesic for adult patients in certified medically supervised healthcare settings, and one product candidate, Zalviso^® (sufentanil sublingual tablet system, SST system, 15 mcg), an investigational product in the U.S., is being developed as an innovatively designed patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) system for reduction of moderate-to-severe acute pain in medically supervised settings. DZUVEO and Zalviso are both approved products in Europe.  For additional information about AcelRx, please visit www.acelrx.com.

 

 

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SOURCE AcelRx Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

AUSTIN, Texas, Dec. 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) (BSE: 532540, NSE: TCS) a leading global IT services, consulting and business solutions organization, has expanded its business operations in Austin, Texas with the construction of a new facility, doubling its presence to more than 400 professionals in the city and adding to its 5,500+ employees across the state. Located at 13929 Center Lake Drive, the new facility will officially open in late December 2020 and have space for 367 employees.

The new TCS Austin office adds to existing offices in Dallas, Houston, and Plano and more than 30 TCS locations around the U.S. TCS has hired more than 200 employees locally in Austin since 2019, of which more than 50 have been recent local graduates from the University of Texas at Austin, Houston and Dallas, and other U.S. colleges and universities. New employees are performing a range of digital business transformation roles in artificial intelligence, machine learning, enterprise software and technology operations.

By 2022, TCS will hire an additional 130 new employees in Austin, adding to the plans to hire 1,000 new employees across Texas. Over the next seven years, TCS will invest more than USD $100M in Austin.

“This investment is a testament to Texas’ growing status as a booming technology hub, and we are proud that TCS continues to expand across our state,” said Governor Greg Abbott. “The Lone Star State is the premier economic destination in America thanks to our business-friendly environment, low-taxes, highly skilled workforce, and partnerships with innovative companies like TCS. I thank TCS for investing in Texas and for bringing more jobs to the Austin area, and I look forward to working with them to grow this already strong partnership.”

“Enterprises are partnering with TCS to accelerate their innovation, enhance their operational resilience and deliver superior customer experiences. To support our business growth, we are committed to recruiting, training, and developing the best local talent, as we continue to invest in Texas and across the U.S.,” said Surya Kant, Chairman of North America, TCS. “The new facility in Austin is part of our initiative toexpand our local presence and drive our customers’ digital transformation journeys.”

Texas currently has more than 38,050 open computing jobs, 3.6 times the average job demand rate in Texas. However, only 506 schools in the state (27% of Texas schools) offered an AP Computer Science course in 2018-2019. As part of its ongoing investment in the region, TCS continues to expand its Ignite My Future in School (IMFIS) program, a pioneering, trans-disciplinary approach for K-12 education designed to embed computational thinking into core subjects such as math, science, arts, and social studies. Created in partnership with Discovery Education, IMFIS has already empowered nearly 15,500 teachers and 900,000 students in the U.S. In Texas, the program has been utilized by more than 1,000 teachers, reaching upwards of 60,500 students. In Austin, it is being used by more than 400 teachers, potentially reaching 25,000 students.

TCS’ other flagship education program, goIT focuses on design thinking, problem solving and career readiness, and has engaged more than 30,000 students across the country since 2009. In Texas, goIT has positively impacted more than 700 students, including 400 girls, over the last seven years.

These programs and TCS’ employee volunteers support local communities. Since 2012, more than 1,000 TCS employees across Texas volunteered approximately 24,000 hours of their time to organizations such as the American Heart Association, the American Red Cross and Toys for Tots.

Over the past 40 years, TCS has partnered with more than a third of the Fortune 500 companies to help them digitally transform and grow their businesses. It has been among the top two U.S. recruiters of IT services talent, hiring more than 21,500 associates in the past five years alone. With industries looking to recover amid COVID-19, TCS expects to hire an additional 10,000 local employees in the U.S. by 2022, utilizing its Secure Borderless Workspaces™ (SBWS™) framework to enable companies to infuse purpose and resiliency into their fabric in adapting their remote work infrastructure, security and business models to enhance their customer experiences.

About Tata Consultancy Services Ltd (TCS)

Tata Consultancy Services is an IT services, consulting and business solutions organization that has been partnering with many of the world’s largest businesses in their transformation journeys for over 50 years. TCS offers a consulting-led, cognitive powered, integrated portfolio of business, technology and engineering services and solutions. This is delivered through its unique Location Independent Agile^TM delivery model, recognized as a benchmark of excellence in software development.

A part of the Tata group, India’s largest multinational business group, TCS has over 453,000 of the world’s best-trained consultants in 46 countries. The company generated consolidated revenues of US $22 billion in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2020, and is listed on the BSE (formerly Bombay Stock Exchange) and the NSE (National Stock Exchange) in India. TCS’ proactive stance on climate change and award-winning work with communities across the world have earned it a place in leading sustainability indices such as the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI), MSCI Global Sustainability Index and the FTSE4Good Emerging Index. For more information, visit us at www.tcs.com.

To stay up-to-date on TCS news in North America, follow @TCS_NA. For TCS global news, follow @TCS_News.

TCS media contacts:

 

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SOURCE Tata Consultancy Services

BATTLE CREEK, Mich., Dec. 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Breakfast just got a whole grain makeover. Kellogg tapped two family-favorite brands to create two all-new nutritious flavors, Frosted Mini-Wheats® Cinnamon Roll and Special K® Blueberry. Both feature the same leading ingredient — whole grains.   

With real cinnamon baked inside toasty layers of 100% whole grain frosted biscuit, Frosted Mini-Wheats Cinnamon Roll tastes just like your favorite fresh-from-the-bakery cinnamon roll. Made with real cinnamon and 47 grams of whole grains per serving, Frosted Mini-Wheats Cinnamon Roll is high in fiber and a good source of seven vitamins and minerals.

Special K Blueberry features the classic Special K ingredients you know and love, paired with real, whole blueberries that will kickstart the day with a burst of berry. Made with 15 grams of whole grains per serving, Special K Blueberry is a good source of 11 key vitamins and minerals.

“At Kellogg, we’re always looking for ways to innovate our beloved brands and excite fans with new, nutritious flavors that fuel the whole family,” said Cindy Huntington, Brand Director at Kellogg Company. “Whether you’re in the mood for something toasty and sweet or fancy something fruity, Frosted Mini-Wheats Cinnamon Roll and Special K Blueberry have you covered with delicious flavor and whole grains.”

Find new Frosted Mini-Wheats Cinnamon Roll and Special K Blueberry at retailers nationwide starting in December. Frosted Mini-Wheats Cinnamon Roll retails for a suggested price of $3.25 for a 14.3-ounce box and $3.99 for a 22-ounce box. Special K Blueberry retails for a suggested retail price of $3.25 for a 11.6-ounce box and $3.99 for a 16.8-ounce box.

For more information, follow Frosted Mini-Wheats on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter and Special K on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

About Kellogg Company
At Kellogg Company (NYSE: K), we strive to enrich and delight the world through foods and brands that matter. Our beloved brands include Pringles®, Cheez-It®, Special K®, Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes®, Pop-Tarts®, Kellogg’s Corn Flakes®, Rice Krispies®, Eggo®, Mini-Wheats®, Kashi®, RXBAR®, MorningStar Farms® and more. Net sales in 2019 were approximately $13.6 billion, comprised principally of snacks and convenience foods like cereal and frozen foods. Kellogg brands are beloved in markets around the world. We are also a company with Heart & Soul, committed to creating Better Days for 3 billion people by the end of 2030 through our Kellogg’s® Better Days global purpose platform. Visit www.KelloggCompany.com or www.OpenforBreakfast.com.

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SOURCE Kellogg Company

NEW YORK, Dec. 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Roundhill Investments, an ETF sponsor focused on developing innovative fund offerings, is pleased to announce that the firm‘s assets under management have surpassed $250 million. The milestone comes less than 1.5 years since the firm‘s initial launch.

The company‘s success thus far has been driven by two primary factors: (1) offering funds that are designed to meet previously unmet investor demand, and (2) market-beating performance. 

Roundhill CEO Will Hershey commented: “We are explicitly using different tactics than our peers. We don‘t do outbound sales or emails, everything has been organic demand.” The firm‘s approach has resulted in differentiated investor demographics. According to the company, approximately 60% of the firm‘s web traffic comes from the 18-34 age demographic.

Roundhill plans to launch additional ETFs in 2021.

To learn more about the funds, please visit roundhillinvestments.com/etf.

The performance data quoted represents past performance (data as of 11/30/20). Past performance does not guarantee future results. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data quoted. The investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate so that an investor’s shares, when sold or redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Returns less than one year are not annualized. For the most recent month-end performance, please call (855) 561-5728. An index is unmanaged and is not available for direct investment.

About Roundhill Investments
Roundhill Investments is a registered investment adviser and ETF sponsor focused on thematic and sector-specific investing. We create thoughtful investment products designed to help investors express their vision of the future. To learn more about the company, please visit roundhillinvestments.com.

Investors should consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses carefully before investing. For a prospectus or summary prospectus with this and other information about Roundhill ETFs please visit the website at https://www.roundhillinvestments.com/etf/. Read the prospectus or summary prospectus carefully before investing. 

Investing involves risk, including possible loss of principal. Risks include those related to investments in the highly-competitive sports betting industry, including from illegal or unregulated companies. Expansion of sports betting (both regulated and unregulated), including the award of additional licenses or expansion or relocation of existing sports betting companies, and competition from other leisure and entertainment activities, could impact these companies

‘

finances.
  Small and mid-capitalization companies may be more volatile and less liquid due to limited resources or product lines and more sensitive to economic factors. Fund investments are concentrated in an industry or group of industries, and the value of Fund shares may rise and fall more than more diversified funds. Investments in foreign securities involve social and political instability, market illiquidity, exchange-rate fluctuation, high volatility and limited regulation risks. Emerging markets involve different and greater risks, as they are smaller, less liquid and more volatile than more developed countries. Depositary Receipts involve risks similar to those associated with investments in foreign securities, but may not provide a return that corresponds precisely with that of the underlying shares. Please see the prospectus for details of these and other risks.

Shares are bought and sold at market price not net asset value (NAV) and are not individually redeemed from the Fund. Brokerage commissions will reduce returns. 

Roundhill Financial Inc serves as the investment advisor. The Funds are distributed by Foreside Fund Services, LLC which is not affiliated with Roundhill Financial Inc, U.S. Bank or any of their affiliates. 

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SOURCE Roundhill Investments

Sun Life pilots new personalized coach to help Clients navigate their mental health journey

TORONTO, Dec. 10, 2020 /CNW/ – With the pandemic impacting holiday plans, feelings of loneliness and anxiety are bound to take their toll on the mental health of Canadians. A recent survey by Sun Life reveals that nearly 60 per cent of Canadians say the pandemic continues to negatively impact their mental health. Yet, almost half of all Canadians (40%) report they do not spend any time on their mental health each week.

When it comes to how Canadians manage their mental health, the study finds differences across gender and age groups. More men (46%) report spending no time on their mental health, compared to women (34%). Across generations, Boomers, those aged 55 and older are the least likely (55%) to focus on their mental health.

The Sun Life survey finds that of those who spend time on their mental health, most (22%) Canadians report spending under one hour a week, followed by those that say they spend one to three hours per week on average (21%). This figure drops down significantly to nine per cent of Canadians spending three to five hours a week on their mental health. 

Making mental health a priority everyday
All Canadians have mental health. Just as people take proactive steps to invest in their physical and financial health, Canadians need to do the same for their mental well-being. If you never spend time focusing on your mental health, it can be overwhelming. Sun Life recommends Canadians start small, with one or two acts of self-care each day.

“Many people think focusing on their mental health means therapy – but that’s only one tool available. There are various actions you can take to help improve your mental health. Whether you’re getting some fresh air or doing a free online mindfulness program, it’s the small steps that add up,” said Dr. Sam Mikail, Director, Mental Health Solutions, Sun Life. “Managing your mental health is a process that we all must make time for. Investing now can help reduce potential issues down the road.”

Lumino Health, an innovation from Sun Life, is a digital platform with free health resources, including mental health resources to help Canadians identify and navigate where they are on their journey. The platform also includes a health provider search tool to help Canadians connect with local healthcare professionals, even virtually.

Personalized Mental Health Coach for Group Benefits Clients
Sun Life’s benefits plans are helping to bridge the gap by using predictive analytics to identify Clients who are at the greatest risk of developing a mental health problem. Sun Life guides Clients on their individual mental health journey, towards the right resources and support for them. Suggestions include personalized actions or connecting with a practitioner for additional care.

“The pandemic continues to amplify the country’s mental health crisis and highlights the importance of helping Canadians live healthier lives,” said Dave Jones, Senior Vice-President, Group Benefits, Sun Life Canada. “At Sun Life, we are committed to empowering our Employees, Clients and all Canadians in managing their mental health. Our goal is to equip Canadians with virtual mental health tools to help them get the support they need wherever they are in their journey.”

About the survey
The survey is based on findings of an Ipsos poll conducted between November 12 – 15, 2020. A sample of 1,000 Canadians was drawn from the Ipsos I-Say online panel aged 18 and older. The data for Canadians surveyed was weighted to ensure the sample’s regional, age, and gender composition reflects that of the actual Canadian population. The precision of Ipsos online polls is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the poll is accurate to within +/- 3.5% at 95% confidence level had all Canadian adults been polled. All sample surveys and polls may be subject to other sources of error, including, but not limited to methodological change, coverage error and measurement error.

About Sun Life
Sun Life is a leading international financial services organization providing insurance, wealth and asset management solutions to individual and corporate Clients. Sun Life has operations in a number of markets worldwide, including Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Japan, Indonesia, India, China, Australia, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia and Bermuda. As of September 30, 2020, Sun Life had total assets under management of $1,186 billion. For more information, please visit www.sunlife.com.

Sun Life Financial Inc. trades on the Toronto (TSX), New York (NYSE) and Philippine (PSE) stock exchanges under the ticker symbol SLF.

Note to editors: All figures in Canadian dollars

Media Relations Contact:
Laura Torchia
Manager, Corporate Communications
T. 416-540-5918
[email protected]  

SOURCE Sun Life Financial Canada

PLANO, Texas, Dec. 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Snack fans have asked for more customization for years and Frito-Lay is responding in a big way. Frito-Lay today announced a new way for shoppers to customize their own Frito-Lay Variety Pack (FLVP) to fit the snacking needs of their household via a new feature on its direct-to-consumer website, Snacks.com.

This new offering marries the convenience of online shopping, as shopping for snacks online has grown over 100 percent year-over-year, with the customizable variety consumers are seeking. The latest Frito-Lay U.S. Snack Index¹ found that two out of three Americans would be more likely to purchase a variety pack of snacks if they had the ability to customize it.

“Since we launched Snacks.com earlier this year, we’ve seen it resonate with consumers, and our team has uncovered insights to continue giving our consumers more of what they want,” said Michael Lindsey, Chief Transformation and Strategy Officer, Frito-Lay North America. “Our ability to own the end-to-end value chain enables us to deliver customized offerings like ‘Make Your Own Variety Pack’ to create a more personalized snacking experience.”

This option is now available in 24 states located in the Eastern U.S., in addition to Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas, which is the first step of a multi-phase rollout to bring this level of customization to consumers nationwide by early 2021.

Recent data from the U.S. Snack Index survey, paired with Frito-Lay eCommerce data and market trends, revealed
consumers have an increased demand for convenience, including online options to purchase their favorite snacks.

• Shopping online is around for the long haul: While we know shopping at retail stores will never go away, more than four in five (85 percent) say they plan to shop online going forward.
• The convenience of eCommerce is proven: Once consumers try an online option, approximately half enjoyed the convenience of buying snacks online.
• Variety leads the pack: With approximately 42 percent of adults working from home full time and millions of children attending school virtually, variety is a key purchase driver when it comes to choosing what snacks to stock up on. Frito-Lay Variety Pack has seen significant growth in 2020 with a 12 percent sales increase since March.
• More consumers consider ordering direct from manufacturers for holiday shopping: While just five percent of Americans reported ordering holiday groceries directly from a manufacturer in 2019, 31 percent said they would likely do so in 2020.

“Our fans have asked for a way to make their own Frito-Lay Variety Pack for years, and we are thrilled to be able to provide them with this option on Snacks.com,” said Rachel Ferdinando, senior vice president and chief marketing officer, Frito-Lay North America. “During such a time when the world needs joy now more than ever, we are continuing to listen to our consumers and find new ways to create more smiles.”

Consumers can purchase more than 100 Frito-Lay products, including brands such as Lay’s, Tostitos, Cheetos, Ruffles, Stacy’s, and SunChips, as well as dips, crackers, nuts and more from Snacks.com. Additionally, for this holiday season, Frito-Lay launched a Holiday Shop, where fans can purchase an assortment of snack-themed gifts, product bundles and apparel.

Since its launch, Snacks.com has served as a testing ground offering new insights into what consumers are looking for in snacks. The site features updated search functionality, improved navigation and design, enabling a more intuitive and user-friendly shopping experience. 

For more information, visit: Snacks.com or FritoLay.com/SnackIndex.

¹

Survey Methodology

This poll was conducted by Morning Consult between October 16-18 among a national sample of 2,200 Adults nationally, 500 adults in Chicago, Dallas, New York City, and Miami, as well as 400 adults in San Francisco. The interviews were conducted online, and the national data were weighted to approximate a target sample of Adults based on age, educational attainment, gender, race, and region. Results from the full survey have a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.

About Frito-Lay North America

Frito-Lay North America is the $17 billion convenient foods division of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ: PEP), which is headquartered in Purchase, NY. Learn more about Frito-Lay at the corporate website, http://www.fritolay.com/ and on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/fritolay.

About PepsiCo
PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated more than $67 billion in net revenue in 2019, driven by a complementary food and beverage portfolio that includes Frito-Lay, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Quaker and Tropicana. PepsiCo’s product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including 23 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.

Guiding PepsiCo is our vision to Be the Global Leader in Convenient Foods and Beverages by Winning with Purpose. “Winning with Purpose” reflects our ambition to win sustainably in the marketplace and embed purpose into all aspects of the business.  For more information, visit www.pepsico.com.

 

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SOURCE Frito-Lay North America

WOONSOCKET, R.I., Dec. 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — CVS Health (NYSE: CVS) today announced it is supporting a nearly $3 million commitment to increasing access to flu vaccines for underserved communities throughout the country. Through its Project Health initiative, CVS Health is contributing $2 million to the National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics (NAFC) to help distribute flu vaccines to those who may otherwise not have access. Additionally, the company is working with Bank of America and General Motors to support increased access to flu vaccines in even more communities nationwide.

“Underserved communities have been hit particularly hard by COVID-19, so supporting flu prevention in these communities is even more important,” said Eileen Howard Boone, SVP of Corporate Social Responsibility and Philanthropy, CVS Health. “Through our work with Free Clinics, and in teaming up with Bank of America and General Motors, we aim to expand our reach to individuals who may not otherwise have access to flu vaccines.”

CVS Health’s Project Health flu initiative will support free and charitable clinics in areas across the country, helping clinics increase capacity to provide flu vaccinations.  Clinics in California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas will receive support. These grants extend the mission of Project Health which aims to break down the barriers for people to access quality and affordable health care.

“We are grateful to CVS Health for their continued commitment to supporting the work of Free and Charitable Clinics which provide access to needed health care services to underserved communities throughout the country,” said Nicole Lamoureux, NAFC President and CEO.  “This program will allow clinics to distribute needed flu vaccines to people in their communities that otherwise might not have access to vaccinations.”

In addition to contributing to the National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics, CVS Health is working with Bank of America and General Motors to reach even more individuals in these areas of significant need. Bank of America is funding vouchers for free flu vaccines, redeemable at CVS Pharmacy and MinuteClinic locations in seven select cities: Boston, Detroit, Dallas, Jacksonville, Oklahoma City, Phoenix and Greater Washington, D.C. Additionally, General Motors is funding vouchers for free flu vaccines, redeemable at CVS Pharmacy and MinuteClinic locations in the Los Angeles area and across southern California.

“We are committed to working with the public and nonprofit sectors as one global community to address this health crisis and to provide the necessary resources to protect our most vulnerable populations,” said Andrew Plepler, head of Environmental, Social and Governance at Bank of America. “Offering access to free flu prevention complements our other health-focused efforts including supplying PPE, supporting community-based testing and care, addressing food insecurity and providing access to mental health resources.”

Flu prevention is critical during the COVID-19 pandemic so hospitals are not overwhelmed with cases of both COVID-19 and flu. And with seasonal flu outbreaks beginning as early as October and lasting as late as May, it is never too late to get a flu shot as it is the best defense against getting the flu. Getting a flu shot is one way to help protect individual health, especially for those who are more vulnerable to serious flu illnesses and people with certain chronic health conditions, like diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease.

“We are proud to collaborate with CVS Health to increase access to flu vaccines for underserved communities in the Los Angeles area and across southern California,” said Dr. Jeffery Hess, General Motors Chief Medical Director. “Now more than ever, it is important to be protected with a flu shot to help reduce flu illnesses and prevent flu-related hospitalizations and deaths, especially amid the COVID-19 pandemic. So many communities are enduring multiple crises during this difficult time, and we are grateful to be able to provide this support.”

About CVS Health

CVS Health is a different kind of health care company. We are a diversified health services company with nearly 300,000 employees united around a common purpose of helping people on their path to better health. In an increasingly connected and digital world, we are meeting people wherever they are and changing health care to meet their needs. Built on a foundation of unmatched community presence, our diversified model engages one in three Americans each year. From our innovative new services at HealthHUB locations, to transformative programs that help manage chronic conditions, we are making health care more accessible, more affordable and simply better. Learn more about how we’re transforming health at www.cvshealth.com.

Media Contact:


Courtney Tavener

(401) 712-3698
[email protected]

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SOURCE CVS Health

PENNINGTON, N.J. and SAN DIEGO, Dec. 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — OncoSec Medical Incorporated (NASDAQ:ONCS) (the “Company” or “OncoSec”) today announced that the European Patent Office has issued notices of intention to grant for two patent applications. The applications are directed to the use of OncoSec’s interleukin-12 (IL-12)-based immunotherapy platform, including its lead product candidate TAVO™ (tavokinogene telseplasmid) delivered with the Company’s proprietary intratumoral gene electrotransfer system for the treatment of cancer.

The allowed patent claims cover methods of using TAVO delivered by intratumoral electroporation given in combination with a PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor, which OncoSec has shown stimulates the tumor microenvironment and enables the immune system to target and attack tumors throughout the body. The allowed claims are also directed to the delivery of a gene encoding a therapeutic protein, such as a cytokine, using electroporation, to treat microscopic residual tumors following tumor resection, an important treatment step that if implemented clinically, has the potential to improve  outcomes of cancer patients. Once granted, these two patents extend key patent coverage until March 24, 2036 and March 2, 2027 respectively.

“Pursuing these patents is important to strengthen the intellectual property protections around TAVO and our electroporation gene delivery system,” said Daniel O’Connor, Chief Executive Officer of OncoSec. “The cancer therapy methods covered under these patents have potential to be applied to the treatment of a variety of cancer types and will provide additional proprietary protection as we seek to expand our global footprint.”

As a next-generation intratumoral therapy, TAVO has already demonstrated the ability to induce regression of both treated lesions and untreated distant and visceral lesions, when used in combination with KEYTRUDA® (pembrolizumab), a PD-1 inhibitor, in patients with recurrent metastatic melanoma who are in need of a more effective treatment option.

About TAVO
^™ 

OncoSec’s gene therapy technology combines TAVO^TM (tavokinogene telseplasmid), a DNA plasmid-based interleukin-12 (IL-12), with an intra-tumoral electroporation gene delivery platform to achieve endogenous IL-12 production in the tumor microenvironment that enables the immune system to target and attack tumors throughout the body. TAVO has demonstrated a local and systemic anti-tumor response in several clinical trials, including the pivotal Phase 2b trial KEYNOTE-695 for metastatic melanoma and the KEYNOTE-890 Phase 2 trial in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). TAVO™ has received both Orphan Drug and Fast-Track Designation by the U.S.  Food & Drug Administration for the treatment of metastatic melanoma.

About OncoSec Medical Incorporated

OncoSec Medical Incorporated (the “Company,” “OncoSec,” “we” or “our”) is a late-stage biotechnology company focused on developing cytokine-based intratumoral immunotherapies to stimulate the body’s immune system to target and attack cancer. OncoSec’s lead immunotherapy investigational product candidate – TAVO™ (tavokinogene telseplasmid) – enables the intratumoral delivery of DNA-based interleukin-12 (IL-12), a naturally occurring protein with immune-stimulating functions. The technology, which employs electroporation, is designed to produce a controlled, localized expression of IL-12 in the tumor microenvironment, enabling the immune system to target and attack tumors throughout the body. OncoSec has built a deep and diverse clinical pipeline utilizing TAVO™ as a potential treatment for multiple cancer indications either as a monotherapy or in combination with leading checkpoint inhibitors; with the latter potentially enabling OncoSec to address a great unmet medical need in oncology: anti-PD-1 non-responders. Results from recently completed clinical studies of TAVO™ have demonstrated a local immune response, and subsequently, a systemic effect as either a monotherapy or combination treatment approach along with an acceptable safety profile, warranting further development. In addition to TAVO™, OncoSec is identifying and developing new DNA-encoded therapeutic candidates and tumor indications for use with its new Visceral Lesion Applicator (VLA), to target deep visceral lesions, such as liver, lung or pancreatic lesions. For more information, please visit www.oncosec.com.

TAVO™ is a trademark of OncoSec Medical Incorporated.

KEYTRUDA^® is a registered trademark of Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc.

Risk Factors and Forward-Looking Statements

This release, as well as other information provided from time to time by the Company or its employees, may contain forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements provide the Company’s current beliefs, expectations and intentions regarding future events and involve risks, uncertainties (some of which are beyond the Company’s control) and assumptions. For those statements, we claim the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You can identify forward-looking statements by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. These statements may include words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “potential,” “should,” “will” and “would” and similar expressions (including the negative of these terms). Although we believe that expectations reflected in the forward- looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. The Company intends these forward-looking statements to speak only at the time they are published on or as otherwise specified, and does not undertake to update or revise these statements as more information becomes available, except as required under federal securities laws and the rules and regulations of the Securities Exchange Commission (“SEC”). In particular, you should be aware that the success and timing of our clinical trials, including safety and efficacy of our product candidates, patient accrual, unexpected or expected safety events, the impact of COVID-19 on the supply of our candidates or the initiation or completion of clinical trials and the usability of data generated from our trials may differ and may not meet our estimated timelines. Please refer to the risk factors and other cautionary statements provided in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2020 and subsequent periodic and current reports filed with the SEC (each of which can be found at the SEC’s website www.sec.gov), as well as other factors described from time to time in the Company’s filings with the SEC.

Company Contact

Keir Loiacono

Vice President, Corporate Development
914-329-9071
[email protected]

Media Contact

Monica Rouco Molina, Ph.D.
LifeSci Communications
+1-929-469-3850
[email protected]

 

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SOURCE OncoSec Medical Incorporated