It looks as though things are progressing faster than anticipated at OKYO Pharma (OKYO), the biotechnology company focused on dry eye diseases and ocular pain.
By Zak Mir
Working with Ora, Inc., an ophthalmic clinical development partner, it is currently anticipating the filing of an IND in Q3 2022 for OK-101 in the treatment of dry eye disease. OK-101, OKYO’s lead pre-clinical compound is a novel long-acting, G protein-coupled receptor-based anti-inflammatory drug candidate.
It would appear that the market may finally start waking up to the progress being made at BrandShield Systems (BRSD), the cybersecurity solutions from brand protection to online threat hunting group. It said it has surpassed $5.0 million in Annual Recurring Revenue for the current financial year ending 31 December 2021. This significant strategic and financial milestone is a 79% increase from $2.8 million, the Company’s ARR in December 2020, at the time of BrandShield’s listing on AIM. In contrast, the shares are still below the 20p price they started at last year.
Today’s news from Open Orphan (ORPH), the specialist pharmaceutical services clinical research organisation (CRO) could be the trigger to continue the recovery seen in the share price at the end of last week. The world leader in vaccine and antiviral testing using human challenge clinical trials, noted the release from SAB Biotherapeutics reporting positive results from a human challenge study testing SAB-176, its investigational therapeutic for the treatment of seasonal influenza. hVIVO, a subsidiary of Open Orphan, conducted the Phase 2a randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study using its Influenza Human Challenge Study Model. The trial evaluated the safety and treatment efficacy of SAB-176 in 60 healthy adults challenged with a pandemic influenza strain (pH1N1).
There is a changing of the guard at Canadian Overseas Petroleum (COPL), an international oil and gas exploration, production and development company, as it announced the appointment of Mr. Nigel Little as Independent Non-Executive Director. He replaces Viscount William Astor who will step down from the board with immediate effect after six years.
A more substantial change of the guard/board comes from Cellular Goods (CBX) as it announced the appointment of Anna Chokina as Chief Executive Officer and Director, following the launch of its inaugural product range on 1 December 2021. Ms Chokina succeeds Alexis Abraham, who becomes Chief Strategy Officer, and both appointments take effect from 6 December 2021.
There could be a boost to Kanabo Group (KNB), a medical cannabis and R&D Company as it said it welcomes news that the UK could be the first country in the World to prescribe medicinally licensed e-cigarettes and Vaporizers. The U.K government agency, Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency has announced that the UK’s National Health Service could soon prescribe e-cigarettes to help patients stop smoking tobacco products.
There is a new company joining the excitement of the AIM market this morning, which via its EPIC code may please fans of Star Wars. It comes in the form of Ondine Biomedical (OBI). Canadian based Ondine has pioneered a new non-antibiotic antimicrobial technology called photo disinfection which rapidly destroys pathogens – including SARS-CoV-2 – without causing resistance. OBI was given a decent mention in the Mail on Sunday yesterday.
The Amigo (AMGO) saga continues. The company said that as part of the Board’s pursuit of a new Scheme of Arrangement and after extensive negotiations with its Independent Customer Committee, the Board issued a revised Scheme proposal to the ICC on 12 November 2021. The revised offer incorporated two distinct Schemes; the first, the ‘New Business Scheme’, which is contingent on new lending restarting and Amigo completing a successful equity raise. The second, a managed wind-down of the Amigo Loans Ltd business under a Scheme framework.
Castillo Copper (CCZ), a base metal explorer primarily focused on copper across Australia and Zambia, provided an update on the Company’s copper and lithium assets. The company confirmed the initial drilling campaign at the Arya Prospect has finished, completing five drill-holes in demanding conditions. Moving forward, the Board is optimistic the geological interpretations will be positive and await assay results. CCZ hopes to receive assays for the Litchfield and Piccasso Lithium Projects shortly which should conclude the due diligence process.
88 Energy (88E) provided an update on operations at 88 Energy’s Project Peregrine. The company said operations remain on track for the spud of the Merlin-2 appraisal well in February 2022, with snow road construction preparations underway and construction expected to commence prior to the end of 2021, subject to weather conditions. Pre-commissioning inspection of the Arctic Fox rig is planned for early January, with an inspection prior to contracting the rig confirming it to be in excellent condition. Commissioning of the rig is expected to occur following the rig inspection in January 2022 and immediately prior to mobilisation to the Merlin-2 drill site.
Chesterfield Resources (CHF) reported assay returns from recent diamond drilling that has established the discovery of a significant gold-mineralised system in the Westline target at its Cyprus Troodos West project. The company said that as part of its detailed compilation and evaluation of historic drill results a continuous body of gold-enriched mineralization was identified as a prospective target for this year’s drilling.
Beowulf (BEM), the mineral exploration and development company, whose shares have been rising sharply of late, announced that its 100 per cent owned Finnish subsidiary Grafintec Oy and Epsilon Advanced Materials Private Limited, have signed a Joint Venture Heads of Terms for the establishment of an anode materials production facility to be located in Finland. It is intended that the proposed plant will supply battery/cell manufacturing companies in Europe, complementing Epsilon Advanced Materials’ growing anode materials business in India.
Poolbeg Pharma (POLB), a clinical-stage infectious disease pharmaceutical company, has signed an Option Agreement to licence MelioVac, a vaccine for melioidosis, with University College Dublin and its inventor, Associate Professor Siobhán McClean, through NovaUCD, the university’s knowledge transfer office. The company will continue its due diligence on MelioVac, a preclinical asset and recipient of a Wellcome Trust Award to aid its development, as well as 5 of other potential vaccine candidates discovered by Associate Professor McClean and her team, for the duration of the Option Agreement, prior to signing a ‘Licence Agreement’.
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