Day: June 30, 2021

Creo granted foundational patent for production of cannabinoids

Patent covers advantaged method of producing essential precursor for all cannabinoids, creating the foundation for Creo’s IP position

San Diego, CA – June 30, 2021 – Creo, an ingredient technology company with a proprietary platform for producing natural cannabinoids without the cannabis plant, announced today the issuance of an important foundational patent in its IP portfolio.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office issued patent no 11046978, “Microbial Synthesis of Isoprenoids and Derivatives”. This patent covers a unique and advantaged method of producing geranyl pyrophosphate (GPP), an essential precursor for making all cannabinoids.

The novel approach in the patent covers production of GPP without using the two established natural pathways, the use of which is patented. It has certain potential advantages over certain existing pathways, including lower burden on central metabolism and greater control over GPP production during fermentation, providing Creo the potential to manufacture cannabinoids at high yields.

The patent, whose lead inventor is Profession Ramon Gonzalez, co-founder of Creo, is licensed exclusively world-wide to Creo from Rice University.

According to a September 2020 report on cannabinoids and the bio revolution by Raymond James, a financial services firm, the global market for cannabinoids produced by fermentation is estimated to grow from C$10 billion in 2025 to C$115 billion by 2040.

“The allowance of this foundational patent represents an important pillar supporting Creo’s leadership position in the emerging market for fermentation-based cannabinoids,” said Creo CEO, Roy Lipski. “With exclusive rights to 15 fermentation-based cannabinoid patent families, and over 1,800 partner patents and applications, Creo is building a strong IP position to underpin its business.”

“We’re delighted with the allowance of this patent that covers a unique approach to producing GPP,” said Creo CTO, Joel Cherry. “We look forward to Creo capitalizing on the competitive advantage it offers for fermentation-based production of cannabinoids.”

About Creo
Creo is an ingredients technology company that produces high quality cannabinoids using the natural process of fermentation. Founded in 2016 and headquartered in California, Creo’s mission is to enable the creation of value-added cannabinoid products that help people everywhere, at scale and in a more environmentally sustainable way, using advanced biology instead of the cannabis plant. Creo’s technology partner and major shareholder is industry-leading biotechnology firm Genomatica. To learn more, visit creoingredients.com.

Media enquiries
Consilium Strategic Communications
Mary-Jane Elliott, Matthew Cole, Jessica Hodgson, Lindsey Neville
+44 (0) 20 3709 5700.
Creo@consilium-comms.com

VICTOR, N.Y., June 30, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE: STZ and STZ.B), a leading beverage alcohol company, announced today that it has entered into an accelerated share repurchase (“ASR”) agreement with Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC to repurchase $500.0 million of its Class A common stock (“Common Stock”). Under the ASR agreement, Constellation will receive approximately 1.7 million shares on July 2, 2021, representing approximately 80% of the expected share repurchases under the ASR agreement, based on the company’s June 29, 2021 closing stock price of $230.98. The repurchased shares will become treasury shares.

The specific number of shares to be repurchased in the transaction is generally based upon the volume-weighted-average price of the Common Stock during the term of the ASR agreement, less a discount and is expected to be completed no later than October 2021. The purchase price for shares repurchased in the accelerated share repurchase transaction will be paid primarily with cash on hand and will be completed under the company’s current share repurchase authorization, which currently has approximately $3.4 billion in authorization remaining before giving effect to the ASR.

“This accelerated share repurchase transaction demonstrates our strong commitment to maximizing shareholder value, and aligns with our commitment to return $5 billion to shareholders through fiscal 2023,” said Constellation Brands President and Chief Executive Officer Bill Newlands.

This ASR agreement will not change the fiscal 2022 EPS guidance provided in our news release of earlier today and constitutes the $500 million incremental share repurchase referenced in that news release.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This news release contains forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements. The word “expect” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain such identifying words. These statements may relate to business strategy, future operations, prospects, plans, and objectives of management, as well as information concerning expected actions of third parties. All forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those set forth in, or implied by, such forward-looking statements.

The forward-looking statements are based on management’s current expectations and should not be construed in any manner as a guarantee that such results will in fact occur or will occur on any contemplated timetable. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this news release and Constellation Brands undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

ABOUT CONSTELLATION BRANDS
At Constellation Brands (NYSE: STZ and STZ.B), our mission is to build brands that people love because we believe sharing a toast, unwinding after a day, celebrating milestones, and helping people connect, are Worth Reaching For. It’s worth our dedication, hard work, and the bold calculated risks we take to deliver more for our consumers, trade partners, shareholders, and communities in which we live and work. It’s what has made us one of the fastest-growing large CPG companies in the U.S. at retail, and it drives our pursuit to deliver what’s next.

Today, we are a leading international producer and marketer of beer, wine, and spirits with operations in the U.S., Mexico, New Zealand, and Italy. Every day, people reach for our high-end, iconic imported beer brands such as Corona Extra, Corona Light, Corona Premier, Modelo Especial, Modelo Negra, and Pacifico, and our high-quality premium wine and spirits brands, including the Robert Mondavi Brand Family, Kim Crawford, Meiomi, The Prisoner Brand Family, SVEDKA Vodka, Casa Noble Tequila, and High West Whiskey.

But we won’t stop here. Our visionary leadership team and passionate employees from barrel room to boardroom are reaching for the next level, to explore the boundaries of the beverage alcohol industry and beyond. Join us in discovering what’s Worth Reaching For.

To learn more, follow us on Twitter @cbrands and visit www.cbrands.com.

MEDIA CONTACTS	INVESTOR RELATIONS CONTACTS
Mike McGrew 773-251-4934 / michael.mcgrew@cbrands.com Amy Martin 585-678-7141 / amy.martin@cbrands.com	Patty Yahn-Urlaub 585-678-7483 / patty.yahn-urlaub@cbrands.com Marisa Pepelea 312-741-2316 / marisa.pepelea@cbrands.com

A downloadable PDF copy of this news release can be found here: http://ml.globenewswire.com/Resource/Download/ce85c7b0-6d8c-4aea-8a0f-0f9b1efc546c

• Mutual fund gross sales of $1.1 billion for the second quarter of 2021, an improvement of 108% year-over-year
• Mutual fund net sales of $408 million for the quarter
• Total assets under management and fee-earning assets¹ of $40.8 billion
• Dividend increase to $0.09 from $0.08 per share

TORONTO, June 30, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — AGF Management Limited (AGF or the Company) (TSX: AGF.B) today announced financial results for the second quarter ended May 31, 2021.

AGF reported total assets under management and fee-earning assets¹ of $40.8 billion compared to $35.8 billion as at May 31, 2020.

“While the pandemic persisted through another quarter, we continued to gain sales momentum and expand our client base and reach into new markets,” said Kevin McCreadie, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer, AGF. “Further, we remain uniquely positioned to continue to redeploy capital against our strategic growth strategy delivering value to our shareholders by further diversifying our assets and revenue streams as we focus on new relationships and capital opportunities within our private alternatives business.”

“In recognition of our strong results, robust financial position, and confidence in the future of our business, AGF’s Board of Directors has approved to increase the quarterly dividend by 12.5%,” added McCreadie.

AGF’s mutual funds net sales improved $501 million year-over-year, with total net sales of $408 million in Q2 2021, compared to net redemptions of $93 million in Q2 2020. Excluding net flows from institutional clients invested in mutual funds, retail mutual fund net sales were $431 million for the quarter compared to net redemptions of $93 million in the comparative period of 2020. AGF mutual fund gross sales for the quarter totaled $1,060 million, a 108% improvement over prior year. While industry net sales were down 17% versus Q1 2021, AGF’s mutual fund net sales are up 6% versus Q1 2021.

Mutual fund sales momentum continued into June with AGF reporting mutual fund net sales of $76 million as at June 28, 2021 compared to net redemptions of $32 million for the same time last year. Mutual fund gross sales were up 87% year-over-year.

“We are seeing the results of taking a vehicle agnostic approach, in particular with accelerating sales into fee-based series and separately managed accounts as well as interest in the launch of our innovative private alternative offerings,” said Judy Goldring, President and Head of Global Distribution, AGF.

Key Business Highlights:

• As part of its extended partnership with SAF Group, AGF is operationally ready with private credit offerings for both Canadian institutional investors and retail clients with the AGF SAF Private Credit Limited Partnership and AGF SAF Private Credit Trust with first close expected in Q3 2021.
• Subsequent to the end of our fiscal quarter, one of AGF’s long-term private alternative investments, managed by SAF, was fully monetized, with a final cash distribution of $5.9 million received. The long-term investment had a carrying value of $5.8 million as at May 31, 2021. In addition, AGF through its joint venture ownership interest in the manager received $2.4 million of carried interest, of which $0.2 million was recorded as an asset in investment in joint ventures as at May 31, 2021 and the remainder will be recorded as income in the third quarter.
• AGF announced a definitive agreement with Instar Group Inc. (Instar) to conclude their joint venture relationship in InstarAGF Asset Management Inc. (InstarAGF) following the establishment of its two flagship funds, InstarAGF Essential Infrastructure Fund I and II (together, the InstarAGF Funds). AGF will retain its economic interest in the InstarAGF Funds including an upcoming third fund (Fund III) managed by Instar, which AGF has agreed to support with an anticipated US$50 million capital commitment.
• AGF’s joint venture with WaveFront Global Asset Management Corp., AGFWave Asset Management Inc. (AGFWave), brought its first new strategy, the Hwabao China New Era Infrastructure mandate to market with its strategic partners, Hwabao WP Fund Management and J Royal Asset Management, with a focus on targeting eligible investors in China and institutions globally looking for access to the Chinese market. The new innovative mandate – integrating traditional and new infrastructure – brings together AGF’s and Hwabao’s quantitative investing capabilities for these rapidly growing markets providing diversified access to China’s robust and growing digital economy and carbon neutrality pledge.
• At the 2021 Wealth Professional Awards, AGF was named Digital Innovator of the Year and Employer of Choice. These honours speak directly to two key drivers of AGF’s success over the past year: accelerating digital transformation and employee engagement.

“Over the last year, we have been committed to hearing directly from our employees through a series of surveys to better understand our employee population as it relates to our culture, diversity and inclusion,” added Goldring. “We prioritized employee mental health, focused on keeping engagement high and have experienced a positive shift in our culture that enables all stakeholders to succeed, earning us industry recognition.”

For further information on AGF’s pandemic response plan statement visit AGF.com.

Financial Highlights:

“We delivered strong mutual fund sales again this quarter that will generate revenue going forward, as we continue to see an increase in success-based expenses, the expense management discipline we have put in place has allowed our core expenses and operations to hold steady,” added McCreadie.

• Management, advisory, administration fees and deferred sales charges were $108.6 million for the three months ended May 31, 2021, compared to $88.8 million in 2020. The increase in revenue is attributable to higher sales, increase in daily average mutual fund AUM and higher average revenue rate as a result of product mix.
• The significant increase in mutual fund sales in the second quarter drove higher selling, general and administrative costs in the period associated with variable sales and investment performance-based compensation. Selling, general and administrative costs were $47.1 million for the three months ended May 31, 2021, compared to $40.2 million in 2020. In addition, the increase in the AGF.B share price during the quarter resulted in higher share-based compensation, which is marked to market. This increase in variable costs was partially offset by management’s continued focus on cost control.
• EBITDA before commissions for the three months ended May 31, 2021 was $28.2 million, compared to $21.2 million in the prior year comparative period.
• DSC commissions for the three months ended May 31, 2021 were $17.7 million, compared to $10.3 million in the prior year comparative period.
• Net income for the three months ended May 31, 2021 was $5.0 million ($0.07 diluted EPS), compared to $5.3 million ($0.07 diluted EPS) in the prior year comparative period. The growth in mutual funds sales as well as the increase in the Company’s stock price in the current quarter resulted in an increase in variable sales compensation, DSC commissions and stock compensation, which were fully recognized in the period, resulting in a $0.12 negative impact to EPS compared to prior year.

June 30, 2021

• Ultra-fast, less than one-minute scan time, cardiac MRI enables accurate assessment of heart anatomy and function, improves patient comfort, increases access to care, and reduces costs
• Technique can be implemented on existing MRI scanners
• Validated clinical trial results on more than 100 patients with diverse cardiac pathologies published in leading journal JACC: Cardiovascular Imaging

Amsterdam, the Netherlands and Madrid, Spain – Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA), a global leader in health technology, has participated in an important research project to develop a magnetic resonance (MR) imaging technique [1,2] that could potentially revolutionize the use of MR imaging in cardiology.

Reducing the procedure time for full evaluation of heart anatomy and function from about one hour down to a few minutes, this new technique has the potential to increase patient access to precision diagnosis, improve patient comfort due to shorter scan times, and lower the cost of care. The technique can be used with existing phased-array MRI scanners without modification. The results of a clinical trial to evaluate the technique [2] were published in April, 2021, in JACC (Journal of the American College of Cardiology): Cardiovascular Imaging, one of the world’s highest impact journals in the field [3].

“In just over 20 seconds, all the information needed to know the shape and function of the heart has been acquired. And if you need to evaluate the degree of fibrosis after cardiac muscle death, another 20-second acquisition is all it takes, completing the cardiac study in less than a minute,” said Philips scientist Dr. Javier Sánchez-González, technical leader of the Philips team that contributed to the development and leader of the collaboration with CNIC.

During a conventional MR cardiac examination, patients are required to lie still inside the bore of the scanner for about one hour to accurately measure the function of their heart and assess the extent of damaged heart muscle. It requires multiple complex 2D and 3D image acquisitions that need to be captured and reconstructed. As a result, despite being non-invasive and involving no radiation exposure, MR imaging is still not widely used for cardiac imaging.

“The main cause is the time needed to do a full study. A complete study requires about an hour, a period that causes many patients not to finish the test due to the discomfort it causes them,” said Dr. Sandra Gómez-Talavera, researcher at the Spanish National Center for Cardiovascular Research (CNIC), cardiologist at the Hospital Universitario Fundación Jiménez Díaz (Madrid, Spain), and co-author of the JACC paper.

The new technique (called ‘Enhanced SENSE by Static Outer-volume Subtraction (ESSOS)) makes use of the fact that during a breath-hold, everything within the patient’s chest remains static, except their beating heart. After an initial image of the static part (outer volume) has been captured this MRI data is temporarily removed. The MRI signal of the beating heart can now more easily be subtracted from subsequent scan data, allowing up to four times faster acquisition of a 3D image of the heart. This results in a net acceleration factor of up to 32. Once the dynamic information of the beating heart is reconstructed, the static outer volume images are added back to generate a full 3D cardiac image showing heart anatomy and function, and allowing review from different views with good image resolution. If needed, a second contrast-enhanced isotropic 3D single breath-hold scan can reveal the extent of damage to the patient’s heart muscle.

The results of a clinical trial in which more than 100 patients with various cardiac pathologies were examined using both the conventional and the new MR protocol, with the resulting images being evaluated by expert radiologists, demonstrated excellent agreement between heart function measurements made using each technique, as well as excellent agreement in the images to characterize tissue damage to the patient’s heart muscle [4].

“We have shown in a large group of patients that cardiac MR imaging using this new technology obtains the same parameters as the usual technique but reduces the time that a patient has to be inside the machine by more than 90%,” said Dr. Borja Ibáñez, Director of the Clinical Research Department of CNIC, Cardiologist at the University Hospital Fundación Jiménez Díaz, and clinical leader of the work.

The research project to develop this new cardiac MR protocol was financed by the Carlos III Institute of Health, through a FIS technological development project, as well as a Translational Research Grant from the Spanish Society of Cardiology, the European Research Council (ERC), and the Community of Madrid.

While the collaboration between CNIC and Philips is currently at the research stage, the goal is to bring this ultra-fast and easy cardiac MR technique to clinical settings in the near future and support the common vision of benefiting more patients. Already today Philips’ integrated MR solutions offer new levels of ultra-fast and personalized cardiac MR. Examples include the company’s exam-shortening Compressed SENSE technology, ultra-fast early diagnosis of heart failure with Strain–encoded magnetic resonance imaging (SENC-MRI) and MyoStrain (by Myocardial Solutions), SmartWorkflow end-to-end workflow solution, and helium-free scanners. Learn more at MR Cardiac imaging | Philips Healthcare.

More information on the new magnetic resonance (MR) imaging technique can be found in this press backgrounder.

[1] ‘Enhanced SENSE by Static Outer-volume Subtraction’ (ESSOS)
[2] Device for research applications only. Not for clinical use.
[3] Comparison of the Impact Factors of the Most-Cited Cardiovascular Journals | Circulation Research (ahajournals.org); Impact Factor Results Rank JACC Journals Among Top 12 Cardiovascular Journals Worldwide – American College of Cardiology
[4] Gómez-Talavera S, Fernandez-Jimenez R, Fuster V, Nothnagel ND, Kouwenhoven M, Clemence M, García-Lunar I, Gómez-Rubín MC, Navarro F, Pérez-Asenjo B, Fernández-Friera L, Calero MJ, Orejas M, Cabrera JA, Desco M, Pizarro G, Ibáñez B, Sánchez-González J. (2021). Clinical Validation of a 3-Dimensional Ultrafast Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Protocol Including Single Breath-Hold 3-Dimensional Sequences.  JACC Cardiovasc Imaging, doi: 10.1016/j.jcmg.2021.02.03

For further information, please contact:

For Philips:
Kathy O’Reilly
Philips Global Press Office
Tel.: +1 978-221-8919
E-mail : kathy.oreilly@philips.com
Twitter: @kathyoreilly

For CNIC:
Fatima Lois
Head of Communications of the CNIC. flois@cnic.es
Tel.: +34 6 39 28 24 77
E-mail: flois@cnic.es

About Royal Philips
Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) is a leading health technology company focused on improving people’s health and well-being, and enabling better outcomes across the health continuum – from healthy living and prevention, to diagnosis, treatment and home care. Philips leverages advanced technology and deep clinical and consumer insights to deliver integrated solutions. Headquartered in the Netherlands, the company is a leader in diagnostic imaging, image-guided therapy, patient monitoring and health informatics, as well as in consumer health and home care. Philips generated 2020 sales of EUR 17.3 billion and employs approximately 77,000 employees with sales and services in more than 100 countries. News about Philips can be found at www.philips.com/newscenter.

About CNIC
The National Center for Cardiovascular Research (CNIC), led by Dr. Valentín Fuster, has as its mission to enhance cardiovascular research and its translation to the patient. The center is financed by a pioneering formula of public-private collaboration between the Government of Spain, through the Carlos III Institute of Health, and the Pro CNIC Foundation that brings together 12 of the most important Spanish companies.

Attachments

• Press backgrounder Philips CNIC ultra-fast MR protocol
• Philips MR scanner
• Philips MR scanner
• Ultra Fast 3C CMR protocol

VICTOR, N.Y., June 30, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE: STZ and STZ.B), a leading beverage alcohol company, reported today its first quarter fiscal 2022 results. A conference call to discuss the financial results and outlook will be hosted by President and Chief Executive Officer Bill Newlands and Chief Financial Officer Garth Hankinson on Wednesday, June 30, 2021, at 11:30 a.m. (EDT).

Visit cbrands.com/investors/events to locate information for joining the conference call, or a live, listen-only webcast of the conference call.

ABOUT CONSTELLATION BRANDS

At Constellation Brands (NYSE: STZ and STZ.B), our mission is to build brands that people love because we believe sharing a toast, unwinding after a day, celebrating milestones, and helping people connect, are Worth Reaching For. It’s worth our dedication, hard work, and the bold calculated risks we take to deliver more for our consumers, trade partners, shareholders, and communities in which we live and work. It’s what has made us one of the fastest-growing large CPG companies in the U.S. at retail, and it drives our pursuit to deliver what’s next.

Today, we are a leading international producer and marketer of beer, wine, and spirits with operations in the U.S., Mexico, New Zealand, and Italy. Every day, people reach for our high-end, iconic imported beer brands such as Corona Extra, Corona Light, Corona Premier, Modelo Especial, Modelo Negra, and Pacifico, and our high-quality premium wine and spirits brands, including the Robert Mondavi Brand Family, Kim Crawford, Meiomi, The Prisoner Brand Family, SVEDKA Vodka, Casa Noble Tequila, and High West Whiskey.

But we won’t stop here. Our visionary leadership team and passionate employees from barrel room to boardroom are reaching for the next level, to explore the boundaries of the beverage alcohol industry and beyond. Join us in discovering what’s Worth Reaching For.

To learn more, follow us on Twitter @cbrands and visit www.cbrands.com.

MEDIA CONTACTS	INVESTOR RELATIONS CONTACTS
Mike McGrew 773-251-4934 / michael.mcgrew@cbrands.com Amy Martin 585-678-7141 / amy.martin@cbrands.com	Patty Yahn-Urlaub 585-678-7483 / patty.yahn-urlaub@cbrands.com Marisa Pepelea 312-741-2316 / marisa.pepelea@cbrands.com

A PDF containing our First Quarter Fiscal Year 2022 Results and full financial tables is available at: http://ml.globenewswire.com/Resource/Download/fbfd501f-76ca-4f23-8679-6e117020105e