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FTI Consulting has appointed Steven Casey as Senior Managing Director in its Economic Consulting segment in Australia. Based in Sydney, Casey brings nearly 20 years of experience advising governments, regulators, and executives. He specializes in public policy, economics, regulatory reform, and public investment strategy, leveraging data & AI. Casey will support clients facing fiscal challenges and enhance FTI’s economics platform in the Asia-Pacific region. Previously, Casey held leadership roles at Quantium Telstra and KPMG Australia, also serving as a senior advisor to Commonwealth ministers.

Hooker Furnishings (HOFT) will hold its fiscal 2026 second-quarter earnings call on September 11, 2025, at 9:00 AM ET. The call will discuss performance from May 5 to August 3, 2025. Access is available via webcast on the investor relations site or by phone after registration. Hooker Furnishings, now in its 101st year, has a diverse brand portfolio including Hooker Furniture, Bradington-Young, and Home Meridian, serving various furniture and home décor markets.

BlackRock Inc. has increased its stake in Freedom Holding Corp. (NASDAQ: FRHC) to 0.85%, valued at approximately $89 million, making them the second-largest shareholder. This investment reflects a growing confidence in Freedom Holding, also shared by other institutional investors like State Street Corp. Freedom Holding operates in 22 countries, providing a financial and digital ecosystem including Freedom Bank and Freedom Broker. Freedom Holding’s CEO, Timur Turlov, views this as validation of their business model and strategic value.

Tourmaline Bio’s Phase 2 TRANQUILITY trial of pacibekitug demonstrated significant hs-CRP reductions in patients with elevated hs-CRP and chronic kidney disease. The 50mg quarterly dose achieved >85% hs-CRP reduction, a first for an IL-6 inhibitor. Statistically significant reductions were also observed in cardiovascular risk biomarkers like lipoprotein(a) and fibrinogen. These results support planned Phase 2 AAA study and Phase 3 ASCVD cardiovascular outcomes trial.

Amarin Corporation presented new *in vitro* data at ESC Congress 2025 regarding VASCEPA®/VAZKEPA® (EPA). The research demonstrated EPA’s potential to reduce inflammation in atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) by modulating the ATP-P2X7 axis and NLRP3 inflammasome in macrophages. Additionally, EPA inhibited lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] oxidation, mitigating oxidative stress and pro-inflammatory protein expression in endothelial cells. These findings suggest cardiovascular benefits of EPA may extend beyond triglyceride reduction, potentially offering further risk mitigation.

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals’ AMVUTTRA (vutrisiran) showed sustained benefits in transthyretin-mediated amyloidosis cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM) patients in the HELIOS-B Phase 3 study. Data presented at ESC Congress 2025 revealed that vutrisiran reduced the risk of all-cause mortality or first cardiovascular event by 37% in the overall population and 42% in the monotherapy group over 48 months. The open-label extension maintained improvements in quality of life and cardiac biomarkers, supporting vutrisiran as a potential first-line ATTR-CM therapy.

Santana Equestrian Private Financial (SEQP) is defending its manure recycling operations against an environmental petition filed with the Florida DEP (Case No. 25-1566). SEQP filed a Motion to Dismiss, citing protection under Florida’s House Bill 211 and the Right to Farm Act. The company manages 612,000 pounds of manure daily and implemented a “Delivery Services Partner Program” to service over 400 farms. While confident, SEQP acknowledges potential reputational and operational risks.

Gold Reserve Ltd. announced the U.S. Government’s Statement of Interest in the New York federal court litigation regarding the validity of 2020 PDVSA bonds. The U.S. supports the 2015 National Assembly of Venezuela’s claim that the bonds, issued by the Maduro regime, are invalid under Venezuelan law and urges the court to consider the Assembly’s views. While taking no position on pending summary judgment motions, the U.S. affirmed recognition and support for the 2015 National Assembly as the government of Venezuela. Investors are cautioned to review Gold Reserve’s filings for risk factors.

Genentech and Alnylam plan to initiate a Phase III trial for zilebesiran, an RNAi therapeutic for hypertension, informed by positive Phase II KARDIA program data. The KARDIA-3 study showed zilebesiran achieved clinically meaningful reductions in systolic blood pressure at month three, sustained through month six, with encouraging safety. The ZENITH Phase III trial will enroll approximately 11,000 patients with uncontrolled hypertension to evaluate zilebesiran’s impact on cardiovascular outcomes. Zilebesiran offers twice-yearly dosing and targets a key regulator of blood pressure.

Amarin Corporation presented REDUCE-IT® trial sub-analyses at ESC Congress 2025, highlighting the benefits of VASCEPA®/VAZKEPA® (icosapent ethyl) regarding cardiovascular risk reduction. Key findings include a 9% drop in total hospitalizations and a 44% relative risk reduction in cardiovascular events for patients with Cardiovascular-Kidney-Metabolic (CKM) syndrome. The treatment also showed significant MACE reductions across all ApoB quartiles. The ESC/EAS guidelines reaffirmed icosapent ethyl as a Class IIA therapy.