Eliquis, recent drugs record growth

By JEFF AMY

ATLANTA (AP) – The mother of a student in school with the boy accused of killing 4 people in a Shooting at highschool in Georgia says information that faculty officials had been warned that the boy was in crisis showed the shooting might have been prevented.

“The school failed them. They could have prevented these deaths, but they didn't,” Rabecca Sayarath told the Associated Press in a telephone interview on Sunday. “I really, really feel that way.”

Sayarath's daughter Lyela told reporters on Wednesday, the day of the shooting in Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, that the college administration was apparently on the lookout for Colt Gray, the 14-year-old who was accused charged with quadruple murder before the shooting began.

Others refuse in charge the college or law enforcement.

“I'm not going to judge or second guess what happened to the authorities the other night,” U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock, a Democrat from Georgia, said Sunday on CNN's “State of the Union.” “I applaud our first responders. When others are running from danger, they are running toward danger to do the best they can.”

Officials say Gray shot Students Christian Angulo and Mason Schermerhorn, each 14, and teachers Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Cristina Irimie, 53, were injured. Eight other students and a teacher were injured – seven of them by gunfire – and are expected to get better soon.

Annie Brown told The Washington Post that her sister, Colt Gray's mother, sent her a text message saying she had spoken to a faculty counselor before the killings and warned staff of an “extreme emergency.” Brown said Marcee Gray urged her to seek out her son “immediately” to examine on him.

Brown provided screenshots of the text exchange to the newspaper, which also reported that a call log from the family's shared phone plan showed a call was made to the college at 9:50 a.m. Arrest warrants for Gray say the shooting began at 10:20 a.m.

Brown confirmed the reporting The Reuters news agency told the Associated Press in text messages on Saturday, but declined to comment further.

Marcee Gray expressed her regret for Saturday's shootings to the Washington Post and the New York Post.

“I am so, so sorry and I cannot begin to imagine the pain and suffering they must be going through right now,” Gray said in a text message to The Washington Post.

“It's terrible. It's absolutely terrible,” Gray told the New York Post outside her father's house in Fitzgerald, Georgia, about 150 miles south of Atlanta.

Charles Polhamus, the boy's grandfather, has told multiple news outlets that Marcee Gray received a text message from her son apologizing on Wednesday. Polhamus told CNN that Marcee Gray drove to Winder, greater than 200 miles from Fitzgerald, immediately after the shooting.

The Washington Post also reported that relatives contacted the college per week before the shooting in regards to the boy's mental health and that Brown told a relative he was having “homicidal and suicidal thoughts.” The newspaper reported that the teenager's grandmother, Deborah Polhamus, visited a faculty counselor to ask for help.

The boy “starts with the therapist tomorrow,” Polhamus wrote in a text message to Brown after that meeting.

Investigators haven’t commented on what they consider Gray's motive might need been or whether or not they consider he was targeting specific victims.

Authorities said Gray’s father, Colin Gray, gave him access to the AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle utilized in the shooting. It's not clear how Gray got the gun on campus or what he did with it within the two hours between the beginning of classes at 8:15 a.m. and the primary shot.

Colin Gray is the primary parent of a faculty shooting suspect to be charged in Georgia, District Attorney Brad Smith said Friday. He is charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter and child abuse for giving his son the gun.

Colin Gray is in jail in Barrow County after refusing bail in a temporary court hearing Friday in Winder. Colt Gray is being held in a juvenile prison after refusing bail. Neither has been charged or entered a guilty plea.

Lyela Sayarath said Wednesday that Colt Gray left her algebra classroom and that she thought he was skipping class.

In the minutes before the shooting, a female administrator got here into her class on the lookout for a student with the identical last name and nearly an identical first name as Gray, she said. That other student was within the restroom, however the administrator demanded to see his bag. That student returned moments later along with his bag, Sayarath said, and told her administrators had concluded he was not the scholar they were on the lookout for.

Someone also called the teacher on the intercom, apparently asking for Gray, Sayarath said. She said when the intercom buzzed a second time, the teacher responded, “Oh, he's here,” when he saw Gray outside the classroom door.

When the scholars tried to open the door, which mechanically locks from the within when it’s closed, they backed away, Sayarath said. She said she saw Colt Gray turn away through the window within the door after which heard gunshots – “ten or fifteen at once, one after the other.”

Rabecca Sayarath, Lyela's mother, said she believes the college made a mistake by sending an unarmed administrator to look for Colt Gray as an alternative of considered one of Apalachee High School's armed security officers.

When she asked Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith about her daughter's statement at a press conference Wednesday evening, Smith warned, “With all due respect, ma'am, but I believe your information is incorrect.”

It is unclear whether Barrow County school authorities knew before the shooting that Colt and Colin Gray had already been questioned by a deputy sheriff in neighboring Jackson County in May 2023 after a shooting was reported online at a middle school attended by then-13-year-old Colt Gray.

Colt Gray told the deputy he would “never say something like that, even in jest,” in line with an investigators' report. No motion was taken because there was conflicting information in regards to the social media account from which the threats originated.

Colin Gray told the investigator on the time that Colt had access to unloaded guns in the home but knew “how to use them and how not to use them.” He also said that his son had been having problems since separating from his wife and that Colt had been bullied at college.

Nicole Valles, a spokeswoman for the Barrow County School District, declined to comment Sunday on emailed questions searching for more details in regards to the events leading as much as the shooting.

“Because this is an ongoing investigation and the trial has now begun, we are not commenting on specific details,” Valles wrote, referring inquiries to the district attorney.

Smith didn’t immediately reply to emails with similar questions Sunday, while the Georgia Bureau of Investigation referred requests for comment to the district attorney.

Originally published: September 8, 2024 at 2:19 p.m.

Construction of an “IP Legoland”

Fighting copyright theft in AI

SAN FRANCISCO – Riding the momentum of a tour of the country's swing states alongside her newly minted running mate Tim Walz, Vice President Kamala Harris traveled to her home state on Sunday to talk at a fundraiser before a crowd of major Bay Area donors and California politicians.

“There are two very different visions for our nation. One that focuses on our future and one that focuses on the past,” Harris told 700 people on the Fairmont Hotel on Nob Hill. “Our fight is a fight for the future, and it is a fight for freedom.”

The sold-out event, the primary fundraiser Harris has attended within the Bay Area since she ascended to the highest of the Democratic Party in July, raised greater than $12 million, in keeping with a campaign official. Tickets ranged from $3,300 to $50,000, and donors of $500,000 may very well be named as event chairs.

In her speech, the Vice President took aim at her opponent, former President Donald Trump, and his “Project 2025,” a comprehensive package of policy proposals from conservative groups that will reshape the federal government and expand the president's powers if he’s re-elected.

“Can you believe they put that in writing?” she said.

Harris received thunderous applause when she mentioned abortion rights and promised to enact Roe v. Wade protections as president. She also told the group, “We trust women to know what is in their own best interest.”

Her speech was all about domestic politics. Harris made no mention of the war in Gaza, despite the fact that around 120 protesters gathered within the streets outside the Fairmont and demanded that she “stop the genocide.”

Inside, lots of California's leading Democrats were in attendance, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, whom Harris thanked for being “an extraordinary leader for California,” in addition to U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee of Oakland, Attorney General Rob Bonta and Evan Low, a California Assembly member and candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives. Local San Francisco politicians, including Mayor London Breed and her challenger, Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin, were also within the audience. Jeffrey Katzenberg, co-founder of DreamWorks and co-chair of Harris' campaign, was among the many donors in attendance.

Harris was led onto the stage by House Speaker Emeritus Nancy Pelosi, who has been working behind the scenes to get Biden to step down and clear the way in which for the vp to rise. Pelosi urged the group to “take the ground with our mobilization.”

“We don't want to regret the day after the election that we could have done so much more,” she said. “Democracy is on the ballot.”

As Harris finished her speech, the group streamed toward the stage and held out their cellphones to snap a photograph with their hometown candidate. One of the lucky few who got close enough for a handshake clutched her wrist as she left the ballroom.

“I will never wash this hand!” she said, beaming.

Harris has raised a variety of money in recent weeks and 310 million US dollars in July, fueled by a flood of donations after President Joe Biden dropped his re-election bid. In addition, she raised $36 million within the 24 hours after announcing Minnesota Gov. Walz as her running mate. (Walz didn’t attend Sunday's event, despite earlier reports that he might appear alongside Harris.)

Polls show the vp has a small lead over former President Trump. New York Times/Siena College A poll conducted this week found Harris leading Trump 50% to 46% in the important thing swing states of Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania – but those leads are throughout the poll's margin of error.

Here within the Bay Area, Harris' rapid rise to the nominee position has energized Democratic supporters and donors who had grown weary on the prospect of one other Biden-Trump rematch.

Earlier this week, a gaggle of Silicon Valley investors called “VCs for Kamala” received nearly $150,000 in pledges to Harris' campaign. Among the donors were LinkedIn co-founder and chief executive Reid Hoffman, who was also present at Sunday's fundraiser, and billionaire investor Ron Conway, the New York Times reported.

With lower than three months to go before the November election, Harris' campaign has shifted its campaign efforts into high gear. The night before her fundraiser in San Francisco, Harris spoke to greater than 12,000 people in Las Vegas—her fifth rally in five days—where she promised to abolish the federal tax on suggestions if she is elected. It followed an analogous suggestion made by Trump two months earlier – a fact he was quick to indicate on social media, calling her a “copycat Kamala.”

Meanwhile, Trump’s campaign schedule is comparatively quieter. On Thursday, he said he wouldn’t appear at any rally until after the Democratic Party Convention, which ends on August twenty second.

The convention will cap off a turbulent August campaign schedule for Harris and Walz, however it stays to be seen whether the candidates can maintain Democratic enthusiasm into November.

In the Bay Area, one other fundraiser is planned for August 17 in Mill Valley, but neither Harris nor Walz are expected to seem.

Originally published: August 11, 2024 at 2:18 pm

SAN FRANCISCO – Riding the momentum of a tour of the country's swing states alongside her newly minted running mate Tim Walz, Vice President Kamala Harris traveled to her home state on Sunday to talk at a fundraiser before a crowd of major Bay Area donors and California politicians.

“There are two very different visions for our nation. One that focuses on our future and one that focuses on the past,” Harris told 700 people on the Fairmont Hotel on Nob Hill. “Our fight is a fight for the future, and it is a fight for freedom.”

The sold-out event, the primary fundraiser Harris has attended within the Bay Area since she ascended to the highest of the Democratic Party in July, raised greater than $12 million, in response to a campaign official. Tickets ranged from $3,300 to $50,000, and donors of $500,000 could possibly be named as event chairs.

In her speech, the Vice President took aim at her opponent, former President Donald Trump, and his “Project 2025,” a comprehensive package of policy proposals from conservative groups that will reshape the federal government and expand the president's powers if he’s re-elected.

“Can you believe they put that in writing?” she said.

Harris received thunderous applause when she mentioned abortion rights and promised to enact Roe v. Wade protections as president. She also told the gang, “We trust women to know what is in their own best interest.”

Her speech was all about domestic politics. Harris made no mention of the war in Gaza, regardless that around 120 protesters gathered within the streets outside the Fairmont and demanded that she “stop the genocide.”

Inside, lots of California's leading Democrats were in attendance, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, whom Harris thanked for being “an extraordinary leader for California,” in addition to U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee of Oakland, Attorney General Rob Bonta and Evan Low, a California Assembly member and candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives. Local San Francisco politicians, including Mayor London Breed and her challenger, Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin, were also within the audience. Jeffrey Katzenberg, co-founder of DreamWorks and co-chair of Harris' campaign, was among the many donors in attendance.

Harris was led onto the stage by House Speaker Emeritus Nancy Pelosi, who has been working behind the scenes to get Biden to step down and clear the best way for the vice chairman to rise. Pelosi urged the gang to “take the ground with our mobilization.”

“We don't want to regret the day after the election that we could have done so much more,” she said. “Democracy is on the ballot.”

As Harris finished her speech, the gang streamed toward the stage and held out their cellphones to snap a photograph with their hometown candidate. One of the lucky few who got close enough for a handshake clutched her wrist as she left the ballroom.

“I will never wash this hand!” she said, beaming.

Harris has raised numerous money in recent weeks and 310 million US dollars in July, fueled by a flood of donations after President Joe Biden dropped his re-election bid. In addition, she raised $36 million within the 24 hours after announcing Minnesota Gov. Walz as her running mate. (Walz didn’t attend Sunday's event, despite earlier reports that he might appear alongside Harris.)

Polls show the vice chairman has a small lead over former President Trump. New York Times/Siena College A poll conducted this week found Harris leading Trump 50% to 46% in the important thing swing states of Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania – but those leads are throughout the poll's margin of error.

Here within the Bay Area, Harris' rapid rise to the nominee position has energized Democratic supporters and donors who had grown weary on the prospect of one other Biden-Trump rematch.

Earlier this week, a gaggle of Silicon Valley investors called “VCs for Kamala” received nearly $150,000 in pledges to Harris' campaign. Among the donors were LinkedIn co-founder and chief executive Reid Hoffman, who was also present at Sunday's fundraiser, and billionaire investor Ron Conway, the New York Times reported.

With lower than three months to go before the November election, Harris' campaign has shifted its campaign efforts into high gear. The night before her fundraiser in San Francisco, Harris spoke to greater than 12,000 people in Las Vegas—her fifth rally in five days—where she promised to abolish the federal tax on suggestions if she is elected. It followed an identical suggestion made by Trump two months earlier – a fact he was quick to indicate on social media, calling her a “copycat Kamala.”

Meanwhile, Trump’s campaign schedule is comparatively quieter. On Thursday, he said he wouldn’t appear at any rally until after the Democratic Party Convention, which ends on August twenty second.

The convention will cap off a turbulent August campaign schedule for Harris and Walz, however it stays to be seen whether the candidates can maintain Democratic enthusiasm into November.

In the Bay Area, one other fundraiser is planned for August 17 in Mill Valley, but neither Harris nor Walz are expected to seem.

Originally published: August 11, 2024 at 2:18 pm

Eli Lilly reported on Thursday Second quarter results and revenue exceeded all expectations, raising full-year revenue guidance by $3 billion as sales of the hit diabetes drug Mounjaro and weight-loss injection Zepbound soared.

Eli Lilly shares rose greater than 10% in early trading Thursday.

The pharmaceutical manufacturer now expects sales of between $45.4 billion and $46.6 billion for the approaching 12 months, a rise of $3 billion at each end of the range.

The company also raised its adjusted annual earnings to $16.10 to $16.60, in comparison with a previous forecast of $13.50 to $14 per share.

Eli Lilly said the rise in guidance was primarily as a result of strong performance from Mounjaro and Zepbound and partly as a result of “improved clarity” regarding the corporate's manufacturing expansions and planned launch of Mounjaro outside the U.S. The company said it achieved several supply-related milestones in the course of the quarter, but didn’t provide specific details.

Demand far exceeds supply for incretin drugs like Zepbound and Mounjaro. These drugs mimic hormones produced within the gut to suppress appetite and regulate blood sugar. This has forced Eli Lilly and its rival Novo Nordisk to speculate massively to spice up production.

But Eli Lilly's supply shortages may steadily ease. On Friday, the drug database of the American Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reported that after an extended period of shortages, all doses of Zepbound and Mounjaro were available again within the USA.

However, the corporate cautioned that the expected increase in demand for certain doses of its incretin drugs may lead to temporary “supply shortages.”

“We're just seeing incredible demand and we're not even trying to promote this drug particularly heavily,” Eli Lilly CEO David Ricks said in an interview with CNBC. “What you're seeing here is just organic consumer demand as we've shipped more product and brought more supply online in the United States.”

Ricks said the corporate has built six manufacturing plants, a few of that are already in operation, and hired hundreds of employees to extend production. Eli Lilly expects production of incretin drugs to be 50% higher within the second half of 2024 than in the identical period last 12 months, he noted.

“We're on track to do that until 2025,” he said. Ricks added that Eli Lilly remains to be developing more convenient weight-loss pills that might help the corporate meet rapidly increasing demand.

Here's what Eli Lilly reported for the second quarter and what Wall Street expected based on an analyst survey conducted by LSEG:

• Earnings per share: USD 3.92 adjusted versus USD 2.60 expected
• Revenue: 11.30 billion US dollars in comparison with expected 9.92 billion US dollars

The pharmaceutical giant posted net profit of $2.97 billion, or $3.28 per share, for the second quarter. In the identical period last 12 months, profit was $1.76 billion, or $1.95 per share.

Excluding one-time items related to the worth of intangible assets and other adjustments, Eli Lilly reported earnings of $3.92 per share for the second quarter of 2024.

The company reported second-quarter revenue of $11.30 billion, up 36% from the identical period last 12 months.

According to Eli Lilly, sales were primarily as a result of increased demand for Mounjaro and Zepbound as production increases improved supply within the United States.

It is Zepbound's second full quarter within the U.S. market after receiving regulatory approval in November. The weekly money injection brought in revenue of $1.24 billion for the period, well above the $922.2 million expected by analysts, in keeping with StreetAccount.

Meanwhile, Mounjaro posted second-quarter revenue of $3.09 billion, greater than triple the revenue of the identical period last 12 months. Analysts had expected revenue of $2.39 billion, in keeping with StreetAccount.

Prices for Mounjaro were higher within the U.S. within the second quarter, partly as a result of increased access to the drug and lower use of savings card programs in comparison with the identical period last 12 months.

However, the corporate said savings cards are expected to have “only a minimal effect” on actual price comparisons within the second half of the 12 months since the $25 monthly coupon for patients without insurance coverage for Mounjaro expired in June.

Ricks said prices for Eli Lilly's incretin drugs were “fairly stable” within the second quarter.

The situation is different for Novo Nordisk, which on Wednesday reported weaker-than-expected second-quarter sales of its weight-loss drug Wegovy and the diabetes injection Ozempic, partly as a result of price pressure.

Wegovy's revenue was hit by higher-than-expected price concessions to U.S. pharmacy profit managers, who negotiate drug discounts with manufacturers on behalf of insurers, Novo Nordisk executives said Wednesday during a quarterly earnings conference call.

Eli Lilly shares have risen greater than 30% this 12 months after rising nearly 60% in 2023, because of rising demand for the corporate's weight-loss and diabetes drugs — and increased investor interest of their potential as treatments for other health conditions. That popularity comes despite their high monthly prices, inconsistent insurance coverage and intermittent supply shortages.

With a market capitalization of over $730 billion, Eli Lilly is the biggest pharmaceutical company based within the United States