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(AWP Alliance News) - AstraZeneca PLC on Friday announced that the CARES phase 3 clinical programme did not meet a primary endpoint, but noted insightful data. The Cambridge, England-based pharmaceutical company said the programme did not meet the primary endpoint in the overall light chain amyloidosis population. The primary endpoint was defined as a hierarchical combination of time to all-cause mortality and frequency of cardiovascular hospitalisations. The company said in a prespecified subgroup analysis of patients with kappa predominant light chain isotype, anselamimab improved survival by 62% and reduced the frequency of cardiovascular hospitalisations by 71%, compared to placebo in the subgroup with kappa AL amyloidosis. Further, AstraZeneca said the global clinical programme showed that treatment with anselamimab resulted in nominally statistically significant and highly clinically meaningful benefit in adults with advanced kappa light chain amyloidosis as first-line therapy added to standard of care plasma cell dyscrasia treatments, compared to placebo. Anselamimab is a potential first-in-class anti-fibril therapy, designed to improve organ function by reducing or depleting amyloid deposits in tissues and organs of patients living with AL amyloidosis, a rare, systemic and progressive disorder caused by defective plasma cells in the bone marrow. Gianluca Pirozzi, Senior Vice President, head of Development, Regulatory & Safety, Alexion, AstraZeneca Rare Disease, said: 'The CARES Phase III programme is the first to show that targeting existing deposits of amyloid fibrils could deliver clinically meaningful survival and cardiovascular benefit in adults with kappa light chain amyloidosis, underscoring anselamimab's potential as a first-line therapy on top of standard of care. 'With anselamimab and our leading amyloidosis portfolio, we are advancing pioneering science with the goal of addressing critical treatment gaps. We look forward to continued engagement with health authorities to advance this potential first-in-class anti-fibril therapy.' AstraZeneca shares rose 1.0% to 13,870.00 pence each on Friday afternoon in London. By Tom Budszus, Alliance News slot editor Comments and questions to newsroom@alliancenews.com Copyright 2026 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

(AWP Alliance News) - Unilever PLC on Thursday unveiled plans for a USD270 million US-based AI-powered global innovation centre which it said will help bring the next generation of products to consumers faster. The London-based consumer goods firm, which owns brands such as Hellman's mayonnaise, Knorr stock cubes and Colman's mustard said the centre in New Haven, Connecticut will be home to research and development for its beauty, wellbeing and personal care 'Power Brands'. Unilever expects the centre to open by spring 2029. 'By increasing the pace of scientific breakthroughs, it will enable us to bring the next generation of premium, market-making products to consumers faster, helping drive strong and consistent volume growth both in the US and globally,' Unilever said in a statement. The firm will invest USD270 million in the project over the long term, including USD50 million in capital expenditure, its biggest R&D capex investment in the US in 40 years. This builds on nearly USD15 billion invested in the US business over the past decade, across both acquisitions and capital projects, it added. The FTSE 100-listing said the centre will enable faster scaling of product development via AI capabilities and enhance partnerships through access to a leading biosciences and quantum computing ecosystem 'This new centre is where we'll innovate at the intersection of science, technology and culture,' said Herrish Patel, president of Unilever US and chief executive of Personal Care North America. 'As the US becomes a centre of gravity for Unilever, we're harnessing the best of American innovation to match our growth ambition here in the US and around the world.' Shares in Unilever were down 0.3% at 4,252.40 pence each in London on Friday. By Jeremy Cutler, Alliance News reporter Comments and questions to newsroom@alliancenews.com Copyright 2026 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

(AWP Alliance News) - Following the advance seen over the course of the previous session, stocks may see further upside in early trading on Friday. The major index futures are currently pointing to a slightly higher open for the markets, with the S&P 500 futures up by 0.1 percent. Persistent optimism about a potential U.S.-Iran deal may lead to continued strength on Wall Street amid a steep drop by the price of crude oil. U.S. crude oil futures are slumping by 1.4 percent following recent reports the U.S. and Iran have agreed to a framework for a 60-day extension of the ceasefire. The agreement would purportedly facilitate the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and enable fresh negotiations over Iran's nuclear program, although President Donald Trump has yet to sign off on the deal. Positive sentiment may also be generated in reaction a sharp increase by shares of Dell Technologies (DELL), with the computer maker skyrocketing by more than 30 percent in pre-market trading. The spike by Dell comes after the company reported better than expected fiscal first quarter results and raised its full-year guidance. Buying interest may be somewhat subdued, however, as traders await confirmation of the reported U.S.-Iran peace deal. 'Overall, markets are heading into the weekend in a good position as risk appetite has improved as geopolitical fears ease and inflation data avoids a major upside surprise,' said Daniela Hathorn, Senior Market Analyst at Capital.com. 'However, positioning remains optimistic, valuations are elevated and much of the recent rally still relies on assumptions that tensions continue to de-escalate and earnings remain resilient,' she added. 'That means investors are likely to remain highly sensitive to both geopolitical headlines and incoming inflation data in the weeks ahead.' Stocks moved to the downside in early trading on Thursday but showed a significant turnaround over the course of the session. The major averages climbed well off their lows of the session and into positive territory, with the tech-heavy Nasdaq leading the rebound. The major averages once again finished the day at new record closing highs. The Nasdaq advanced 242.74 points or 0.9 percent to 26,917.47, the S&P 500 climbed 43.27 points or 0.6 percent to 7,563.63 and the Dow inched up 24.69 points or 0.1 percent to 50,668.97. In overseas trading, stock markets across the Asia-Pacific region moved mostly higher on Friday. Japan's Nikkei 225 Index surged by 2.5 percent and South Korea's Kospi spiked by 3.6 percent, reaching record closing highs. The major European markets have also moved to the upside on the day. While the French CAC 40 Index is up by 0.6 percent, the U.K.'s FTSE 100 Index is up by 0.2 percent and the German DAX Index is up by 0.1 percent. In commodities trading, crude oil futures are slumping $1.19 to $87.71 a barrel after rising $0.22 to $88.90 a barrel on Thursday. Meanwhile, after jumping $50.90 to $4,532.40 an ounce in the previous session, gold futures are climbing $20.20 to $4,552.60 an ounce. On the currency front, the U.S. dollar is trading at 159.28 yen versus the 159.23 yen it fetched at the close of New York trading on Thursday. Against the euro, the dollar is valued at $1.1645 compared to yesterday's $1.1651. Copyright(c) 2026 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX