Category: South Africa

Bestevia Reb M expands sugar reduction solutions in the U.K.and is now available to food and beverage producers.

Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif., May 17, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Global sweetness and flavor innovator, Sweegen has announced that its Bestevia® Rebaudioside M (Reb M) has been fully authorized for use in the United Kingdom (U.K.) This regulatory approval marks a significant milestone for Sweegen, as it becomes the first and only company to receive authorization for any steviol glycosides produced using alternative technologies in the U.K.

Reb M, a high-purity steviol glycoside derived from the stevia plant, is renowned for its clean and sugar-like taste profile. It offers a natural, zero-calorie sweetness solution, making it an ideal choice for food and beverage manufacturers seeking to reduce sugar content and provide healthier options to consumers. Sweegen’s nature-based sweeteners, including its Reb M, offer a scalable and cost-effective alternative to traditional sugar.

Brands in the U.K. have eagerly anticipated the authorization of Sweegen’s Bestevia Reb M during the initial formulation phase and tastings. They are actively collaborating with Sweegen’s food and beverage applications experts based at its EMEA U.K. Innovation Studio in Reading, England, to integrate this highly sought-after stevia ingredient, along with Sweegen’s outstanding taste modulation and unique sweeteners, into their formulations.

Damian Bellusci, Vice President of Sales EMEA/APAC at Sweegen, expressed his excitement about the authorization, stating, “We are extremely proud to be the pioneers in securing full authorization for Bestevia Reb M in the U.K. This milestone reaffirms Sweegen’s commitment to providing innovative, nature-based, and sustainable sweetening solutions to the industry. Reb M offers food and beverage manufacturers an exceptional tool to meet consumer demands for healthier products without compromising taste.”

The decision to authorize the bioconversion manufacturing method for steviol glycosides, including Reb M, was made by the Minister for Primary Care and Public Health in relation to England, the Welsh Ministers in relation to Wales, and the Minister for Public Health, Women’s Health and Sport in relation to Scotland. The authorization is per Article 10(1) of retained Regulation 1333/2008, fulfilling the requirements.

The authorized manufacturing method allows for using steviol glycosides, including Reb M, in the Great Britain (GB) market. The Regulations provide updated terms of authorization for using this method in GB, with the terms being similar to those in the European Union (EU) and Northern Ireland. For the latest information, referring to the relevant EU Regulations on the EUR-Lex website is recommended.

Casey McCormick, Vice President of Global Innovation at Sweegen, emphasized the significance of Reb M in driving product innovation. “The approval of Bestevia Reb M in the UK represents a very positive step forward for brands looking to improve the nutrition profile of their products. The clean, sweet taste of our Bestevia Reb M enables new approaches to reduce and eliminate sugar in a way that exceeds consumers’ expectations  and supports public health objectives to reduce sugar consumption.”

Hadi Omrani, Vice President of Technical and Regulatory Affairs at Sweegen, highlighted the rigorous safety and compliance standards behind Bestevia Reb M’s authorization. Omrani stated, “At Sweegen, we prioritize safety, quality, and regulatory compliance. Obtaining full authorization for Bestevia Reb M in the U.K. required thorough scientific evaluations and stringent assessments to ensure its safety for consumption. This achievement reflects our commitment to delivering superior products that meet the highest industry standards.”

Sweegen is dedicated to revolutionizing the sweetener market with innovative solutions that promote healthier choices without compromising taste. The full authorization of Bestevia Reb M in the U.K. reinforces Sweegen’s leadership in the nature-based sweetener space and positions the company as a trusted partner for food and beverage manufacturers worldwide.

Sweegen recently attained FEMA GRAS status for sweet proteins brazzein and thaumatin II, complementing steviol glycosides in food and beverage production. With the addition of brazzein and thaumatin II, Sweegen continues to expand its portfolio of safe and effective taste-modulating flavors that can help food and beverage manufacturers meet the demand for healthier and delicious products to align with consumers’ holistic approaches to wellness. Brazzein is the star ingredient in Sweegen’s newly launched Sweetensify flavors for taste modulation, an ideal flavors tool for brands seeking to create sugar-like tastes in food and beverages.

About Sweegen

Sweegen provides sweet-taste solutions for food and beverage manufacturers around the world.
We are on a mission to reduce sugar and artificial sweeteners in the global diet. Partnering with customers, we create delicious zero-sugar products that consumers love. With the best modern sweeteners in our portfolio, such as Bestevia® Rebs B, D, E, I, M, and N, and sweet proteins brazzein and thaumatin, along with our deep knowledge of flavor modulators and texturants, Sweegen delivers market-leading solutions that customers want, and consumers prefer. Well. Into the Future.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1996. Sweegen’s actual results may differ from the estimates, assumptions, and other illustrative material contained herein, and consequently, a reader should not rely on these forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. These forward-looking statements include, without limitation, illustrative information regarding Sweegen’s bottom-up assumed market potential, assumed hit rate, and the resulting revenue based on these model inputs. These forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from the expected results.

Industry, Market, and Other Data
In this press release, we rely on and refer to information and statistics regarding market participants in the sectors in which Sweegen competes and other data. We obtained this information and statistics from our own internal estimates and third-party sources, including reports by market research firms and company filings. We do not expressly refer to these sources. All of this information involves a number of assumptions and limitations, and the sources of such information cannot guarantee the accuracy or completeness of such information. The industry in which Sweegen operates is subject to a high degree of uncertainty and risk due to a variety of important factors, any of which could cause results to differ materially from those expressed in the estimates made by Sweegen or third parties.

Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements, including, among other statements, statements regarding the future prospects for Reb M stevia leaf sweetener, brazzein, and thaumatin. These statements are based on current expectations but are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict and beyond Sweegen’s control.

Relevant risks and uncertainties could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in or implied by the forward-looking statements and, therefore, should be carefully considered. Sweegen assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of new information or future events or developments.

Attachments

• Sweegen’s Rebaudioside M receives full authorization for use in the United Kingdom
• Sweegen is dedicated to revolutionizing the sweetener market with innovative solutions that promote healthier choices without compromising taste.

Ana Arakelian
Sweegen
+1.949.709.0583
ana.arakelian@sweegen.com

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 8841398

Zoom announces investment in Anthropic to support research roadmaps and build steerable AI systems; Anthropic’s AI model will help strengthen Zoom’s federated approach across its platform, including Zoom Contact Center integrations

SAN JOSE, Calif., May 16, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Today, Zoom announced a strategic partnership with and investment in Anthropic, an AI safety and research company working to build reliable, interpretable, and steerable AI systems. The collaboration with Anthropic will further bolster Zoom’s federated approach to AI by allowing Anthropic’s AI assistant, Claude, to be integrated with Zoom’s platform (which includes Team Chat, Meetings, Phone, Whiteboard, Zoom IQ), starting with Zoom Contact Center.

“Anthropic’s Constitutional AI model is primed to provide safe and responsible integrations for our next-generation innovations, beginning with the Zoom Contact Center portfolio. With Claude guiding agents toward trustworthy resolutions and powering self-service for end-users, companies will be able to take customer relationships to another level,” said Smita Hashim, chief product officer for Zoom. “Partnering with Anthropic also furthers our commitment to providing customers with our federated approach to AI, optimized to deliver outstanding customer experience outcomes. Additionally, with our investment, we are advancing leading-edge companies like Anthropic and helping to drive innovation in the Zoom ecosystem and beyond.”

“Partnering with a leading collaboration platform like Zoom allows us to put robust, steerable AI into the hands of more people and unlock its potential to help streamline everyday processes,” said Dario Amodei, CEO and co-founder of Anthropic. “We look forward to working together to showcase Anthropic’s capabilities and our joint commitment to enhancing productivity through intelligent solutions.”

Zoom’s federated approach to AI leverages its own proprietary AI models, along with those from leading AI companies — such as Anthropic — and select customers’ models. With this flexibility to incorporate multiple types of models, Zoom can provide the most value for its customers’ diverse needs. Zoom will be able to customize these models to perform better for a customer, based on their specific business needs.

As the next step in evolving the Zoom Contact Center portfolio, (Zoom Virtual Agent, Zoom Contact Center, Zoom Workforce Management), Zoom plans to incorporate Anthropic AI throughout its suite, improving end-user outcomes and enabling superior agent experiences. The Zoom Contact Center suite of solutions elevates the quality of customer experiences through better self-service and the ability to accurately understand customer intent. It intelligently guides customers to the best resolution, surfaces actionable insights that managers can use to coach their agents, and improves productivity by providing a unified communications and contact center experience. In the near future, Zoom will also use AI to provide the right resources to agents, so customers receive exceptional service experiences regardless of their reason for calling.

Announced today, Zoom Ventures has made an investment in Anthropic, strengthening the relationship between both companies. Anthropic’s research and development aims to create steerable, trustworthy, and responsible large-scale AI systems. Zoom did not disclose the amount of the investment.

About Zoom
Zoom is an all-in-one intelligent collaboration platform that makes connecting easier, more immersive, and more dynamic for businesses and individuals. Zoom technology puts people at the center, enabling meaningful connections, facilitating modern collaboration, and driving human innovation through solutions like team chat, phone, meetings, omnichannel cloud contact center, smart recordings, whiteboard, and more, in one offering. Founded in 2011, Zoom is publicly traded (NASDAQ:ZM) and headquartered in San Jose, California. Get more info at zoom.com.

Zoom Public Relations
Lacretia Taylor
press@zoom.us

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 8840480

Momentum Continues as Depth of Clinical Experience Expands Worldwide

MARLTON, N.J., May 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Impulse Dynamics plc, a global medical device company dedicated to improving the lives of people with heart failure (HF), announced today a worldwide milestone achievement with the 9,000th patient receiving the Optimizer^® system for the treatment of moderate HF. The Optimizer system is the only device approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States to deliver CCM therapy. Dr. Steven Gubin, a cardiologist and the President of Stern Cardiovascular, is part of the care team that completed the procedure at Baptist Memorial Hospital-Memphis, offering CCM therapy to a patient living with the debilitating effects of HF. This milestone highlights the momentum building globally for CCM therapy, using the Optimizer platform to improve quality of life in HF patients.

“I am excited to have a new therapy option for heart failure patients,” said Dr. Gubin, who has been practicing for 30 years. “One of my heart failure patients, Aubretta Bean, who is a cancer survivor, continued to have symptoms despite her compliance with guideline-directed medical therapy for heart failure. She let me know that she felt better almost immediately after receiving the implant and continues to improve daily. It has been extremely rewarding to see such improvement in her quality of life. Her lab work four weeks later showed her BNP (a common test to diagnose heart failure) decreased by 81%, which is consistent with improvement in her heart failure symptoms.”

“Before my CCM implant, I could not walk from one room to the other without gasping for air. It was like being underwater and trying to breathe through a straw,” said Aubretta Bean. “Heart failure changed my life so quickly. You might think housework is a chore, but when you can’t make your bed or do the dishes, you realize how quickly you would love to do that again. Now after my Optimizer implant, I can do all these things! I look forward to planning my days again and not just trying to get through them. I have eight grandkids and two great-grandkids that I can travel to see!”

Drs. Eric Johnson, David Lan, and Chris Ingelmo are all electrophysiologists at Stern Cardiovascular that have treated ten patients at Baptist Memorial Hospital-Memphis with CCM therapy since March 2023. Dr. Chris Ingelmo completed the milestone procedure for the 9,000th patient treated with CCM therapy. The results have been encouraging, with significant improvement in patient symptoms.

“We are inspired by such stories highlighting the potential for clinicians to use CCM therapy to make a positive impact on HF patients’ lives,” said Simos Kedikoglou, MD, CEO of Impulse Dynamics. “The growing cadence of implants and the emergence of such inspiring stories reinforces our commitment to delivering meaningful advances in CCM technology and clinical data.”

CCM therapy is now available in 44 countries, and the technology has continued to advance based on the needs of patients and physicians. The latest generation of Impulse Dynamic’s proprietary Optimizer platform is the Optimizer Smart Mini, which offers a rechargeable battery with 20-year battery life and a smaller size designed to make the implant procedure faster and easier for patients and physicians.

About the Optimizer^® and CCM^® Therapy

The Optimizer Smart system delivers CCM therapy — the company’s proprietary technology — to the heart. CCM therapy has been designed by Impulse Dynamics to significantly improve the heart’s contraction, allowing more oxygen-rich blood to be pushed out through the body. CCM therapy is indicated to improve the 6-minute hall walk, quality of life, and functional status of NYHA Class III heart failure patients who remain symptomatic despite guideline-directed medical therapy, are not indicated for CRT, and have a left ventricular ejection fraction ranging from 25 to 45 percent.

CCM is the brand name for cardiac contractility modulation — the non-excitatory electrical pulses delivered by the implantable Optimizer device to improve heart contraction. CCM therapy sends unique electrical pulses to the heart cells during the absolute refractory period. In doing so, CCM helps the heart contract more forcibly. Impulse Dynamics has completed numerous clinical studies, including several randomized controlled trials, and CCM therapy has been published in more than 120 peer-reviewed journal articles.

About Impulse Dynamics

Impulse Dynamics is dedicated to advancing the treatment of heart failure for patients and the healthcare providers who care for them. The company pioneered its proprietary CCM therapy, which uses the Optimizer platform to improve quality of life in heart failure patients. CCM therapy is delivered through the Optimizer system, which includes an IPG implanted in a minimally invasive procedure and approved for commercial use in the United States and 44 countries worldwide. CCM therapy has proven safe and effective for heart failure patients with debilitating symptoms who otherwise have few effective options available to them. To learn more, visit www.ImpulseDynamics.com or follow the company on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.

Forward-looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this press release are forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as ‘‘may,’’ ‘‘will,’’ ‘‘should,’’ ‘‘expect,’’ ‘‘plan,’’ ‘‘anticipate,’’ ‘‘could,’’ ‘‘intend,’’ ‘‘target,’’ ‘‘project,’’ ‘‘contemplate,’’ ‘‘believe,’’ ‘‘estimate,’’ ‘‘predict,’’ ‘‘potential’’ or ‘‘continue’’ or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements concerning potential benefits of CCM therapy, the continued momentum for the adoption of CCM therapy and use of the Optimizer Smart system globally; the ability for CCM therapy and our products and technology to fill a significant unmet medical need for patients with heart failure; and the short-term and long-term benefits of the Optimizer system and CCM therapy in patients with heart failure, as well as to the physicians treating those patients. These forward-looking statements are based on management’s current expectations and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Other important factors that could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those contemplated in this press release include, without limitation: the company’s future research and development costs, capital requirements and the company’s needs for additional financing; company’s ability to expand and grow its business into new geographic markets; commercial success and market acceptance of CCM therapy; the company’s ability to achieve and maintain adequate levels of coverage or reimbursement for its Optimizer systems or any future products the company may seek to commercialize; competitive companies and technologies in the industry; the company’s ability to expand its indications and develop and commercialize additional products and enhancements to its current products; the company’s business model and strategic plans for its products, technologies and business, including its implementation thereof; the company’s ability to expand, manage and maintain its direct sales and marketing organization; the company’s ability to commercialize or obtain regulatory approvals for CCM therapy and its products, or the effect of delays in commercializing or obtaining regulatory approvals; FDA or other U.S. or foreign regulatory actions affecting us or the healthcare industry generally, including healthcare reform measures in the United States and international markets; the timing or likelihood of regulatory filings and approvals; and the company’s ability to establish and maintain intellectual property protection for CCM therapy and products or avoid claims of infringement. The company does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements and expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained herein. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing the company’s views as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release.

Rohan More, Global Vice President of Marketing
Impulse Dynamics
856-642-9933
rmore@impulsedynamics.com

Harriss Currie, Chief Financial Officer
Impulse Dynamics
856-642-9933
hcurrie@impulsedynamics.com

Ian Segal, Public Relations Manager
Impulse Dynamics
856-642-9933
isegal@impulsedynamics.com

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 8839792

The delivery of a record-breaking, full end-to-end small and medium-sized enterprises commercial line in under 60 days for Argyle Insurance was enabled by remarkable teamwork and technology

Boston, May 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Duck Creek Technologies, the intelligent solutions provider defining the future of property and casualty (P&C) and general insurance, is pleased to recognize Argyle Insurance and Coforge as winners of this year’s Duck Creek Standard of Excellence Award. Team members from Argyle Insurance and Coforge received the award during Formation ’23 in Orlando, Florida, which was earned for achieving the highest level of excellence through the implementation of Duck Creek solutions.

Argyle Insurance achieved a successful, sub-60-day go-live of Duck Creek Policy, Duck Creek Billing and Duck Creek Rating. The swift implementation was enabled by the deep domain expertise of Duck Creek’s team, combined with a skilled partner in Coforge being able to resource and support delivery end-to-end. Argyle Insurance selected Duck Creek’s full suite to enable their small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) broker clients more choices and competition through a wider range of insurers and products. Argyle’s story of a scalable, enterprise-grade system, which allowed rapid design and delivery of products into the market, demonstrated the impressive power and flexibility of the Duck Creek platform. The sub-60-day execution was achieved using an innovative Australian SME template built by the Duck Creek APAC regional product development team and made available on our content exchange.

“I am proud to say the unparalleled teamwork between Argyle Insurance, Duck Creek and Coforge enabled us to stand up a full end-to-end product with Duck Creek’s policy, billing and rating solutions in under 60 days,” said Matt Morgan, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer at Argyle Insurance. “This capability is critical for both start-ups like Argyle Insurance and incumbents to adjust and adapt to the rapid changes happening across the insurance landscape driven by regulatory changes and customer market dynamics, which can have a big impact on insurer success.”

“As a Premier Delivery Partner for Duck Creek Technologies, with 800+ Duck Creek SME’s globally, Coforge is proud to be a part of Argyle’s record-setting go-live journey. This partnership between Coforge, Argyle and Duck Creek Technologies is an outstanding case of seamless collaboration and has set a new benchmark in the industry,” said Rajeev Batra, EVP, Insurance, Coforge.

“Right from the beginning, to achieve the goal of going live in such an accelerated timeline meant remarkable teamwork was going to be critical,” said Mike Jackowski, Chief Executive Officer, Duck Creek Technologies. “All parties were hyper-focused on Argyle’s success during implementation and committed to helping the startup achieve its goals of partnering with brokers to build products that can capture profitable, large market share in a mature, stable market with the agility the Duck Creek platform provides. We focus on driving better, easier-to-understand insurance products tailored to policyholders’ needs and adaptable to their changing priorities.”

About Argyle Insurance
Argyle Insurance is a true digital underwriting agency with technology to meet customers changing insurance requirements. Argyle’s strength comes through innovation. It has delivered a new way to connect customers to their brokers digitally that comes with a suite of tools to interact in more meaningful ways.

About Coforge
Coforge is a global digital services and solutions provider, that leverages emerging technologies and deep domain expertise to deliver real-world business impact for its clients. A focus on very select industries, a detailed understanding of the underlying processes of those industries and partnerships with leading platforms provides us a distinct perspective. Coforge leads with its product engineering approach and leverages Cloud, Data, Integration and Automation technologies to transform client businesses into intelligent, high growth enterprises. Coforge’s proprietary platforms power critical business processes across its core verticals. The firm has a presence in 21 countries with 25 delivery centers across nine countries.
Learn more at www.coforge.com

About Duck Creek Technologies
Duck Creek Technologies is the intelligent solutions provider defining the future of the property and casualty (P&C) and general insurance industry. We are the platform upon which modern insurance systems are built, enabling the industry to capitalize on the power of the cloud to run agile, intelligent, and evergreen operations. Authenticity, purpose, and transparency are core to Duck Creek, and we believe insurance should be there for individuals and businesses when, where, and how they need it most. Our market-leading solutions are available on a standalone basis or as a full suite, and all are available via Duck Creek OnDemand. Visit www.duckcreek.com to learn more. Follow Duck Creek on our social channels for the latest information – LinkedIn and Twitter.

Carley Bunch
Duck Creek Technologies
+1 201 962 6091
carley.bunch@duckcreek.com

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 8839514