Latest news with #Ferrer
GMA Network
9 hours ago
- Politics
- GMA Network
DFA: No Filipino hurt in wake of Russia earthquake
'Ang affected ng tsunami alerts ay of course eastern coast of Russia, Kamchatka Peninsula, yung ating Filipinos in Hawaii, yung ating Filipinos in New Zealand, and west coast of the United States,' said Ferrer in a Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon briefing. No Filipinos were hurt after the Magnitude 8.8 earthquake that struck Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula on Wednesday, the Department of Foreign Affairs has said. DFA Assistant Secretary Robert Ferrer said that they are monitoring the situation in the areas that raised tsunami alerts following the tremor. 'Ang affected ng tsunami alerts ay of course eastern coast of Russia, Kamchatka Peninsula, yung ating Filipinos in Hawaii, yung ating Filipinos in New Zealand, and west coast of the United States,' said Ferrer in a Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon briefing. (The areas affected by the tsunami alerts are, of course, the eastern coast of Russia, the Kamchatka Peninsula, our Filipinos in Hawaii, our Filipinos in New Zealand, and the west coast of the United States.) 'But as I speak to you now, bumaba na po yung mga tsunami alert levels, so hindi na po dangerous. Yung pinakamatinding tinamaan ng tsunami is yung eastern coast of Kamchatka Peninsula, where we have seven Filipinos in that area. So kinontact na po ng embahada natin sa Moscow ang mga Filipinos at walang tayong balitang may nasaktan o nasawi, buti na lang,' he added. (As I speak to you now, the tsunami alert levels have been lowered, so it's no longer dangerous. The eastern coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula was hit the hardest by the tsunami, and we have seven Filipinos in that area. Our embassy in Moscow has already contacted these Filipinos, and thankfully, we have no reports of injuries or fatalities.) The DFA advised Filipinos abroad to always heed the advisories issued by the Philippine embassies. In the Philippines, the state seismic bureau, PHIVOLCS, issued tsunami warnings in over 20 provinces, particularly coastal areas on the eastern side of the country facing the Pacific Ocean. But it was eventually lifted after state seismologists did not notice any sea level disturbances. –NB, GMA Integrated News
Mint
2 days ago
- Business
- Mint
Inside the nightmare at 345 Park Avenue, a Manhattan office tower under attack
Jon Ferrer was working late Monday evening, reviewing tax returns and trying to get a head start on the week. The KPMG senior tax associate said he heard a faint alarm when he was in the bathroom, but thought nothing of it. Then an associate walked over to his desk and gave him the horrifying news: There was an active shooter in their office building. 'My heart sank to my stomach," Ferrer said. He was ushered into a partner's office with about 15 co-workers, as colleagues pushed a desk across the door and put blankets up on windows in the room. They sat together in a circle. As a gunman rampaged through 345 Park Ave., an unthinkable nightmare unfolded for the thousands of employees who work at the landmark New York office tower, which is home to such firms as the private-equity giant Blackstone and KPMG, as well as the National Football League. In the end, four people were killed—an off-duty police officer, a security guard, a senior Blackstone executive and a real-estate firm employee—while others were hospitalized with injuries. The shooter, 27-year-old Shane Tamura from Las Vegas, left a suicide note saying he believed he had had chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a brain disease associated with head injuries, and he was apparently blaming the NFL. The center of Manhattan is populated with fancy hotels and office towers including 345 Park that house banks, hedge funds, law and accounting firms, most of them under security protocols that restrict access to buildings. The appearance of security plus a reputation as a lower-crime environment has long kept most Midtown workers feeling safe. But employees are adapting to a reality where grievances can be channeled into violence aimed at American corporations. Last year a brutal attack unfolded less than a 15-minute walk away, when UnitedHealthcare's chief executive officer was gunned down outside a Hilton hotel. As Tamura entered the lobby of 345 Park at around 6:30 p.m., armed with what authorities said was an M4 rifle, a Blackstone star executive, Wesley LePatner, 43 years old, was on her way out to meet a colleague for a drink. She tried to take cover behind a pillar, but was shot and killed. The colleague she was meeting came down in the elevator and saw LePatner lying on the ground. Meanwhile, word trickled up to employees still in the firm's offices, which span roughly two dozen floors. Blackstone employees got two automated messages in quick succession — the first said to evacuate the building and a second said to shelter in place and wait for the police to come. A midlevel Blackstone employee was working late and heading downstairs to pick up her DoorDash dinner. She had already pressed the elevator button when the delivery driver messaged her with the news: There was a shooter in the lobby. She crammed into a mother's room, which requires a keycard to enter, along with several colleagues. Another Blackstone employee came into the lobby right after the shooting and saw a chaotic scene. She and others ran to a storage room. When they realized they were trapped, they decided to take the service elevator up to another floor. There they found people still at their desks and told them to disperse. This person and around 15 others barricaded themselves in a bathroom. Blackstone regularly holds active-shooter trainings for employees that reiterate the importance of 'ABC," a shorthand that instructs people facing a threat to avoid, barricade and, as a last resort, confront an assailant. Blackstone President Jonathan Gray was in his office on the 44th floor when colleagues told him LePatner had been shot. Chief Executive Officer Stephen Schwarzman wasn't in the building. A helicopter near the scene of the shooting Monday. During his lobby firing spree, the shooter killed a New York Police Department officer, Didarul Islam, 36, as well as Aland Etienne, a security guard. He also hit an NFL employee who was on his way out. Commissioner Roger Goodell told staff after the shooting in a letter that the employee was 'seriously injured" but stable at a hospital. There were no indications that Tamura breached the league's offices, which are on the fifth through eighth floors. Still, with word spreading of an active shooter, the employees who hadn't left for the day hunkered down and hid in the offices. Staff received notices of the attack and updates from the league's security service, with the first one arriving at 6:52 p.m. 'Gunfire reported outside 345 Park Ave," the message said. Another one, 14 minutes later, advised employees to shelter in place. The league's floors in the building, with tributes, large photos and memorabilia in every direction, were turned into a makeshift shelter. Goodell wasn't in the building at the time of the attack. Tamura appeared to have shot at one of the waist-high glass turnstiles in the building's lobby, a Blackstone employee said, before making his way onto an elevator. He rode up to the 33rd floor of the building, hoping to find the NFL offices but instead landed at the office of the real estate management firm Rudin Management. There, he killed a Rudin employee, Julia Hyman before shooting himself in the chest. Office workers leaving an area near the scene of the shooting Monday. Ferrer, the KPMG employee, said he and his colleagues spent two to three hours holed up in the partner's office, calling loved ones and following news and updates from leaders of the firm. 'We were pretty much freaked out until we got out of there," he said. KPMG said it was 'not aware of any significant physical injuries" to its employees. As night fell, police led employees of the buildings' tenants out floor by floor, starting with the higher floors. Some were still being escorted out of the building at around 10 p.m. The building was closed to tenants Tuesday as investigators combed through the crime scenes. Gray teared up talking about LePatner on a call with Blackstone employees. In an internal memo sent to employees early Tuesday, KPMG U.S. Chair and CEO Tim Walsh said the firm plans to provide counselors and other resources on the ground and virtually to employees. It reminded employees of a mental-health hotline that was available to call. 'Please stay safe and support each other," the memo said. Write to Mark Maurer at Miriam Gottfried at and Andrew Beaton at
Business Wire
6 days ago
- Business
- Business Wire
Prilenia and Ferrer Provide Update on European Regulatory Process for Pridopidine in Huntington's Disease
NAARDEN, Netherlands & WALTHAM, Mass. & BARCELONA, Spain--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Prilenia Therapeutics B.V. and Ferrer today announced that the European Medicines Agency's (EMA) Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has recommended the refusal of the marketing authorization for pridopidine's marketing authorization application for Huntington's disease (HD). We are disappointed, but undeterred in our commitment to bring what we believe is an effective therapy to patients and will explore all options collaboratively with regulators. Prilenia and Ferrer are focused on bringing pridopidine to people living with HD and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) worldwide as quickly as possible. Near-term plans are in place to initiate a potentially registrational global HD study, to provide confirmation of the previously observed pridopidine results, and a pivotal global Phase 3 ALS study, with recruitment for both expected to start as soon as possible. About pridopidine Pridopidine (45 mg twice daily) is a potent and selective, orally administered sigma-1 receptor (S1R) agonist which stimulates key neuroprotective mechanisms often impaired in neurodegenerative diseases such as HD and ALS i. Pridopidine's extensive development program involved approximately 1,600 people, demonstrating clinically meaningful and sustained benefits in disease progression, cognition, motor ability, and quality of life in patients, with a favorable safety and tolerability profile. In addition to HD, pridopidine is in late-stage clinical development for ALS, with Prilenia and Ferrer planning to initiate a single, pivotal Phase 3 trial in ALS as early as possible, building on the findings in the population with early and rapid progressing disease from the Phase 2 HEALEY ALS Platform Trial. Pridopidine has Orphan Drug designation in HD and ALS in the US and EU, and FDA Fast Track designation for the treatment of HD ii. Nurzigma ® (pridopidine) is a registered trademark of Prilenia. About Huntington's Disease Huntington's disease (HD) is a rare, inherited, autosomal dominant, neurodegenerative disease that results in functional, motor, cognitive and behavioral symptoms. HD is caused by a mutation in the huntingtin gene iii, and each child of a parent with HD has a 50 percent chance of developing the disease. iv HD affects approximately 4.88 out of 100,000 people around the world with an additional 300,000 people at risk of developing HD v,vi. It is usually diagnosed between the ages of 30 and 50, although HD can occur at any age, including in children and young adults (known as juvenile onset HD or JHD). The disease progresses slowly over 15 to 20 years, with patients slowly losing their ability to work, communicate, manage day-to-day life and take care of themselves. This increasing disability leads to full reliance on a caregiver and, ultimately, death. The only currently available treatments for HD focus on symptomatic relief and palliative care, with nothing impacting measures of overall progression. About Prilenia Prilenia is a private biopharmaceutical company driven by an unwavering commitment to scientific excellence and accelerating progress for people affected by Huntington's disease (HD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other children and adults with neurodegenerative disorders. Our mission is simple but urgent: to develop and provide sustainable access to transformative medicines for people affected by devastating neurodegenerative diseases. On April 28, 2025, Prilenia entered into a collaboration and license agreement with Ferrer for the commercialization and co-development of pridopidine in Europe and other select markets, retaining full commercialization and development rights to pridopidine in North America, Japan and Asia Pacific. The company is incorporated in the Netherlands and backed by leading life sciences investors. For more information, please visit and connect with us on LinkedIn or X (Twitter). About Ferrer At Ferrer we use business to fight for social justice. We have long been a company that wants to do things differently; instead of maximizing shareholder returns, we reinvest much of our profit in initiatives that give back to society. Back where it belongs. We go beyond compliance and are guided by the highest standards of sustainability, ethics and integrity. As such, since 2022, we are a B Corp. Founded in Barcelona in 1959, Ferrer offers transformative solutions for life-threatening diseases in more than one hundred countries. In line with our purpose, we have an increasing focus on pulmonary vascular and interstitial lung diseases and rare neurological disorders in adults and children. Our 1,800-strong team is driven by a clear conviction: our business is not an end in itself, but a way to change lives. We are Ferrer. Ferrer for good. ___________________________ i Naia, L., Ly, P., Mota, S.I. et al. The Sigma-1 Receptor Mediates Pridopidine Rescue of Mitochondrial Function in Huntington Disease Models. Neurotherapeutics 18, 1017–1038 (2021). ii Cudkowicz, M. AAN Annual Meeting, April 6-9, 2025, San Diego, CA iii Eddings CR, Arbez N, Akimov S, Geva M, Hayden MR, Ross CA. Pridopidine protects neurons from mutant-huntingtin toxicity via the sigma-1 receptor. Neurobiol Dis. 2019 Sep;129:118-129. doi: 10.1016/ Epub 2019 May 17. PMID: 31108174; PMCID: PMC6996243. iv Myers RH. Huntington's disease genetics. NeuroRx. 2004 Apr;1(2):255-62. doi: 10.1602/neurorx.1.2.255. PMID: 15717026; PMCID: PMC534940.) v Medina et al., Prevalence and Incidence of Huntington's Disease: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Mov Disord. 2022 Dec;37(12):2327-2335. vi Jiang, A., Handley, R. R., Lehnert, K., & Snell, R. G. (2023). From Pathogenesis to Therapeutics: A Review of 150 Years of Huntington's Disease Research. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 24(16), 13021.
Los Angeles Times
20-07-2025
- Health
- Los Angeles Times
Federal cuts leave Los Angeles County health system in crisis
Los Angeles County's health system, which is responsible for the care of the region's poorest, is careening toward a financial crisis because of cuts from a presidential administration and Republican-led Congress looking to drastically slash the size of government. President Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill,' which passed earlier this month, is expected to soon claw $750 million per year from the county Department of Health Services, which oversees four public hospitals and roughly two dozen clinics. In an all-staff email Friday, the agency called the bill a 'big, devastating blow to our health system' and said a hiring freeze had gone into effect, immediately. And the Trump administration's budget for the next fiscal year will likely result in a $200-million cut to the county Department of Public Health, whose responsibilities include monitoring disease outbreaks, inspecting food and providing substance use treatment. 'I'm not going to sugarcoat it. I'm not going to say we survive this,' said Barbara Ferrer, head of the public health department, in an interview. 'We can't survive this big a cut.' Both Ferrer and Department of Health Services head Christina Ghaly warned that the federal cuts will devastate their agencies — and the patients they serve — for years to come. Employee layoffs are likely. In April, the White House announced it was ending infectious disease grants worth billions of dollars, including $45 million that L.A. County was supposed to use to combat the spread of measles and bird flu. California has joined other states in a lawsuit fighting the cuts, and the court has issued a preliminary injunction suspending the cuts. This month, the county public health department lost another $16 million after Trump's bill cut funding for a program educating food stamp recipients about how to buy healthy meals. And there's more to come. The Trump administration's proposed budget for 2026 will be the biggest blow yet, Ferrer warned, yanking $200 million from her department — a 12% cut. 'I'm old. I've been around for a long time,' said Ferrer, whose work in public health dates back to the Reagan administration. 'I've never actually seen this much disdain for public health.' Ferrer said the cuts mean she no longer has enough money for the county's bioterrorism watch program, which monitors for outbreaks that might signal a biological attack. Soon, she said, county officials may have to stop testing ocean water for toxins year round, cutting back to just half the year. 'Like, you want to swim? You want to know that the water is safe where you swim, then oppose these kinds of cuts,' she said. 'That affects everybody who goes to the beach.' Layoffs are likely, said Ferrer. About 1,500 public health staffers are supported through federal grants. More than half the federal money the department receives is funneled to outside organizations, which would likely need to make cuts to stay afloat. A similarly grim cost analysis is underway at the county Department of Health Services, where executives said they expect to lose $280 million this fiscal year because of the bill. 'I can't make a promise that we will be able to avoid layoffs because of the magnitude of the challenges,' said Ghaly. Ghaly said the bill slashed the extra Medicaid money the county typically gets to cover care for low-income patients. They expect many patients might be kicked off Medicaid because of new eligibility and work requirements. The federal government is pulling back on payments for emergency services for undocumented people, meaning the county will have to foot more of the bill. The White House did not respond to a request for comment. Department of Health Services officials said they expect to lose $750 million per year by 2028. By then, the agency's budget deficit is projected to have ballooned to $1.85 billion. In an attempt to pump more cash into the system, L.A. County supervisors voted on Tuesday to increase a parcel tax first approved by voters in 2002, which is expected to raise an additional $87 million for the county's trauma care network. After a long debate Tuesday, Supervisors Holly Mitchell and Lindsey Horvath worked to direct $9 million of the parcel tax money to Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital, a private hospital that serves as a critical safety net for South Los Angeles residents who would otherwise find themselves in a medical desert. Without that cash infusion from the county, the cuts in Trump's bill would have put the hospital at risk of closing, since the majority of patients in its emergency room are on Medicaid, said Elaine Batchlor, Martin Luther King's chief executive officer. 'If they've lost their Medicaid coverage, we simply won't get paid for those patients,' she said. Martin Luther King replaced a county hospital that closed after losing national accreditation in 2005 because of serious medical malpractice, landing it the nickname 'Killer King.' 'The fact that that hospital closed in the first place I think is criminal, and I intend to do all I can to protect the integrity of the services,' said Mitchell, whose district includes the hospital and who pushed for it to get a cut of money from the parcel tax increase. Local health providers said that changes at the state level have created additional uncertainty. The state budget for this fiscal year freezes enrollment in Medi-Cal, California's version of Medicaid, for undocumented immigrants ages 19 and older starting in January. Medi-Cal recipients ages 19 to 59 will have to pay a $30 monthly premium beginning July 1, 2027. 'Most families [we serve] are making about $2,400 to $2,600 a month. They're going to have to choose between paying their Medi-Cal fees for a family of four — that's $120 a month — or paying rent or paying for food,' said Jim Mangia, head of St. John's Community Health, who said the cuts will disrupt care for tens of thousands of low-income residents. The St. John's clinic, which gets most of its revenue from Medi-Cal reimbursements, serves more than 120,000 patients a year, most of whom live below the federal poverty line. If the clinic doesn't find a way to replace the lost revenue, Mangia warned, services will have to be reduced. The clinic recently started treating immigrant patients in their homes after realizing they had been skipping appointments because they feared being arrested by federal immigration agents. 'Then what we're looking at is closing several health centers,' said Mangia. 'We're looking at laying off hundreds of staff.' At Venice Family Clinic, a community health center that serves nearly 45,000 patients annually, 80% of patients rely on Medi-Cal. Roughly half the clinic's revenue comes from Medi-Cal reimbursements. Dr. Mitesh Popat, a family physician and head of the clinic, said that federal policy changes — especially more frequent paperwork and added work requirements — will likely push eligible patients off of Medi-Cal. He said the clinic is exploring ways to expand support for patients to navigate the paperwork and keep their coverage. 'This puts a bunch of barriers in the way of people who already have enough challenges in life,' Popat said. 'They're trying to make it, trying to survive, trying to put food on the table.'
Daily Mirror
16-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Mirror
Tourists eating out in Spain warned common habit is now 'banned'
Some restaurants in Spanish holiday hotspots like Majorca, Malaga and Zaragoza are reportedly taking on the rule Brits jetting off to Majorca for their summer holidays need to be aware of a new rule being rolled out in some restaurants across the Spanish island, according to reports. If tourists are planning to treat themselves to a dinner as a group, a typical request is now being 'banned'. The Majorca Daily Bulletin reported that holidaymakers considering splitting the bill at restaurants will be in for a shock in certain spots. Juanmi Ferrer, president of the CAEB Restaurants Association in Mallorca, was quoted as explaining that some dining establishments are starting to stop customers from settling the bill separately. Ferrer said: "There is one bill per table, and it is up to the customers to deal with the payment. Some don't want to pay for the wine, others specifically ask to pay for their dish. This gets complicated for the staff, and there can be items that no one is charged for. It is time-consuming and even more so if the bill doesn't add up." In an era where tapping your bank card is quicker and more convenient than counting cash, dividing up a dinner tab usually leads to extra hassle for the staff, as opposed to guests doing the maths with cash in hand. Ferrer noted in the report that "only 30-40%" of diners opt to pay with bank notes and coins in 2025. Ferrer highlights that the hassle of settling bills just piles onto the already tough workloads of restaurant workers. This is made even worse by a staffing shortage, an effect from the pandemic, it is claimed, that continues to plague the hospitality sector, reports Wales Online. The "one table, one bill" rule is gaining traction in Spain. Holiday hotspots like Zaragoza, Málaga, and parts of Barcelona are adopting the policy, as reported by Euro Weekly. Restaurants are implementing this approach in two main ways. Either, outright banning the splitting of bills, or permitting it but imposing a surcharge for each card transaction, usually between €1 and €2. A Zaragoza restaurateur reportedly started this practice after finding it too time-consuming to process multiple payment requests simultaneously. This became particularly problematic during peak seasons like summer, when tourist numbers swell. Is this allowed and what can I do when eating out? Spanish legislation doesn't specifically mention that businesses have to accommodate split payments, so restaurateurs are at liberty to set their payment policies. So, in essence, yes. Spanish restaurants can legally decline to split bills, provided they communicate their policy upfront through menu notices, visible signage and verbal explanation. Plan how you'll settle the bill before sitting down to dine to avoid any hassle. Discuss with your group whether to pool cash together or nominate one person to foot the bill and sort out transferring via bank transfer later. If possible, ask for separate bills when you order. This helps the restaurant in managing payments more efficiently from the outset. Splitting bills can put additional strain on busy staff, so your patience and understanding will be appreciated. Is Majorca the same as Mallorca? Majorca and Mallorca are two names for the same island. "Majorca" is how you spell it in English, whereas "Mallorca" is the spelling in Spanish and Catalan, which is the official name. Both names are used interchangeably, but Mallorca is the more widely accepted and technically accurate term.
