Latest news with #GCG
Hindustan Times
02-07-2025
- General
- Hindustan Times
College admissions: Subject combination a tough nut for city students to crack
As college admission season picks up pace, many students are grappling with confusion and frustration over the limited subject combinations available at government colleges. Despite securing high marks and qualifying on merit, several students say they are unable to find courses aligned with what they studied in school or wish to pursue, and feel compelled to settle for unwanted subjects. Students waiting for seat allotment for admission into the new academic session at Govt College for Girls in Ludhiana on Wednesday. (Manish/Hindustan Times) A student seeking admission at SCD Government College said that while the state's online admission portal lists all possible subject combinations, the ground reality is starkly different. 'When we visit colleges, the subjects we want just aren't offered,' the student said. The problem is not isolated. A student from Arya College said the lack of counsellors leaves students directionless. 'We are forced to take whatever is available because there's no one to guide us,' the student added. Brij Bhushan Goyal from the SCD Government College Alumni Association said the issue hits humanities students hardest. 'Regardless of whether they studied under CBSE, ICSE or PSEB boards, humanities students often can't find their preferred subject combinations. It's unfair to those who have performed well. The higher education department needs to deploy trained counsellors online to help students make informed choices,' he said. College principals and educators attributed the issue to infrastructure and staffing constraints. They explained that subject offerings depend on available faculty and the need to balance workloads. SCD College principal Gursharnjit Singh Sandhu said the National Education Policy (NEP) has introduced flexibility with multiple subject choices, but its full implementation remains difficult. 'We are limited by our infrastructure and timetable capacity,' he said. Suman Lata, principal of Government College for Girls (GCG), echoed this concern. 'To offer more combinations, we would need to revise the timetable significantly. Students usually don't stay in college past afternoon hours, but I've proposed a five-day week with extended hours to allow more flexibility.' High demand for BCom, BA; BSc seats still available With the July 31 admission deadline nearing, many colleges have already filled their seats for popular courses. According to GCG principal Suman Lata, all seats in BA, BCom, BBA, and BCA are full. However, 40 seats are still available in the BSc non-medical stream, and 30 in the medical stream. At Government College (East), BCom and BBA courses are full, while the newly introduced BSc course has seen 20 students enrolled in its first-ever batch. SCD Government College has also nearly filled its BA and BCom seats, but BSc courses still have room. So far, only 96 out of 160 BSc medical seats and 118 out of 210 BSc non-medical seats have been taken.
Indianapolis Star
01-07-2025
- Business
- Indianapolis Star
Protagonist Announces Nomination of PN-477, an Oral and Injectable GLP-1R, GIPR, and GCGR Triple Agonist Peptide Development Candidate for Obesity
A novel oral peptide PN-477o with once-daily dosing, high potency and activation of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide (GIP), and glucagon (GCG) receptors Company will also develop a subcutaneous version, PN-477sc, as a once-weekly injection IND-enabling studies underway, with Phase I study initiation expected in 2Q26 Webcast and conference call to be held today at 4:30 pm ET NEWARK, CALIFORNIA / ACCESS Newswire Protagonist Therapeutics, Inc. ('Protagonist' or the 'Company') today announced the selection of PN-477, a potential best-in-class GLP-1, GIP, GCG receptor triple agonist peptide with oral and subcutaneous routes of administration, as a development candidate for the treatment of obesity. The triple agonist PN-477 is designed to offer the optimal combination of total body weight loss, improved gastrointestinal (GI) tolerability and fat to lean mass ratio, with the dosing convenience of a once-daily oral agent and the added optionality of a once-weekly subcutaneous administration. 'We are very pleased to nominate development candidate PN-477, a promising potential best-in class oral GLP-1, GIP, GCG receptor tri-agonist peptide which has demonstrated optimal absolute and relative activity against all three hormone receptors in preclinical testing,' said Dinesh V. Patel, PhD, President and CEO of Protagonist. 'PN-477 is specifically engineered to be orally stable with attention to the relative balance of potencies against the three receptors to potentially leverage their beneficial effects on weight loss and optimal body composition while mitigating their adverse effects. As with our previous drug candidates and late-stage assets, PN-477 is a testament to the power of our peptide technology platform, including the ability to deliver first- and best-in-class targeted oral and injectable peptide therapeutics.' PN-477 has completed extensive preclinical evaluation including oral and metabolic stability, potency, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics studies, and has demonstrated effects in preclinical models of obesity and glycemic control. PN-477 has shown potent in vitro activity in activating the GLP-1, GIP, and GCG receptors. PN-477 also demonstrated robust preclinical proof-of-concept in various animal studies including the diet induced obesity (DIO) preclinical mouse model, normal dogs, and cynomolgus monkeys. Overall, PN-477 has the right balance of potency, oral and in-vivo stability, and pharmacokinetic properties to enable parallel development both as a once-daily oral (PN-477o) and once-weekly injectable (PN-477sc) treatment options. IND enabling studies of PN-477 are underway and initiation of Phase 1 clinical studies is anticipated in the second quarter of 2026. 'While GLP-1 agonists have dominated the market thus far, there remains a broad opportunity for novel therapeutics with better body weight loss, higher ratio of fat to lean mass loss, tolerability and additional beneficial effects in obesity-related comorbidities. A triple GLP-1, GIP, GCG receptor agonist peptide that offers weight loss on par with the best injectable treatments options, as well as the optionality provided by both oral and injectable routes of administration, would be an important therapeutic breakthrough and represents another potential blockbuster drug opportunity for Protagonist,' added Dr. Patel. 'We look forward to moving PN-477 into first-in human clinical Phase 1 studies in the second quarter of 2026.' Conference Call and Webcast Details The dial-in numbers for Protagonist's investor update on Monday, June 30 th at 4:30 pm ET are: US-based Investors: 1-877-407-0752 International Investors: 1-201-389-0912 Conference Call ID: 13754335 The webcast link for the event can be found here: A replay of the presentation will be available on the Company's Investor Relations Events and Presentations webpage following the event. About Protagonist Protagonist Therapeutics is a discovery through late-stage development biopharmaceutical company. Two novel peptides derived from Protagonist's proprietary discovery platform are currently in advanced Phase 3 clinical development, with New Drug Application submissions to the FDA potentially in 2025. Icotrokinra (formerly, JNJ-2113) is a first-in-class investigational targeted oral peptide that selectively blocks the Interleukin-23 receptor ('IL-23R') which is licensed to J&J Innovative Medicines ('JNJ'), formerly Janssen Biotech, Inc. Following icotrokinra's joint discovery by Protagonist and JNJ scientists pursuant to the companies' IL-23R collaboration, Protagonist was primarily responsible for development of icotrokinra through Phase 1, with JNJ assuming responsibility for development in Phase 2 and beyond. Rusfertide, a mimetic of the natural hormone hepcidin, is currently in Phase 3 development for the rare blood disorder polycythemia vera (PV). Rusfertide is being co-developed and will be co-commercialized with Takeda Pharmaceuticals pursuant to a worldwide collaboration and license agreement entered in 2024 under which the Company remains primarily responsible for development through NDA filing. The Company also has a number of pre-clinical stage drug discovery programs addressing clinically and commercially validated targets, including IL-17 oral peptide antagonist PN-881, obesity triple agonist peptide PN-477, and oral hepcidin. More information on Protagonist, its pipeline drug candidates and clinical studies can be found on the Company's website at Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding the potential benefits of PN-477, and the timing of PN-477 clinical development. In some cases, you can identify these statements by forward-looking words such as 'anticipate,' 'believe,' 'may,' 'will,' 'expect,' or the negative or plural of these words or similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and events to differ materially from those anticipated, including, but not limited to, our ability to develop and commercialize our product candidates, our ability to earn milestone payments under our collaboration agreements with Janssen and Takeda, our ability to use and expand our programs to build a pipeline of product candidates, our ability to obtain and maintain regulatory approval of our product candidates, our ability to operate in a competitive industry and compete successfully against competitors that have greater resources than we do, and our ability to obtain and adequately protect intellectual property rights for our product candidates. Additional information concerning these and other risk factors affecting our business can be found in our periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including under the heading 'Risk Factors' contained in our most recently filed periodic reports on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, and our actual results of operations, financial condition and liquidity, and the development of the industry in which we operate, may differ materially from the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. Any forward-looking statements that we make in this press release speak only as of the date of this press release. We assume no obligation to update our forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date of this press release. Investor Relations Contact Corey Davis, Ph.D. LifeSci Advisors cdavis@ +1 212 915 2577 Media Relations Contact Virginia Amann ENTENTE Network of Companies virginiaamann@ +1 833 500 0061 ext. 1 SOURCE: Protagonist Therapeutics View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire
USA Today
30-06-2025
- Business
- USA Today
Protagonist Announces Nomination of PN-477, an Oral and Injectable GLP-1R, GIPR, and GCGR Triple Agonist Peptide Development Candidate for Obesity
A novel oral peptide PN-477o with once-daily dosing, high potency and activation of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide (GIP), and glucagon (GCG) receptors Company will also develop a subcutaneous version, PN-477sc, as a once-weekly injection IND-enabling studies underway, with Phase I study initiation expected in 2Q26 Webcast and conference call to be held today at 4:30 pm ET Protagonist Therapeutics, Inc. ('Protagonist' or the 'Company') today announced the selection of PN-477, a potential best-in-class GLP-1, GIP, GCG receptor triple agonist peptide with oral and subcutaneous routes of administration, as a development candidate for the treatment of obesity. The triple agonist PN-477 is designed to offer the optimal combination of total body weight loss, improved gastrointestinal (GI) tolerability and fat to lean mass ratio, with the dosing convenience of a once-daily oral agent and the added optionality of a once-weekly subcutaneous administration. 'We are very pleased to nominate development candidate PN-477, a promising potential best-in class oral GLP-1, GIP, GCG receptor tri-agonist peptide which has demonstrated optimal absolute and relative activity against all three hormone receptors in preclinical testing,' said Dinesh V. Patel, PhD, President and CEO of Protagonist. 'PN-477 is specifically engineered to be orally stable with attention to the relative balance of potencies against the three receptors to potentially leverage their beneficial effects on weight loss and optimal body composition while mitigating their adverse effects. As with our previous drug candidates and late-stage assets, PN-477 is a testament to the power of our peptide technology platform, including the ability to deliver first- and best-in-class targeted oral and injectable peptide therapeutics.' PN-477 has completed extensive preclinical evaluation including oral and metabolic stability, potency, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics studies, and has demonstrated effects in preclinical models of obesity and glycemic control. PN-477 has shown potent in vitro activity in activating the GLP-1, GIP, and GCG receptors. PN-477 also demonstrated robust preclinical proof-of-concept in various animal studies including the diet induced obesity (DIO) preclinical mouse model, normal dogs, and cynomolgus monkeys. Overall, PN-477 has the right balance of potency, oral and in-vivo stability, and pharmacokinetic properties to enable parallel development both as a once-daily oral (PN-477o) and once-weekly injectable (PN-477sc) treatment options. IND enabling studies of PN-477 are underway and initiation of Phase 1 clinical studies is anticipated in the second quarter of 2026. 'While GLP-1 agonists have dominated the market thus far, there remains a broad opportunity for novel therapeutics with better body weight loss, higher ratio of fat to lean mass loss, tolerability and additional beneficial effects in obesity-related comorbidities. A triple GLP-1, GIP, GCG receptor agonist peptide that offers weight loss on par with the best injectable treatments options, as well as the optionality provided by both oral and injectable routes of administration, would be an important therapeutic breakthrough and represents another potential blockbuster drug opportunity for Protagonist,' added Dr. Patel. 'We look forward to moving PN-477 into first-in human clinical Phase 1 studies in the second quarter of 2026.' Conference Call and Webcast Details The dial-in numbers for Protagonist's investor update on Monday, June 30th at 4:30 pm ET are: US-based Investors: 1-877-407-0752 International Investors: 1-201-389-0912 Conference Call ID: 13754335 The webcast link for the event can be found here: A replay of the presentation will be available on the Company's Investor Relations Events and Presentations webpage following the event. About Protagonist Protagonist Therapeutics is a discovery through late-stage development biopharmaceutical company. Two novel peptides derived from Protagonist's proprietary discovery platform are currently in advanced Phase 3 clinical development, with New Drug Application submissions to the FDA potentially in 2025. Icotrokinra (formerly, JNJ-2113) is a first-in-class investigational targeted oral peptide that selectively blocks the Interleukin-23 receptor ('IL-23R') which is licensed to J&J Innovative Medicines ('JNJ'), formerly Janssen Biotech, Inc. Following icotrokinra's joint discovery by Protagonist and JNJ scientists pursuant to the companies' IL-23R collaboration, Protagonist was primarily responsible for development of icotrokinra through Phase 1, with JNJ assuming responsibility for development in Phase 2 and beyond. Rusfertide, a mimetic of the natural hormone hepcidin, is currently in Phase 3 development for the rare blood disorder polycythemia vera (PV). Rusfertide is being co-developed and will be co-commercialized with Takeda Pharmaceuticals pursuant to a worldwide collaboration and license agreement entered in 2024 under which the Company remains primarily responsible for development through NDA filing. The Company also has a number of pre-clinical stage drug discovery programs addressing clinically and commercially validated targets, including IL-17 oral peptide antagonist PN-881, obesity triple agonist peptide PN-477, and oral hepcidin. More information on Protagonist, its pipeline drug candidates and clinical studies can be found on the Company's website at Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding the potential benefits of PN-477, and the timing of PN-477 clinical development. In some cases, you can identify these statements by forward-looking words such as 'anticipate,' 'believe,' 'may,' 'will,' 'expect,' or the negative or plural of these words or similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and events to differ materially from those anticipated, including, but not limited to, our ability to develop and commercialize our product candidates, our ability to earn milestone payments under our collaboration agreements with Janssen and Takeda, our ability to use and expand our programs to build a pipeline of product candidates, our ability to obtain and maintain regulatory approval of our product candidates, our ability to operate in a competitive industry and compete successfully against competitors that have greater resources than we do, and our ability to obtain and adequately protect intellectual property rights for our product candidates. Additional information concerning these and other risk factors affecting our business can be found in our periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including under the heading 'Risk Factors' contained in our most recently filed periodic reports on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, and our actual results of operations, financial condition and liquidity, and the development of the industry in which we operate, may differ materially from the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. Any forward-looking statements that we make in this press release speak only as of the date of this press release. We assume no obligation to update our forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date of this press release. Investor Relations Contact Corey Davis, Ph.D. LifeSci Advisors cdavis@ +1 212 915 2577 Media Relations Contact Virginia Amann ENTENTE Network of Companies virginiaamann@ +1 833 500 0061 ext. 1 SOURCE: Protagonist Therapeutics View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire
GMA Network
25-06-2025
- Health
- GMA Network
PhilHealth to undergo major revamp —GCG
The Governance Commission for Government-Owned or -Controlled Corporations (GCG) on Wednesday said the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) will undergo restructuring to improve its efficiency and solve operational issues. 'The restructuring includes a revamped organizational structure with 503 units and a total of 7,149 positions designed to improve service delivery and strengthen the agency's capability to fulfill its expanded mandate under the Republic Act (R.A.) No. 11223 or the 'Universal Health Care Act,' GCG said in a statement. "This major revamp aims to enhance PhilHealth's efficiency and address key operational challenges," it added. Among the issues it aimed to address are the outdated workforce, fragmented data, strategy execution, and issues related to benefit claims. CGC also identified the five critical services to be centralized: finance, legal, information technology, procurement, human resources, and general administration services. 'The centralization of these administrative functions is seen to address the inconsistencies and conflicts in the current operational framework of PhilHealth, maintain responsiveness to the public, and enhance healthcare delivery,' CGC said in a press release. To ensure checks and balances, the internal audit office of PhilHealth was also ordered to report to the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors and shall administratively report to the President and Chief Executive Officer (PCEO) of the corporation. The Benefit Payment Appeals Office (BPAO) will be established to handle appeals related to benefit claims payments. It aims to improve the handling of appeal cases and incentivize healthcare. In a separate statement, Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said the agency has been working with the GCG on the restructuring of PhilHealth. 'The Department of Health (DOH) has been working with the Governance Commission for GOCCs (GCG) to ensure that the organizational structure of PhilHealth is suitable for the implementation of Universal Health Care,' Herbosa said. —LDF, GMA Integrated News 'PhilHealth staff and especially the public have been waiting for this reorg for a long time. The DOH and the entire Board of Directors have paid close attention to every detail,' he added. Last year, the GCG approved a partial restructuring of PhilHealth following its initial application in 2022. To aid in the evaluation process, GCG requested that PhilHealth provide additional documentary requirements and undergo consultation from May 2023 to January 2025. - Mariel Celine Serquiña ###
GMA Network
29-05-2025
- Business
- GMA Network
Maharlika Fund chief Consing submits courtesy resignation
The top honcho of the country's first and only sovereign wealth fund, the Maharlika Investment Corporation (MIC), on Thursday confirmed he has tendered his courtesy resignation, as the Marcos administration's ongoing executive overhaul was also extended to heads of state-run firms. 'We at the Maharlika Investment Corporation (MIC) fully support President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s directive for courtesy resignations among GOCC (government-owned and -controlled corporations) leaders. We view this as an important and standard measure to uphold accountability and further strengthen public service,' MIC president and CEO Rafael Consing said in a statement. 'In line with this, I have submitted my unqualified courtesy resignation,' Consing said. This came after the Governance Commission for GOCCs (GCG) directed state-run firms' non ex-officio chairpersons, chief executive officers (CEOs), and all appointive directors/trustees/members of their respective GOCCs' governing boards to immediately submit their courtesy resignations to the President through the Office of the Executive Secretary. 'The entire MIC Board of Directors also promptly complied, submitting their courtesy resignations immediately upon receiving the relevant memorandum from the Governance Commission for GOCCs (GCG),' Consing said. 'We will all continue to diligently perform our respective duties and responsibilities until advised otherwise,' he added. The state-run firm's Board of Directors include GOCC-representatives Land Bank of the Philippines president Lynette Ortiz and Development Bank of the Philippines president Michael de Jesus as directors; regular director Vicky Castillo Tan; and independent directors Andrew Jerome Gan, German Lichauco II, and Roman Felipe Reyes. While top executives of GOCCs were ordered to resign, the GCG said that until any action is taken by the Office of the President on their courtesy resignations, 'they shall continue to report for work and perform their usual duties and functions…' The MIC was created through Republic Act No. 11954 or the Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF) Act of 2023, signed by Marcos in July 2023, with the aim to tap state assets for investment ventures to generate additional public funds. The MIC manages the MIF—a pool of funds initially sourced from state-run financial institutions that will be invested in foreign currencies, fixed-income instruments, domestic and foreign corporate bonds, joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions, real estate, and high-impact infrastructure projects. Under the law, the MIC has an authorized capital stock of P500 billion, P375 billion of which shall have corresponding common shares available for subscription by the national government, its agencies or instrumentalities, government-owned and controlled corporations or GFIs, and government financial institutions. Its initial capitalization is sourced from the national government and the country's two largest state-run banks. The Landbank transferred P50 billion and the DBP P25 billion to the Maharlika Fund. The national government will contribute P50 billion from the following sources: Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas' total declared dividends; National government's share from the income of PAGCOR Properties, real and personal identified by the DOF-Privatization and Management Office; Other sources such as royalties and/or special assessments In January, MIC made its first investment activity by acquiring a 20% stake in Synergy Grid and Development Philippines Inc. (SGP) —giving it two board seats in the company and another two in the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP). The NGCP is 60% owned by SGP, while State Grid Corporation of China has 40%. MIC had expressed intent in acquiring shares of the State Grid Corporation of China in the Philippines' power grid. Last week, Marcos directed the courtesy resignations of Cabinet secretaries to "recalibrate" his administration after the 2025 national and local elections. The President had lamented that results of the May 2025 midterm polls showed that the people are "tired of politics and they are disappointed with the government." —AOL, GMA Integrated News
