February 21, 2024

Fortrea Increases Patient Access Capabilities and Cold Chain Expertise with FortreaRx™ Expansion

Fortrea’s non-commercial specialty pharmacy expansion delivers flexible, scalable solutions to customers and life-changing medications direct to patients

DURHAM, N.C., Feb. 20, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Fortrea (Nasdaq: FTRE) (the “Company”), a leading global contract research organization (CRO), today announced the opening of its expanded non-commercial specialty pharmacy, FortreaRx, located in Lake Mary, Florida, which offers advanced patient access solutions across the United States, including ambient and cold-chain distribution capabilities and expertise.

Licensed in all 50 states and U.S. territories, FortreaRx delivers flexible, scalable solutions that meet the specific needs of its customers while providing medications to patients who may otherwise not have access to them. Non-commercial specialty pharmacies, like FortreaRx, provide these solutions on behalf of their pharmaceutical manufacturer customers and are uniquely positioned to serve as a bridge between pharmaceutical manufacturers and patients who meet the manufacturer requirements for prescription assistance.

Since FortreaRx’s inception in late 2008, Fortrea has pioneered non-commercial specialty pharmacy services, focusing exclusively on the distribution of free-goods products as an integrated component of pharmaceutical manufacturer-sponsored patient assistance programs (PAP) designed to expand access to therapy for qualified patients with no health insurance or those who are underinsured. The FortreaRx 40,000-square-foot facility doubles its operational space and bolsters its capabilities, delivering:

1,800 square feet of ambient storage
6,000+ square feet of cold chain storage with more than 85 percent of prescriptions filled by FortreaRx requiring this unique handling
Greater processing and fulfillment space for up to 18,000 prescriptions daily
Enhanced shipping solutions with options for overnight, expedited and 2-day deliveries

“Fortrea’s well-established patient services offerings, combined with the expanded capabilities of FortreaRx, deliver an end-to-end approach, from early clinical stages to post-market delivery, ensuring a comprehensive and personalized experience for patients,” said Bill Nolan, vice president and global head of Patient Access at Fortrea. “From our expertise in broad-range disease states to our unwavering commitment to patient assistance, Fortrea excels at delivering timely and impactful solutions to our pharmaceutical sponsors that strive to reduce patient and provider challenges by streamlining enrollment processes and by offering full integration with broader patient support initiatives.”

FortreaRx’s call center hub of case managers seamlessly manages patient inquiries, counseling and data verification of prescriptions. Fortrea’s patient access team helps patients and providers understand and navigate the complexities of coverage while removing obstacles to get medication to patients.

FortreaRx delivers efficient, consultative and cost-effective solutions for manufacturer prescription programs typically resulting in significant yearly savings for patients.

For more information about FortreaRx and its services, please visit Fortrea.com.

About Fortrea

Fortrea (Nasdaq: FTRE) is a leading global provider of clinical development and patient access solutions to the life sciences industry. We partner with emerging and large biopharmaceutical, medical device and diagnostic companies to drive healthcare innovation that accelerates life changing therapies to patients in need. Fortrea provides phase I-IV clinical trial management, clinical pharmacology, differentiated technology-enabled trial solutions and post-approval services. Fortrea’s solutions leverage three decades of experience spanning more than 20 therapeutic areas, a passion for scientific rigor, exceptional insights and a strong investigator site network. Our talented and diverse team of about 19,000 people working in more than 90 countries is scaled to deliver focused and agile solutions to customers globally. Learn more about how Fortrea is becoming a transformative force from pipeline to patient at Fortrea.com and follow us on LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter) @Fortrea.

Fortrea Contacts:
Fortrea Media: Galen Wilson – 703-298-0802, media@fortrea.com
Fortrea Media: Kate Dillon – 646-818-9115, kdillon@prosek.com

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 9040223

February 21, 2024

Axi Select hailed as the future of prop trading as multiple demo account firms close doors due to pressures from regulators, brokers, and tech providers

Axi Select

Axi Select hailed as the future of prop trading as multiple demo account firms close doors due to pressures from regulators, brokers, and tech providers

SYDNEY, Australia, Feb. 20, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Bucking the trend of recent negative developments in the prop firm industry, leading global CFD and FX broker Axi, which launched Axi Select – their unique capital allocation programme for talented traders – has been hailed by many industry experts as the future of the industry.

Recent issues experienced in the prop trading industry have resulted in multiple firms having to pause or close down their service due to pressure from regulators, partner brokers or tech providers.

Axi Select is completely different to the industry, and as a result has legitimised the prop firm model by offering a live trading account programme, with real controls in terms of execution, transparency, and fair market conditions. Since its launch in mid-2023, Axi Select has witnessed an incredible 40% month-on-month increase in the number of active clients on their platforms.

Axi believes their Select programme is revolutionary, sustainable and is the future of the prop firm model. Greg Rubin, Head of Axi Select, stated “In the last week the prop trading industry has been turned on its head completely with multiple firms having to suspend their services due to external pressures.

“We foresaw this, which is why we’ve developed a capital allocation programme which is built on our live trading account model and has been available in over 100 countries for more than 16 years. This has given us the confidence that Axi Select is a long-term solution to the prop trading community, and not subject to the issues now faced by prop firms who offer the demo account registration fee model and are under constant pressure from regulators and their tech partners.”

He continued “We genuinely empathise with the thousands of talented traders who will now be denied access to their allocated funds, and we encourage anyone using the demo trading registration model to question whether their prop firm partner will be able to continue as an ongoing concern given recent events. Unfortunately, this could be the beginning of the end for the demo account prop firm model.”

Axi Select offers a very attractive funding model – $1 million USD top allocation and clients can keep up to 90% of their profits – that’s one of the top allocation offerings worldwide, from an award-winning globally recognised, respected, and trusted broker.

By joining Axi you don’t need to pay a registration fee. Yes, you need to fund your trading account, but that money is yours to withdraw at any time and any profits you make on your funded account, you keep in addition to funds allocated by Axi.

“We believe passionately that Axi Select is the best allocation programme globally” said Rajesh Yohannan, Group CEO of Axi.

“By using a live trading account, with real money and the emotions that accompany this, we believe you are more likely to be profitable longer term and make money from your own live account as well as the funded proportion. Our Axi Select account has all the controls we offer to our live account holders globally. This includes access to our award-winning fast, transparent, and fair-trade execution.”

He added “If you are a talented trader and are looking for a legitimate funding programme which is designed to truly help you succeed and profit from the financial markets, and you want the stability of an account model which has been in market for 16 years, then Axi Select is the place for you to find your Edge.”

About Axi Select*

Axi Select* is a unique capital allocation programme that was specifically designed to help you succeed as a professional trader. Axi Select* offers a generous funding of up to $1 million USD as part of a structured and fair pathway to help you meet your long-term and most ambitious trading aspirations. Solidify your trading skills, knowledge and understanding of the markets and embark on your biggest trading journey ever with Axi through Axi Select.

Why Axi Select*?

100% Free to join – No registration fees
Earn 90% of profits on $1,000,000 USD of our funds
Unrestrictive trading conditions & a structured pathway that provides a fair & real opportunity for traders to become professional traders
Trading score (Edge score) to assess & assist with trading performance
Dashboard with analytics, advanced stats, and a leader board
Exclusive online trading room with live analysis and learning videos from professional traders. Ability to interact with fellow traders and share analysis/trading ideas.
Trustworthy broker with over 35+ industry awards.

Axi

How is Axi Select* different from other programmes?

Programme	Axi Select	Industry Standard
Registration fee	No	Yes
Pass Evaluation	No	Yes
Restrictive Trading Conditions	No	Varies
Number of Attempts	3	1
Leverage	100:1	Varies, majority less than 100:1
Account Type	Real Trading Account	Demo
Additional Tools	Dashboard/Leaderboard, Edge Score, Trading Room	Varies

Learn more & switch to Axi Select: https://www.axi.com/select

* The Axi Select programme is only available to clients of AxiTrader Limited. CFDs carry a high risk of investment loss. In our dealings with you, we will act as a principal counterparty to all of your positions. This content is not available for AU, NZ, EU, and UK residents. For more information, refer to our Terms of Service. Other fees and minimum deposit apply.

About Axi

Axi is a global online FX and CFD trading company, trusted by thousands of ambitious customers in 100+ countries around the world. We help all types of traders, trading businesses, banks and financial organizations find the edge they need to achieve their financial goals through informed transactions made on the world’s financial markets. Axi offers a wide range of assets including CFDs for several asset classes including Forex, Shares, Gold, Silver, Oil, Coffee, Indices, and other commodities.

At Axi, we are proud of our reputation as an honest, fair, and trusted broker. Our many awards and ‘Great’ Trustpilot reviews prove we have earned the confidence of customers who value our outstanding service, fast execution, secure payments, segregated funds, and easy withdrawals.

For further enquiries contact service@axi.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/4b7f4608-f090-471c-995d-de6c0f23438e

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 1000914826

February 21, 2024

Tumu College of Education matriculates

The Tumu College of Education in the Sissala East Municipality has enrolled a total of 255 students comprising 121 males and 134 females, to begin a four-year bachelor’s Degree programme.

Professor Abdul-Mumin Selanwiah Salifu, the Principal of the Tumu College of Education, administered the oath and advised the students to strive to achieve academic excellence, which could only be achieved through hard work, dedication, and self-discipline.

Professor Salifu noted that the selection process was very competitive, as over 1,500 qualified applicants selected the College as their first choice.

He said although the Collage received 1,734 applications from candidates as their first-choice school, only 1,567 met the minimum requirements.

‘For the second choice, we had 654 and the third choice was 786. In all, 3,174 applicants expressed interest to be admitted into the College,’ he said.

Prof. Salifu said the College currently runs two main academic programmes which were the Early Grade and Primary Grade options
.

Thus, of the students admitted this year, 116 were admitted into the Early Grade alternative while 139 would be in the Primary Grade option.

However, the College had now unofficially received the green light to run the Junior High School option and were hopeful that they would have students opting for that category in the next academic year when it was officially introduced, he said.

The Principal said the College was one of the six educational training institutions that were affiliated to the University for Development Studies (UDS), Tamale.

He said the College was previously affiliated to the University of Cape Coast until about four years ago when it signed an affiliation agreement with the UDS, which had since provided it with an oversight academic mentorship, to ensure a strict adherence to the quality standards in the preparation of the teacher trainees on the National Teacher Education Curriculum Framework and the National Teaching Standards.

Prof. Salifu entreated the matriculants to take solac
e and inspiration from the continuing students, to avoid any problems or repeating the mistakes of their seniors, to improve on the gains so far made.

He further advised them to make good use of the available resources including the library and internet service, to make their academic work easier.

The Four-Year B.Ed. Programme is designed to prepare new teachers to become effective, engaging, inspirational, and fully prepared to teach the basic school curriculum, to improve the learning outcomes and life chances of all learners as set out in the National Teacher’s Standard (NTS).

Prof. Salifu indicated one key component of the 4-Year B.Ed. programme, which was different from the Diploma Programme was the Supported Teaching in School (STS).

He said the STS which used to be known as ‘Teaching Practice,’ now started from the first year through to the fourth year, with different levels of emphasis.

‘We have always had only two batches on campus. The current system of having all batches on campus at the same
time and this is likely to overstretch our few facilities at a stretch,’ the principal said.

He appealed to the government for assistance to expand its students’ hostel facilities to cater for the rising numbers, especially ladies, and further enhance its lecture halls.

Whilst acknowledging government’s efforts at supporting the Colleges of Education to attain their tertiary status, he appealed for an increase in the Book and Research allowance for their teachers to the equivalence of their colleagues in the public Universities.

He reminded the students that they were to take full responsibility for their actions and inactions in the school.

Source: Ghana News Agency

February 21, 2024

Unchartered private universities will be shut down after August – GTEC

The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) has warned that all private universities that are not chartered or initiated processes to receive charter would be closed by August 31 this year.

Professor Ahmed Jinapor Abdulai, Acting Director-General of GTEC, said the decision was in line with the Education Regulatory Bodies Act, 2020 (Act 1023), aimed at ensuring standards and quality in Ghana’s tertiary education.

‘I call on all stakeholders within the private tertiary educational delivery sector required to charter to take this exercise seriously since non-adherent institutions will be forced to close by expiration of the window of application as captured in the law,’ he stated.

Prof. Abdulai was speaking at the opening session of the ninth Association of West African Universities (AWAU) Conference 2024 and the 11th Annual General Meeting ongoing at the University of Cape Coast (UCC).

The three-day conference is on the theme: ‘Promoting quality tertiary education in West Africa through collaboration, re
gional integration and technology.’

It has assembled top stakeholders in the tertiary education space including chancellors, vice-chancellors, registrars, and regulators from across Ghana, Nigeria, Benin, and other West African countries to dialogue on the best approaches to standardise and enhance quality education.

Prof. Abdulai noted that there were 310 tertiary education institutions captured in the Commission’s database of which 128 were private.

At the moment, he indicated the Commission had received 77 applications seeking to charter, with 43 institutions ready, and 21 others to be ready to charter in two years.

However, he said some of the institutions were in distress conditions and were recommended to shut down.

The Acting GTEC Director-General averred that quality in tertiary education delivery was a necessity which could best and easily be achieved by institutional collaborations, integration, and adoption of technology.

He commended the management of the various tertiary institutions in Gha
na for their adherence to accreditation which was a basic quality assurance in every institution.

‘We believe that foundational threshold for quality within tertiary education is whether an institution or programme qualifies for a certain status represented as accreditation,’ he said.

‘We believe collaboration, regional integration and technology can be properly situated within the spectrum of quality tertiary educational delivery when the minimum operational standard for delivery is in place,’ he added.

Professor Johnson Nyarko Boampong, the Vice Chancellor of UCC and Chairman of AWAU, challenged universities in the Sub-region to embrace technology in their quest to improve the quality of higher education in response to the demands of the 21st Century world.

‘The 21st Century is a technology-driven age, and the recent COVID-19 global pandemic has taught us an important lesson about how technology continues to shape educational outcomes both in conventional classroom settings and in the world of work,’ he
said.

knowing the relevant technologies to use has the potential to increase the quality of tertiary education, he emphasised, adding that this helped lecturers, researchers, and institutional leaders to make informed choices to bring about the required change in teaching, research, and community services.

Prof Boampong underscored the need for universities to strive to continuously improve the academic environment as well as their content to remain relevant in the ever-changing and competitive global space.

He said continuous professional learning was key to improving quality at all levels and urged institutions in West Africa to be intentional about their curriculum.

Source: Ghana News Agency

February 21, 2024

U.S Government holds maiden climate finance conference to unlock investment for climate action

The United States Government, through its USAID-supported Feed the Future activities, has held?its first-ever Climate Finance Conference in Ghana?to?unlock?investment?for?climate Action.?

The three-day conference seeks to share information on climate action, resources, best practices, and strategise on how to attract investment to help better manage climate risks and mitigate its effects.

The conference, themed: ‘Climate Finance in Ghana: Mobilising Resources for Adaptation and Mitigation’, assembled key stakeholders in the agriculture finance sector – government, private sector and development partners.

It was organised by Feed the Future Ghana?Mobilizing Finance in Agriculture (MFA) in collaboration with Feed the Future?Policy LINK?Activity, Africa Trade and Investment (ATI) and Market Systems Resilience (MSR).

Ms Kimberly Rosen, the USAID Ghana Mission Director, speaking at the opening, said the agricultural sector faced worsening impacts of climate change in the area of increased temperatures, changin
g precipitation patterns and rising frequency of extreme weather events.?

The impacts, she noted, decreased the yields of farmers who depended on rain-fed farming and by extension had consequences on the country’s economy, food security, jobs, and livelihoods.

?Ms Rosen said part of the challenge could be addressed through the adoption of an integrated approach to climate finance and action on agriculture.

?’There are major barriers to directing climate finance towards building resilience in agriculture, from difficulties in designing bankable projects to challenges for smallholder farmers in accessing finance. Investments are not flowing at the pace and scale needed,’ she said.

?’Ghana economy relies heavily on agriculture, but it is vulnerable to climate change. Building resilience is crucial for food security, poverty reduction, and economic growth, especially for the country’s growing population.’?

The USAID, through its activities including ATI and MFA, is working to address credit constraints and c
limate change in Ghana’s agriculture sector.

Ms Stella Williams, the Coordinating Director of the Ministry of Finance, commended the U.S government for its support and said there was a huge opportunity for market-based interventions and international investments.?

?She said the Country’s finance needs were vast and that mobilising additional resources was imperative to achieve both climate goal and broader development objectives.

?Dr Victor Antwi, Chief of Party of MFA, was at hand to provide technical assistance to entities seeking finance for climate action to prepare and present viable projects to investors.?

?He said the U.S government through USAID and the MFA Activity had facilitated access to between $234.44 million to 50,137 by agribusinesses and farmers.

?Dr Antwi said 61 per cent were women-owned enterprises in the maize, soy, groundnut, cowpea, cashew, mango, and shea value chains over the past three years.?

?The three-day conference will feature a plenary on the climate financing landscape,
a Master Class session, panel discussions on climate smart financing opportunities and design of interventions by government and development partners.?

Business-to-Business meetings will also be held to connect businesses, transaction advisors, financing institutions, investors, and development partners seeking to access finance to implement interventions to mitigate climate change impacts and build economic resilience.?

It will close with an Action Plan for climate-smart interventions in Ghana to be implemented in collaboration with government, the private sector and development partners.?

Source: Ghana News Agency

February 21, 2024

Women inclined Network inaugurated to push rights of indigenous women, PWDs

A network of indigenous women has been inaugurated to empower and push the rights and holistic development of women, girls, and People with Disabilities (PwDs) in the country.

The Network for Women’s Rights and Environmental Governance (NEWREG) comprises 15-member women Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in Ashanti, Bono, Bono East, Ahafo and Eastern regions.

Besides promoting the well-being of indigenous women and girls, the organisation further sought to mitigate the impact of climate change and promote environmental sustainability in the five regions.

Members would also share experiences, promote mineral governance, and deliberate, identify and tackle challenges confronting the growth of their respective challenges as well as other problems inimical to the development of women, girls and PwDs.

The Sunyani-based Livelihood and Environment Ghana (LEG), an environmentally inclined NGO with support from the Global Green Grant Fund brought the women together to form the NEWREG.

Global Green Grant Fund i
s one of the leading organisations in the world supporting grassroots-led efforts to protect the planet and the rights of people, impacting millions of lives around the globe.

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Sunyani, on the sidelines of the inauguration of the network, Mr Richard Adjei-Poku, the Executive Director of LEG, highlighted the purpose of the network and asked the members to focus and strategize well to achieve their objectives.

He noted that the impact of climate change was well felt and had a direct link with women and girls, children and the PWDs, hence the need for the network to help intensify advocacy on national adaptation and mitigation measures.

Mr Adjei-Poku commended the Global Green Grant Fund for its continuous support to Ghana and expressed the hope that other development partners would assist the network in undertaking its activities to achieve desirable outcomes.

Ms Irene Owusu, the Convener of the Network, said the meeting would also enable the members to rev
iew and adopt a constitution.

She called on other NGOs and funding organisations to come to their aid and support their activities too.

Source: Ghana News Agency