Mainaklot: January 2024

Wednesday, January 31, 2024

Novo Nordisk says Wegovy is more available after supply boost - NBC News

Novo Nordisk said Wednesday that it has increased the supply of the lowest dose of its blockbuster weight loss drug Wegovy, which it says will allow more people in the U.S. to start taking the drug.

Last May, overwhelming demand for the drug led Novo Nordisk to restrict the supply of the lowest dose of Wegovy, also called the starter dose, in order to avoid shortages of higher doses.

Because the medication can come with gastrointestinal side effects, such as nausea and vomiting, doctors often start new patients on the lowest dose and then gradually increase the dosage over several weeks.

Novo Nordisk's supply restrictions — an attempt to keep enough supply available for people already on the weight loss drug — meant that many new patients were unable to start treatment.

What’s more, some people who wanted Wegovy were instead prescribed Ozempic off-label for weight loss, leaving people with diabetes unable to get their medication. (Ozempic, also from Novo Nordisk, is approved for diabetes and shares the same active ingredient as Wegovy, called semagluatide.)

Novo Nordisk made the announcement during a call with reporters discussing its 2023 financial results.

It also said insurance coverage of the weight loss drug continues to improve.

About 50 million people in the U.S. with obesity should be able to get coverage for Wegovy, according to the company.

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Novo Nordisk says Wegovy is more available after supply boost - NBC News
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Tuesday, January 30, 2024

Horvat 'everything and more' for Islanders 1 year after trade from Canucks - NHL.com

Oh yes, Horvat had been selected to represent the Canucks in the 2023 NHL Honda All-Star Game, just to add to the craziness. He still played for the Pacific Division but represented the Islanders in the game.

His introduction to the Islanders was meeting the media for All-Star festivities in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Feb. 2. Brock Nelson, representing New York that weekend, was one of the first to meet Horvat.

"(Islanders vice president of communications) Kimber Auerbach was there with us, and he breaks the news and shares the info," Nelson said. "They started asking questions right away about New York, so I just tried to help him in any way.

"I got to hang out with him one or two days there. There was a lot of chaos, a lot of family but it was nice to meet him and the kids, see them and help them in any way, whether it was trying to find different things on the Island or contacts they needed."

One day after the All-Star Game, Horvat signed an eight-year contract with the Islanders. Even with that, Horvat said it took to "just this past training camp" to feel truly at home on and off the ice.

"As soon as the season starts, you have a month under your belt, kids are getting to school, we're getting into a routine and stuff like that," he said. "That made it way easier and just kept getting better and better from there on out."

Horvat returned to Vancouver on Nov. 15 for the first time since the trade, when the Canucks defeated the Islanders 4-3 in overtime at Rogers Arena. He scored a goal and was reduced to tears during a video tribute to him.

"It didn't feel real, to be honest with you," Horvat said. "It felt weird and yeah, just so many memories there and obviously started my career there, spent 9 1/2 years there. It felt weird to be on the opposite end of the rink, but it was cool. A warm welcome from everybody and it was really cool to be a part of."

The weird and surreal times and adjustments are behind Horvat. New York is home, he's thriving on the ice and life is great.

"You feel comfortable," Horvat said, "way more comfortable with the guys in the room, even more comfortable knowing you're going to be here for a long period of time where last year it was like, what's going to happen? Where are we going to go? Are we going to get traded? Are they going to offer me something?"

"It was a stressful year, but to know you're in one place for a while, it's definitely good for family stability and myself. Definitely feels good."

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Horvat 'everything and more' for Islanders 1 year after trade from Canucks - NHL.com
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Monday, January 29, 2024

Six ServiceOntario outlets to move into Staples on Feb. 1, three more later this year - Global News

The Ontario government has announced six ServiceOntario locations will be moving into Staples Canada retail stores starting Thursday.

Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery Todd McCarthy made the announcement Monday morning in Oakville, Ont. He also said three more SeviceOntario centres will open later this year inside Staples, totalling nine locations.

Here is where the ServiceOntario centres will be operating inside of Staples locations in Ontario:

Oakville at 2460 Winston Churchill Blvd.
Newmarket at 17810 Yonge St.
Toronto (Scarborough) at 1980 Eglinton Ave. E.
Strathroy at 425 Caradoc St. S.
Tillsonburg in Tillsonburg Town Centre at 200 Broadway St.
Welland in Seaway Mall at 800 Niagara St.

The other three locations will be in Hamilton, Keswick and in Toronto’s Leaside neighbourhood.

“Staples Canada is a fantastic fit into our retail partnership model,” McCarthy said. “This is not new. … For the past fifteen years, ServiceOntario has worked with Canadian Tire, IDA, and Home Hardware as retail partners.”

McCarthy said by allowing ServiceOntario to operate inside of Staples there are benefits such as being in areas with more parking, access the transit and extended hours. He said some locations will be open as late as 9 p.m. on weekdays and all day on Saturdays until 5 p.m.

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The government said the Staples Canada model is projected to save around $1 million over the three-year pilot in operating costs. After being pressed by multiple reporters, McCarthy would not reveal exactly how much the entire move to also retrofit the new ServiceOntario locations would cost taxpayers and has not released the business case.

Click to play video: 'Service Ontario-Staples deal projected to save around $1M over 3 years: McCarthy'

1:33 Service Ontario-Staples deal projected to save around $1M over 3 years: McCarthy

“Ministry officials looked at the expiring contracts,” McCarthy said. “They could see that over the next three years there was going to be over $11 million in operating costs. Those operating costs with these pilot projects are now being reduced to about $10 million.”

“And that’s including the capital costs for the retrofit investment that’s always borne by the government. So that savings is $1 million over three years, and that’s because of the leasing cost savings in this particular pilot project.”

McCarthy said the move is “an investment” to create better customer service for Ontarians and that it’s not a one-size fits all solution for all ServiceOntario locations.

More heavy rain swamps B.C.'s South Coast with arrival of latest atmospheric river - The Globe and Mail

Another torrent of heavy rain is expected across British Columbia’s South Coast as the latest atmospheric river brings warm air that’s also raising the avalanche risk.

Alyssa Charbonneau, a meteorologist with Environment Canada, says the heaviest downpours are expected over Howe Sound and the Sea to Sky area, although the whole region will see more rain in coming days.

The weather office is maintaining a rainfall warning that covers Squamish, Whistler and other communities near Howe Sound, saying another 60 to100 millimetres is forecast before the rain eases to light showers Tuesday morning.

There may be some breaks in the heaviest rain, but Charbonneau says it’s a “cumulative event” and concerns about flooding stem from its long duration.

She says the systems are also carrying warm air that’s pushing up freezing levels, and the Avalanche Canada map shows danger ratings are high in many areas.

The danger is ranked at “high” in the south Chilcotin and Pacific mountain ranges, including Whistler and Pemberton, as well as northwestern B.C., and along the boundary with Alberta, stretching as far west as Nelson and Castlegar, B.C.

The forecaster says heavy rain soaks the snow, creating dangerous avalanche conditions, and travel into alpine areas is not recommended.

The avalanche danger is classified as “considerable” in mountains throughout the Fraser Valley and parts of the central Interior, while it’s ranked at “moderate” along the North Shore mountains, the Sunshine Coast and parts of Vancouver Island.

The forecaster’s map indicates the risk is expected to ease somewhat by Tuesday.

B.C.’s River Forecast Centre is meanwhile maintaining flood watches for all of Vancouver Island and the South Coast, including parts of the Fraser Valley, while lower-level streamflow advisories are in effect for the Central and North coasts.

A bulletin from the centre says a series of “potent” storms has delivered between 50 and 200 mm of rain through most of the region since Friday.

River levels are expected to peak in most areas on Monday and Tuesday.

The centre had issued a flood warning for the Sumas River as the nearby Nooksack River in Washington state swelled over its banks, but the forecaster downgraded the warning later on Sunday, saying water levels across the border were receding.

Charbonneau says the rain is expected to persist until some time in the middle of the week, perhaps Wednesday night, before easing up.

“We do see things cooling down toward seasonal, and it does look like we’re going to have a stretch of dry weather through the weekend,” she says.

Still, she cautions, the longer-term forecast for B.C.’s South Coast should be taken “with a grain of salt” at this time of year because it can change quickly.

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More heavy rain swamps B.C.'s South Coast with arrival of latest atmospheric river - The Globe and Mail
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More than 100,000 trees to be planted in Devon to boost Celtic rainforest - The Guardian

More than 100,000 trees are being planted in north Devon as part of efforts to boost temperate or Celtic rainforests, some of the UK’s most magical but endangered environments.

The trees are being planted close to surviving pockets of rainforest at two spots close to the coast and one inland.

Among the trees that will be planted is the almost-extinct Devon whitebeam, which is only found in the English West Country and in Ireland. It can reproduce without fertilisation, creating seeds that are genetic copies of itself. Its edible fruit used to be sold at Devon markets as “sorb apples” – celebrated in the DH Lawrence poem Medlars and Sorb-Apples (“I love you, rotten,/Delicious rottenness.”)

Helped by volunteers, schoolchildren and community groups, the National Trust is hoping to establish 50 hectares (123 acres) of new rainforest across three sites. About 38,000 trees will be planted near the sea on Exmoor, 20,000 at Woolacombe and Hartland, and 50,000 inland at Arlington Court, near Barnstaple.

Snowdonia’s Celtic rainforest, with bare trees, rare mosses, liverworts, and lichens

Temperate rainforests, also known as Atlantic rainforests, are characterised by their damp conditions, making them the perfect home for a unique variety of rare ferns, mosses, liverworts, lichens and wildlife including pine martens, pied flycatchers and stoats.

Over the centuries, the temperate rainforest, which used to run the length of the western seaboard of the UK, has deteriorated largely due to air pollution, invasive species, diseases such as ash dieback and general lack of care.

John Deakin, the head of trees and woodlands at the National Trust, said: “All that’s left are fragments, covering only 1% of Britain and limited to small patches in Devon, Cornwall, north and west Wales, Cumbria, the west of Scotland and parts of Northern Ireland.

“As a result, the rare specialist plants that depend on this habitat desperately cling to the remaining fragments for survival, with some of the woodlands we care for in north Devon containing nearly the entire global population of some of these species, such as the Devon whitebeam. Without urgent action, these unique plants could soon be facing extinction.

“We are working on expansion, rather than just preservation. This is important because the conditions many of these rare plants thrive in are not necessarily conducive to disturbance, which makes regeneration tricky. But, by planting on the edges of these existing woodlands, we can ease the pressure caused to the existing delicate vegetation and instead help the woodlands evolve outward.”

Bryony Wilde, project manager at Arlington Court, said: “Through this tree planting, we’re helping to create a living landscape where both nature and people can thrive. These trees will not only provide a habitat for wildlife but also fix carbon into the soil, purify air and water, and provide a place for people to enjoy.”

Devon is a good place to experience a temperate rainforest, with places like Wistman’s Wood on Dartmoor, an upland oakwood, cherished for its flora and enchanting feel.

Last year, Devon Wildlife Trust announced t it was planting a temperate rainforest in the south of the county, on the slopes above the River Dart.

The plight of the temperate rainforest has been highlighted by the writer and environmentalist Guy Shrubsole, who has been leading a project to map the surviving fragments.

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More than 100,000 trees to be planted in Devon to boost Celtic rainforest - The Guardian
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What's behind the tech industry's mass layoffs in 2024? - NPR

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People walk past a Microsoft office in New York in 2016. Big Tech companies, like Google and Microsoft, and dozens of smaller startups have collectively shed more than 20,000 workers so far this year. Swayne B. Hall/AP

Swayne B. Hall/AP

Last year was, by all accounts, a bloodbath for the tech industry, with more than 260,000 jobs vanishing — the worst 12 months for Silicon Valley since the dot-com crash of the early 2000s.

Executives justified the mass layoffs by citing a pandemic hiring binge, high inflation and weak consumer demand.

Now in 2024, tech company workforces have largely returned to pre-pandemic levels, inflation is half of what it was this time last year and consumer confidence is rebounding.

Yet, in the first four weeks of this year, nearly 100 tech companies, including Meta, Amazon, Microsoft, Google, TikTok and Salesforce have collectively let go of about 25,000 employees, according to layoffs.fyi, which tracks the technology sector.

All of the major tech companies conducting another wave of layoffs this year are sitting atop mountains of cash and are wildly profitable, so the job-shedding is far from a matter of necessity or survival.

Then what is driving it?

"There is a herding effect in tech," said Jeff Shulman, a professor at the University of Washington's Foster School of Business, who follows the tech industry. "The layoffs seem to be helping their stock prices, so these companies see no reason to stop."

Some smaller tech startups are running out of cash and facing fundraising struggles with the era of easy money now over, which has prompted workforce reductions. But experts say for most large and publicly-traded tech firms, the layoff trend this month is aimed at satisfying investors.

Shulman adds: "They're getting away with it because everybody is doing it. And they're getting away with it because now it's the new normal," he said. "Workers are more comfortable with it, stock investors are appreciating it, and so I think we'll see it continue for some time."

Interest rates, sitting around 5.5%, have risen substantially from the near-zero rates of the pandemic. And some tech companies are reshuffling staff to prioritize new investments in generative AI. But experts say those factors do not sufficiently explain this month's layoff frenzy.

Whatever is fueling the workforce downsizing in tech, Wall Street has taken notice. The S&P 500 has notched multiple all-time records this month, led by the so-called Magnificent Seven technology stocks. Alphabet, Meta and Microsoft all set new records, with Microsoft's worth now exceeding $3 trillion.

And as Wall Street rallies on news of laid-off tech employees, more and more tech companies axe workers.

"You're seeing that these tech companies are almost being rewarded by Wall Street for their cost discipline, and that might be encouraging those companies, and other companies in tech, to cut costs and layoff staff," said Roger Lee, who runs the industry tracker layoffs.fyi.

Stanford business professor Jeffrey Pfeffer has called the phenomenon of companies in one industry mimicking each others' employee terminations "copycat layoffs." As he explained it: "Tech industry layoffs are basically an instance of social contagion, in which companies imitate what others are doing."

Layoffs, in other words, are contagious. Pfeffer, who is an expert on organizational behavior, says that when one major tech company downsizes staff, the board of a competing company may start to question why their executives are not doing the same.

If it appears as if an entire sector is experiencing a downward shift, Pfeffer argues, it takes the focus off of any single individual company — which provides cover for layoffs that are undertaken to make up for bad decisions that led to investments or strategies not paying off.

"It's kind of a self-fulfilling prophecy in some sense," said Shulman of the University of Washington. "They panicked and did the big layoffs last year, and the market reacted favorably, and now they continue to cut to weather a storm that hasn't fully come yet."

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What's behind the tech industry's mass layoffs in 2024? - NPR
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