Health Check: Mayne Pharma shareholders back $600m ‘phantom' takeover offer
Mayne investors today strongly endorsed Cosette's non-existent takeover offer
Audeara's improving sales are loud and clear
We ferret around for all the latest clinical trial news
Mayne Pharma (ASX:MYX) shareholders have overwhelmingly approved the company's $600 million takeover scheme of arrangement, even though suitor Cosette has terminated the deal.
At the Melbourne meeting, the company reported 699 proxy votes in favour of 98.57%, compared with four 'nays' accounting for 0.95%. Open proxies accounted for a further 0.47% or so.
The deal is a phantom one, in the sense that Cosette pulled out on the grounds that adverse material events had occurred.
Such a withdrawal is allowable under the scheme implementation deed (SID).
In a cross claim, Cosette alleges Mayne engaged in misleading or deceptive conduct.
Mayne disputes these allegations and says the SID – now glowingly endorsed by investors – remains valid.
The company has filed NSW Supreme Court proceedings to seek such a ruling.
Chairman Frank Condella told holders the SID was subject to a favorable court adjudication, 'in the absence of any other agreement being able to be reached with Cosette in relation to the dispute.'
He warned that if Mayne's legal quest fails, the company may be subject to 'financial detriment, including damages claims and/or costs orders and the payment of a break fee to Cosette ."
That said, Mayne directors believe that it's in the shareholders' best interest to pursue litigation.
Hear! Hear! Audeara in bullish trading update
The maker of own-brand and white label devices to assist hearing, Audeara (ASX:AUA) says it is poised for a record year on the back of sales orders from two key clients.
The company reported unaudited revenue for the year to June (eleven months) of $3.64 million, up 14% on the previous year and 25% higher than in the 2022-23 year.
Audeara's fortunes have been underpinned by the launch of Taiwan hearing device leader Clinico's co-branded sound buds, which imbed Audeara's 'secret sauce' tech.
This tie up resulted in an initial $570,000 order.
The company also received a follow-up order of $917,000 from 400-year-old musical instrument maker Avedis Zildjian.
Audeara also grew Australian wholesale sales by 16%, to $1.67 million.
Management expects additional growth in coming weeks, including sales to wholesalers, retailers and resellers.
We're 'earing different things about Cochlear
Still on hearing devices, broking analysts have offered different takes on Cochlear's (ASX:COH) prospects after the company last Thursday downgraded full-year earnings expectations by 2-5%.
And that's okay – it's a democracy after all.
The company said its moderated outlook resulted from slowing growth for both cochlear implants and sound processors in its developed markets.
Investors ponder to what degree Cochlear's new off-the-ear (OTE) Kanso 3 sound processor – and the next-gen implant Nucleus Nexa – will rev up sales.
UBS has upped its call on the stock from neutral to a buy, with a new price target of $325 compared with $285 previously.
The company believes Cochlear's new implants can boost its compound annual revenue growth by 10% over the next three year.
Over this period, the firm expects Nucleus Nexa to increase Cochlear's global implant share by 3%, to 63%.
Cochlear this month is launching the device in Europe and the Asia Pacific.
Maintaining a 'hold', Morgans lowers its 'target price' from $286.24 to $281.36.
'While new systems tend to precede re-rates, we remain cautious,' the firm says.
Morgans notes Nucleus Nexa 'appears more about refining the user experience as opposed to offering technological advancements as seen with prior implant iterations.'
Sounds like the Iphone phenomenon, in that the 'wow factor' is dulled with every new release.
Argenica pursues brain damage study
Today's clinical trial updates come courtesy of rats, mice and ferrets and we thank these rodents and weasels for their sacrifice.
In the case of Argenica Therapeutics (ASX:AGN), the brain and neurogenerative injuries specialist will forge head with a trial of its drug candidate ARG-007.
This is for the hard-to-treat traumatic brain injury (TBI).
This go-ahead follows a second preclinical study in a large cohort ferret. This showed ARG-007 resulted in 'significant long-lasting reduction in brain cell damage and inflammation following injury.'
This 14-day study extended an initial three-day pilot effort.
Aregenica says the ferret model 'closely resembles the gross anatomy of the human brain'.
Combined with previous rat studies and the pilot ferret trial, this provides a 'robust preclinical data package'.
TBI affects 69 million people globally annually, with no approved therapies.
The University of Adelaide carried out the study, partly funded by a federal grant.
The results should soothe investor disappointment over last week's setback, when the FDA placed a 'clinical hold' on Argenica's request to carry out a US ischaemic stroke trial.
However, the company says its local phase II trial, now at dosing stage, is unaffected.
Inoviq's (Exo) Ace trial news
Inoviq (ASX:IIQ) reports that in vitro lab work has shown that one of its drug candidates killed 88% of aggressive triple negative breast cancer and lung cancer cells.
The treatment deploys exosomes: tiny particles that deliver targeted therapies.
The story gets complex because Inoviq uses engineered immune cell particles called CAR-NK-EVs, overlaid with its special process called Exo-Ace.
The short explanation is the efforts could lead to an 'off the shelf' therapy that is faster, safer and more effective than traditional cell therapies (such as burgeoning CAR-T treatments that involve tricking up the T cells).
Inoviq now will test the treatment in mice.
It's very early days, but Inoviq shares this morning surged as much as 21%.
Lumos enrolls its 500th patient
Meanwhile, Lumos Diagnostics (ASX:LDX) has enrolled its 500 th patient in a study to clear its Febridx assay for US sale.
A point-of-care test, Febridx rapidly distinguishes between bacterial and viral infections.
The tricky bit is enrolling enough bacteria-positive patients and to date the company has corralled 78 of the requisite 120.
By reaching 500 patients, Lumos has pocketed a US$298,457 milestone payment from its partner, the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA).
BARDA hands over another US$746,143 when the trial enrols the last patients. Lumos doesn't specific a number, but expects the process to complete by the end of 2025.
Lumos is seeking so-called CLIA (Clinical Laboratory Improvements Amendment) waiver. This enables simple tests to be used by less trained staff such as nurses and receptionists.
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You should delete yourself from the internet: here's how
If you feel like most of the calls you're getting at the moment are from 'The Visa MasterCard fraud department' or you're getting bombarded by texts from Clive Palmer 's lackeys, then your data has probably been bought and sold. Your name, mobile number, email address and possibly even home address are likely showing up on the databases of data brokers, available to the highest bidder or, worse, anyone who knows where to look. In the best case scenario, this data is being used to try and sell you stuff, in the worst case scenario, it's being combined with other data for identity theft. The good news is that you can take some of the control back and remove yourself from many of these databases. Turns out it's not even that complicated if you're willing to dedicate a little time or money to the problem. The only issue is that it's going to be a Sisyphean task. Dr Arash Shanghagi, a Senior Lecturer in Cyber Security at the University of New South Wales says that while this process can seem like a hassle, it's necessary. 'People opt out of data broker databases to protect their privacy and reduce risks like identity theft, fraud, or aggressive marketing. Brokers collect and sell personal details. This can include names, addresses, phone numbers, and even financial data. Often without consent,' he said. 'This exposure can make you a target. Here's a familiar example: 'Hi Alice, this is Sarah from your energy provider. We've noticed unusual usage at your home on 10 Sydney Street. To secure your account, can you confirm your billing details?' It sounds legitimate because they know your name and address. But it's a scam. That kind of info is often bought from data brokers and used to trick people into giving up payment info or login credentials. By removing yourself from these databases, you're not just cleaning up your digital footprint. You're reducing attack surface. The goal is to reclaim control and make it harder for bad actors to exploit personal data.' If you want to get a sense of what data of yours is out there, there's a free tool from Google called 'Results About You' which will periodically scan the internet to see if your name, email address, phone number and/or home address has shown up in any of the data bases or 'people search' websites it checks. If data is found, you can start the process to request its removal. It's a very simple, low stakes tool. A Google spokesperson told that Results About You is just one of the tools Google makes available so people can take control of their privacy: 'We provide people with a range of tools to help safeguard their online information and mitigate the risk of identity theft. Beyond robust security features like Security Checkup, My Activity offers valuable insight into online activity, enabling people to investigate suspicious activity on their account. Google also actively sends notifications if it detects suspicious activity on your account to help you prevent unauthorised access and secure your information. Additionally, our 'Results about you' tool allows for the removal of personal contact information from Search, further enhancing privacy.' When I tried the Results About You tool, nothing came up for me, even though I know my data is out there, judging purely on the amount of spam and prank calls I get. While those free Google tools are a good place to start, they don't cover the full breadth of what's out there. Dr Shanghagi also says that it's worth being weary of data protection and privacy tools released by a company whose primary business is selling data. 'I think a healthy dose of scepticism is justified. Google's core business is built on data-driven advertising, so when they offer a tool like 'Results About You,' it's worth noting what it actually does – and doesn't do. It only removes your personal info from Google search results, not from the original data broker sites. It is a very narrow offering from a company that thrives on data. Use it, sure. But don't mistake it for real protection. Always pair it with more comprehensive tools and be mindful of how much data you're handing over to Google and other online services.' Step two: Use premium services to go even further Services like DeleteMe, PrivacyBee, Mozilla Monitor and Optery are set up to scan the internet and, depending on what account tier you pick, delete all your data on your behalf. Lawrence Gentilello, CEO and Founder of Optery told that when it comes to the databases of data brokers, his company understands the stakes. 'The personal information collected by data brokers is compiled into extremely detailed profiles. The information in these profiles can be used against people in harmful ways. It's both a privacy issue and a security issue. Most people don't want their private details made available publicly or for sale. The scale and granularity of data collection is beyond what most people would even imagine, sometimes including tens of thousands of sub-attributes and inferences about a person's behaviour, which may or may not be accurate. There is a widespread pattern of data brokers failing to adequately vet their customers, some of whom are malicious actors. Millions of dollars have been stolen from vulnerable consumers using brokered data.' 'Data brokers get hacked, and when they do, the personal profiles they've compiled are often sold by cybercriminals on the dark web. Data broker profiles enable phishing attacks, voice and messaging scams, identity theft, and fraud. They also pose a physical danger by enabling doxing, stalking, harassment, and violence. And so personal data removal is important for both digital and physical security. People in high-profile or high-risk roles — such as executives, journalists, law enforcement, and judges — use personal data removal to prevent malicious actors from showing up at their homes.' The data that services like Optery uncover and delete goes deeper than just your name and addresses, but things like your real time location, your favourite order at that place you have a loyalty card with, political preference, mental health status, device usage, and religion. Gentilello told us 'This data is packaged and sold to marketers, political groups, law enforcement, private investigators, and virtually anyone through subscription-based platforms. The datasets include inferred characteristics, life events, spending habits, and real-time or historical geolocation data.' 'Some brokers openly advertise data on US government employees, military personnel, students, elderly Americans, and even people with Alzheimer's or cancer. This kind of profiling is used for targeted advertising, lead generation, and identity verification, but it can just as easily be used for scams, discrimination, or surveillance. Malicious actors can buy pre-packaged datasets to identify and exploit vulnerable populations. Companies may also use this data to make decisions about you — whether you qualify for a loan, get hired, or receive certain services — without you ever knowing it.' With Optery, you can sign up for free, get a report on what private data more than 645 websites have on you. You can then manually remove yourself from these databases for free, or you can subscribe to various tiers to have Optery opt out of these databases for you. Because most of these services are US-based, most of their targets are also American, but the local options appear to be limited and this is better than nothing. Step three: The nuclear option Fully deleting yourself from the entire internet is likely an impossible task, but if you want to keep going after deleting yourself from these data broker sites, there are a few things you can do: Delete your account from any social media websites you're a part of. Some will allow you to just scrub your account from the settings, while others will require you use third party tools to delete your posts, and then you have to contact the service directly to request they delete your account, this doesn't guarantee that the company won't keep their data on you, but it will usually mean it stops being public (though it won't delete it from any internet archives that may have archived). Delete your accounts in any apps that you've made accounts. This might also involve contacting the company to request your data is deleted. Then, once you've deleted the account, delete the app and all its data from your phone. Once you've deleted any public profiles or accounts of yourself from the original sites, if you want to go really scorched Earth, you can then contact The Internet Archive to delete any archives of your data by emailing info@ To then stay off the radar without completely withdrawing from society, you can use a few different tools when looking at buying devices or using apps. First, consult Mozilla's Privacy Not Included database to gauge the creepiness level of the device or service you're looking for to see if there's one whose policies you're comfortable with. Another great tool is the Terms of Service: Didn't Read website, which sums up terms of service documents so you can understand what you're agreeing to without wading through all the legalese. Alternative step three: the more alert but not alarmed option Dr Shanghagi also recommends the following habits as a middle ground if you don't want to delete yourself completely: • Use privacy-first tools: Browsers like Brave or Firefox, along with ad blockers, can cut down on invisible tracking and surveillance. • Use alias emails and phone numbers: Services like Firefox Relay or SimpleLogin let you mask your real contact info when signing up for things online. • Create a 'privacy-first' identity: For newsletters, online stores, or giveaways, use a separate email and minimal real info. Keep your primary identity for essentials only. • Be mindful on social media: Oversharing is a goldmine for data brokers. Share less, and when in doubt, leave it out. • Avoid 'Sign in with Google' or Facebook logins: They may save time, but they link your activity across platforms. 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