Latest news with #FORCE
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
New Ohio law aims to crack down on organized retail theft
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Individuals who are caught stealing from Ohio stores as part of an organized crime ring will now face increased penalties, thanks to a new law that went into effect this month. House Bill 336, named the Fight Organized Retail Crime and Empower Law Enforcement (FORCE) Act, created a felony offense of organized retail theft in Ohio. The crime involves people coordinating the theft of merchandise with the intent of reselling it or otherwise using it for financial gain. Watch a previous report on organized crime rings' effects on central Ohio in the video player above. Ohio Supreme Court reinstates law banning trans healthcare for minors 'Organized retail crime represents an economic challenge for Ohio, amounting to billions of dollars in losses,' said Rep. Haraz Ghanbari (R-75th District), the bill's sponsor, at an introductory hearing last year. 'The repercussions of such crime extend beyond financial losses. Increased criminal activity disrupts businesses and threatens the safety of consumers and employees alike.' The Ohio Council of Retail Merchants estimates that organized retail theft costs businesses in the state $2 billion to $3 billion annually. To offset the losses, some retailers may raise prices. The statute, which went into effect on April 9, classifies organized retail theft of a value less than $750,000 as a third-degree felony, a value between $750,000 and $1.5 million as a second-degree felony, and a value more than $1.5 million as a first-degree felony. When determining the retail value, the cost of all property stolen from one or more establishments by a person or group within any 12-month period may be considered. 'These criminals rely on safety in numbers, but it's a false sense of security,' said Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, whose office worked on the legislation. 'We now can charge them as a group, making it easier to convict and imprison thieves who target retailers as part of a crime ring.' The law established a task force under Yost's office to investigate retail theft across the state, assisting local law enforcement and prosecutors. In Ohio, any person making retail sales subject to sales tax must obtain a vendor's license, which has a fee of $25. The law raised that fee to $50 to help fund the task force. Ohio lawmakers seek to put an end to police quotas Throughout the legislation's hearings last year, multiple retailers, including Walgreens, Target, JCPenney, Walmart and Meijer, testified in support of the bill. 'Walgreens has experienced a significant increase in product loss in Ohio and across the country over the last several years,' Walgreens major crimes investigations manager Bryan Lindsay said. 'Organized Retail Crime not only results in substantial financial losses for businesses, but also jeopardizes the safety of employees and customers.' The statute also attempts to crack down on porch pirates by creating the offense of mail theft, which is generally a fifth-degree felony but can escalate to a first-degree felony depending on the value of the stolen mail. It additionally targets repeat theft offenders, setting a minimum fourth-degree felony charge for thefts committed by residents who have a felony theft conviction within the previous three years. Zachary Miller, with Ohio's Office of the Public Defender, was the only person to testify against the bill. He expressed concern about how the legislation may impact those who struggle with substance use and commit theft, but are not part of an organized crime ring. New development denied at site of Pickaway County farmland 'As the provider of legal representation for indigent Ohioans accused of a crime, we believe HB 366 will disproportionately impose unduly harsh sentences on those accused of low-level theft, especially those struggling with substance use disorders,' Miller said in December testimony. As of January, 28 states have established criminal laws focusing on organized retail crime or enhanced penalties for those who steal repeatedly for the purpose of reselling stolen goods, according to the National Retail Federation. HB 336 was introduced in December 2023 and signed by Gov. Mike DeWine in January. It passed the House 83-6 and the Senate 30-0. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Dyne Therapeutics Announces Chief Business Officer and Chief Scientific Officer Appointments
Vikram Ranade, PhD Ranjan Batra, PhD Oxana Beskrovnaya, PhD - Vikram Ranade, PhD, appointed as chief business officer - - Ranjan Batra, PhD, appointed as chief scientific officer - - Oxana Beskrovnaya, PhD, transitioning to chief innovation officer - WALTHAM, Mass., April 15, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Dyne Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: DYN), a clinical-stage company focused on advancing life-transforming therapeutics for people living with genetically driven neuromuscular diseases, today announced the appointments of Vikram (Vik) Ranade, PhD, as chief business officer (CBO) and Ranjan (Ron) Batra, PhD, as chief scientific officer (CSO) of Dyne. Dr. Ranade will lead business development, corporate strategy and strategic partnerships to support the company's late-stage clinical and commercialization plans. Dr. Batra will lead the company's research strategy, pipeline development and activities supporting clinical development. Effective April 28, 2025, Oxana Beskrovnaya, PhD, will transition from CSO to chief innovation officer (CIO) responsible for driving Dyne's comprehensive innovation strategy to maximize the value of its FORCE™ platform and further enable the company's long-term success. 'I am excited to welcome Vik and Ron to our leadership team. Vik's experience in business development and corporate strategy will be invaluable as we prepare for the potential launches of two medicines in 2027 in myotonic dystrophy type 1 and Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Our incoming CSO, Ron, will play a key role in advancing our pipeline and elucidating the power of the FORCE platform to deliver functional improvement in the clinic,' said John Cox, president and chief executive officer of Dyne. 'With the addition of Vik, Ron and our CFO, Erick Lucera, as well as Oxana in her new role as CIO, we are well positioned to drive the business, deliver therapies that bring functional improvement to patients and create significant shareholder value through our clinical programs, pipeline and unique platform.' Dr. Ranade joins Dyne, effective immediately, from Tessera Therapeutics, where he was senior vice president of corporate development, leading strategy and business development, and was member of the executive team. During more than five years at Tessera he also played a key role in equity financings totaling more than $600 million. Previously, he worked in McKinsey & Company's healthcare practice, advising biopharmaceutical and biotechnology companies on strategy, M&A and R&D. He led diligence on completed deals with an aggregate transaction value of more than $15 billion and advised on clinical strategy for more than 20 programs. Dr. Ranade also co-led McKinsey's Center for Asset Optimization, which focuses on clinical-stage asset development strategy. Dr. Ranade holds a PhD in Genetics and Development from Columbia University and a BS in biochemistry from Brandeis University, where he earned highest honors for his research on DNA damage repair pathways. 'I am thrilled to welcome Ron as our new scientific leader. He brings outstanding scientific expertise and the required peer network and passion to continue to expand Dyne's pipeline of potentially transformative therapies,' said Dr. Beskrovnaya. 'In my new role, I look forward to working with our strong leadership team and leveraging our world-class expertise in TfR1 delivery to pioneer and accelerate new therapeutic applications.' Dr. Batra joins Dyne, effective April 28, 2025, from Lexeo Therapeutics, where he was vice president of research and translation. A leading expert in RNA biology and therapeutics, he has developed cutting-edge treatments for genetic diseases. Previously, Dr. Batra served as a senior vice president of R&D at LocanaBio, advancing RNA-targeted therapies for rare disorders including Duchenne muscular dystrophy and myotonic dystrophy. Prior to LocanaBio, he worked at Verily Life Sciences and conducted pioneering research at UC San Diego and the University of Florida with more than 35 publications and patents. Dr. Batra earned a PhD in genetics from the University of Florida, where he studied RNA biology and gene therapy for neuromuscular diseases. About Dyne TherapeuticsDyne Therapeutics is discovering and advancing innovative life-transforming therapeutics for people living with genetically driven neuromuscular diseases. Leveraging the modularity of its FORCE™ platform, Dyne is developing targeted therapeutics that deliver to muscle and the central nervous system (CNS). Dyne has a broad pipeline for neuromuscular diseases, including clinical programs for myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) and Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and preclinical programs for facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) and Pompe disease. For more information, please visit and follow us on X, LinkedIn and Facebook. Forward-Looking StatementsThis press release contains forward-looking statements that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, contained in this press release, including statements regarding Dyne's strategy, future operations, prospects and plans, objectives of management, the potential of the FORCE platform, the potential of DYNE-101 and DYNE-251, and expectations regarding the timing of commercial launches constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The words 'anticipate,' 'believe,' 'continue,' 'could,' 'estimate,' 'expect,' 'intend,' 'may,' 'might,' 'objective,' 'ongoing,' 'plan,' 'predict,' 'project,' 'potential,' 'should,' or 'would,' or the negative of these terms, or other comparable terminology are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Dyne may not actually achieve the plans, intentions or expectations disclosed in these forward-looking statements, and you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Actual results or events could differ materially from the plans, intentions and expectations disclosed in these forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including: uncertainties inherent in the identification and development of product candidates, including the initiation and completion of preclinical studies and clinical trials; uncertainties as to the availability and timing of results from preclinical studies and clinical trials; the timing of and Dyne's ability to enroll patients in clinical trials; whether results from preclinical studies and data from clinical trials will be predictive of the final results of the clinical trials or other trials; whether data from clinical trials will support submission for regulatory approvals; uncertainties as to the FDA's and other regulatory authorities' interpretation of the data from Dyne's clinical trials and acceptance of Dyne's clinical programs and as to the regulatory approval process for Dyne's product candidates; whether Dyne's cash resources will be sufficient to fund its foreseeable and unforeseeable operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements; as well as the risks and uncertainties identified in Dyne's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including the Company's most recent Form 10-K and in subsequent filings Dyne may make with the SEC. In addition, the forward-looking statements included in this press release represent Dyne's views as of the date of this press release. Dyne anticipates that subsequent events and developments will cause its views to change. However, while Dyne may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, it specifically disclaims any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing Dyne's views as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release. Contacts: InvestorsMia Tobiasir@ Nartkersnartker@ Photos accompanying this announcement are available at: in to access your portfolio
