Latest news with #MSE


Daily Mirror
21 hours ago
- Business
- Daily Mirror
Martin Lewis shares 'key message' after major Winter Fuel Payment U-turn update
Martin Lewis shares a "key message" after Chancellor Rachel Reeves confirmed yesterday that Winter Fuel Payments will be extended to more pensioners this winter. Speaking at an event in Rochdale, Greater Manchester yesterday, Reeves told reporters that "more people will get Winter Fuel Payment this winter", adding that further details will be announced "as soon as we possibly can". She said: "People should be in no doubt that the means test will increase and more people will get Winter Fuel Payment this winter." The Money Saving Expert (MSE) website founder took to social media after the news broke, and posted a video with his "instant" response. He opened by saying he was "delighted" by the news, adding that the government was set to increase the level of means-test for the up to £300 winter support payment. He then said it was worth "explaining" the two issues he had always had with the way that the Winter Fuel Payment means-test had been put in place. He explained: "The first one is the level. Currently, for a single pensioner, only those earning under £11,800 a year get the £200 or £300 winter fuel help. Now with energy bills still high and other energy bill help being taken away, that really was a big hit to the pensioners who were just above that limit. "I'm hoping to see this limit increase from the current £11,800 up to £20,000 or more. Perhaps they might only do it and link it to higher-rate taxpayers. Martin then said the other question - which was one of the "main reasons" he wanted to publish a video response - was about the "method of means-testing." He added: "The means test that they linked Winter Fuel payment to was Pension Credit. Now, Pension Credit has long been a flawed benefit which has been critically underclaimed, and even now, after all the communication over Winter Fuel, there are still 700,000 eligible pensioners who should get Pension Credit and thus winter fuel payments who don't because they don't claim. "Often, it will be vulnerable people with onset dementia or people who just can't go through the complicated process, especially on forms, or the message hasn't been passed on to them as it's quite difficult to explain the level of income that you need to get it. "So let's just put that into perspective, 700,000 people who have a total income of under £11,800 a year are missing out on the Winter Fuel Payment, even though that's the level the government says they should get it. From universal credit to furlough, employment rights, travel updates and emergency financial aid - we've got all of the big financial stories you need to know about right now. Sign up to our Mirror Money newsletter here. "So my big message to the Chancellor is, don't just increase the threshold. You have to look at the means test mechanism to make sure that the most vulnerable pensioners in this country, if they have income below your threshold, actually get the Winter Fuel Payment. And my fingers are crossed they'll be listening." Last year, the Labour government means-tested the Winter Fuel Payment. This meant that only certain pensioners over the age of 66 would receive the money, rather than all pensioners. The move saw over nine million pensioners in the UK lose the extra cash last winter. Labour faced severe backlash at the time, which has continued to follow them. Legal challenges have been raised against the government for the move, with charities warning that it would push more older Brits into poverty. The axing of the benefit was also linked to the rise in Reform Councillors in the recent elections. The Chancellor said public finances are in a stronger position than they were last July - meaning thresholds can be raised. Reeves added that ministers had listened to concerns about the controversial decision.


Time of India
a day ago
- Business
- Time of India
MSE procurement targets surpassed in previous fiscal
New Delhi: Central ministries exceeded the target of buying goods and services from micro and small enterprises (MSEs) by over 94% in FY25. The ministries that had a minimum MSE procurement target of ₹100 crore bought goods and services worth ₹92,675 crore from these enterprises in the last fiscal, against a target of ₹47,676.88 crore, according to data from the MSME ministry 's Sambandh portal. These ministries had procured ₹73,800 crore worth of goods and services from MSEs in FY24. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Access all TV channels anywhere, anytime Techno Mag Learn More Undo The petroleum & natural gas ministry led the group in procurement value, followed by the defence ministry and the power ministry. However, the finance ministry, the health & family welfare ministry and the department of space fell short of their procurement targets by huge margins, achieving only 58%, 19.60% and 2.30%, respectively, of their procurement targets. The petroleum & natural gas ministry's procurement stood at ₹31,304 crore, the defence ministry's was at ₹13,039 crore and the power ministry procured ₹11,584 crore worth of goods and services from MSEs in last fiscal. Live Events In percentage terms, though, the shipping ministry was the top performer, exceeding its procurement target from MSEs by 300%. It was followed by the ministries of petroleum & natural gas and civil aviation, which exceeded their targets by 173% and 148%, respectively.


Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mirror
Martin Lewis' Council Tax warning for anyone who has moved house this year
Money-saving guru Martin Lewis has urged all Brits who have moved house in the last six months to check their Council Tax band - as hundred of thousands of households are thought to be overpaying Martin Lewis has urged Brits who have recently moved to make one Council Tax check that could be worth £1,000s. Earlier this year, more than 150 top-tier local authorities in England increased their Council Tax, with six areas given permission from the government to exceed the 4.99 per cent spike without triggering a local vote or referendum. The news came alongside multiple bill hikes - including soaring energy costs, higher road taxes, and even a more expensive TV Licence - in what was nationally dubbed as ' Awful April '. Used to fund services such as rubbish collection, roads, and street lighting - Council Tax is controversially based on the price your property would have sold for on the open market on April 1, 1991, in England, or 2003 in Wales. This means many Brits living in new build homes pay are on a higher tax band than those in million-pound houses that were built way before 1991. However, it is thought that hundreds of thousands of homes across England and Scotland are thought to be in the wrong Council Tax band altogether. "Moving or just moved house?" Martin Lewis wrote on X (formerly Twitter). "One of the most important things you should do is check whether you're in the right council tax band. You only have six months to make a formal challenge, after that it's much trickier." As Martin explains on his MSE website, the valuation of Council Tax bands was a rushed job - and in an attempt to band every house in time for the 1991 ruling, desperate officials asked estate agents to help. "They didn't have time to get the detailed information together, so [estate agents] set about doing it quickly by pairing up and driving down countless streets, allocating each property a band with just a glance," the money-saving expert wrote. "They became known as 'second-gear valuations' as they mostly never even stopped their cars, never mind got out of them." Get the best deals and tips from Mirror Money WHATSAPP GROUP: Get money news and top deals straight to your phone by joining our Money WhatsApp group here. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. If you've just moved house - it's worth checking to see whether you're in the right band. You can start off by finding out if you're in a band higher than your neighbours, or similar properties in your area using the Government's website. This is a good indicator as to whether you're being overcharged. But, it's important to understand that you can only ask to have your band revalued - and not just request if it can be lowered. This means you risk having your band (or your neighbour's band) increased - which has happened in the past. If you're still certain you're in a higher band than you should be, you can calculate how much your house was worth in 1991 (if it's old enough) for free on housing websites such as Zoopla and Rightmove. This mainly applies to those living in England as Wales revalued its properties much more recently. "In general you must've lived in the property for six months or less (it doesn't matter whether you own or rent, though if renting you should notify the landlord as a courtesy)," Martin added. "If you're able to challenge formally (also known as a 'proposal'), the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) must review your band. Although you don't have to officially provide evidence about nearby properties, we'd strongly suggest you don't skip that part.


Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mirror
Martin Lewis' MSE issues warning to parents over new monthly fee
HyperJar is listed as a top-pick prepaid card for under-18s by MSE, meaning it is popular with parents - but the consumer rights website has explained a new fee is kicking in from today Martin Lewis' team has issued a warning over a new fee associated with a popular prepaid debit card. Hyperjar is introducing a new £3 a month inactivity fee. The fee kicks in if you don't use your account within a 12-month period. HyperJar is listed as a top-pick prepaid card for under-18s by MSE - meaning it is popular with parents. MSE said: 'HyperJar is our top-pick prepaid card for under-18s as it doesn't have a monthly account fee and offers a good combination of features to help manage children's spending. 'If you haven't used your HyperJar account in a while, but want to keep it, you can avoid the fee by doing any of the following.' MSE says you can avoid the fee by sending money to, or receiving money from, another bank or HyperJar account, or moving money within your HyperJar account from one 'jar' to another. You can also buy something using your HyperJar card, or buy a "Cashback Voucher" or "HyperVoucher" through the HyperJar app. Finally, if you don't use your HyperJar account, you may want to close it instead. It comes after MSE issued a separate alert for tens of thousands of households who could be due up to £1,000 compensation after they were forced onto an energy prepayment meter. The energy regulator Ofgem has announced that £5.6million will be paid out by eight energy companies to 40,000 customers in total, following a review. The suppliers will also write off a further £13million of energy debt. The payments start at £40 or £60, rising to £250, £500 and £1,000. The eight energy firms that are issuing the payments are: Scottish Power, EDF, Octopus, Utility Warehouse, Good Energy, Tru Energy and Ecotricity. It comes after Ofgem launched an investigation into often vulnerable customers being switched to prepayment meters after they fell behind on bills between January 1, 2022 to January 31, 2023. Ofgem has said the compensation will be paid automatically into energy accounts and added that some customers will have already been contacted by their supplier. The energy firms at the centre of the investigation have already paid out £55million in financial support. It comes after new stricter rules on forced prepayment meter installations were introduced by Ofgem in 2023, following an investigation by The Times which revealed how debt collectors had forced their way into homes to install prepayment meters.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
PharmaMar presents at ASCO that the Zepzelca®(lurbinectedin) and atezolizumab (Tecentriq®) combination significantly improves survival as first-line maintenance therapy for extensive-stage small cell lung cancer
First-line maintenance combination therapy reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 46%, with a median overall survival of 13.2 months vs 10.6 months for atezolizumab alone from the point of randomization First Phase 3 study to demonstrate statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvements in both progression-free and overall survival in ES-SCLC first-line maintenance PharmaMar has submitted a Marketing Authorization Application (MAA) to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for lurbinectedin Results presented at the ASCO 2025 Annual Meeting and simultaneously published in The Lancet PharmaMar to host a webcast with Key Opinion Leaders on Thursday, June 12th, to review lurbinectedin data MADRID, June 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- PharmaMar (MSE: PHM) has announced positive results from the Phase 3 IMforte study of Zepzelca® (lurbinectedin) in combination with atezolizumab (Tecentriq®) as a first-line maintenance treatment for people with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC), following induction therapy with carboplatin, etoposide and atezolizumab. The study met both primary endpoints, demonstrating statistically significant improvements in progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) compared to atezolizumab alone. IMforte is the first global Phase 3 trial to demonstrate clinically meaningful PFS and OS benefits in the first-line maintenance setting for ES-SCLC and supports maintenance therapy with lurbinectedin plus atezolizumab as a new standard of care for patients. The data were presented today in an oral session at the 2025 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago and published simultaneously in The Lancet. Data from the trial served as the basis for the supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) submission to the FDA by Jazz Pharmaceuticals, as well as for the submission of a Marketing Authorisation Application (MAA) to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) by PharmaMar. Following induction therapy with carboplatin, etoposide and atezolizumab, patients who did not have disease progression were randomized to receive lurbinectedin plus atezolizumab or atezolizumab alone. From the point of randomization, the median PFS was 5.4 months for the lurbinectedin plus atezolizumab combination versus 2.1 months for atezolizumab alone (stratified HR = 0.54, 95% CI: 0.43–0.67; p < 0.0001), and median OS was 13.2 months versus 10.6 months (stratified hazard ratio [HR] = 0.73; 95% CI: 0.57–0.95; p = 0.0174). The combination reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 46% and the risk of death by 27% compared to atezolizumab alone. The lurbinectedin plus atezolizumab combination had no new or unexpected safety signals. "Small cell lung cancer is an aggressive and devastating disease; at the time of diagnosis, the large majority of patients have already progressed to extensive-stage disease and only one out of five survive longer than two years," said Luis Paz-Ares, M.D., Ph.D., head of medical oncology at the Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre in Madrid, Spain, and the IMforte trial principal investigator. "The IMforte results are very encouraging showing a potentially practice-changing option that could improve survival for patients with a very high unmet need." "Upon approval, patients will have access to lurbinectedin earlier in the treatment paradigm, where there's potential to increase duration of response in a broader patient population, delaying disease progression and extending survival," said Javier Jiménez Jiménez, Chief Medical Officer of PharmaMar. Each year, approximately 63,000 to 72,000 new cases of small cell lung cancer (SCLC) are reported in Europe. Most of these patients are diagnosed with extensive stage disease, which is aggressive and often difficult to treat, with poor prognosis.[i],[ii],[iii] Legal warning This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities, and shall not constitute an offer, solicitation or sale in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of that jurisdiction. Phase 3 IMforte Trial Results These primary results are from the global Phase 3 IMforte trial, which evaluated lurbinectedin plus atezolizumab as a first-line maintenance therapy in patients with ES-SCLC. 483 patients were randomized after completion of 4 cycles of induction therapy with atezolizumab plus carboplatin and etoposide. From the point of randomization, the median OS for the lurbinectedin plus atezolizumab regimen was 13.2 months versus 10.6 months for atezolizumab alone (stratified hazard ratio [HR] = 0.73; 95% CI: 0.57–0.95; p = 0.0174). From the point of randomization, the median PFS by independent assessment was 5.4 months versus 2.1 months, respectively (stratified HR = 0.54, 95% CI: 0.43–0.67; p < 0.0001). Treatment duration for patients in the lurbinectedin plus atezolizumab arm was twice as long as the atezolizumab arm, with a median maintenance treatment duration of 4.2 months versus 2.1 months, respectively. The lurbinectedin plus atezolizumab combination as maintenance therapy was generally well tolerated with no new safety signals identified. In the lurbinectedin plus atezolizumab and atezolizumab arms, respectively, treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) occurred in 83.5% versus 40.0% of patients, with Grade 3-4 TRAEs in 25.6% versus 5.8% and Grade 5 TRAEs in 0.8% (two patients with sepsis and febrile neutropenia) versus 0.4% (one patient with sepsis). AEs led to treatment discontinuation in 6.2% of patients in the lurbinectedin plus atezolizumab arm and 3.3% of patients in the atezolizumab arm. PharmaMar will host a Key Opinion Leader webcast on June 12nd to review lurbinectedin data. The webcast will include a discussion panel of Dr. Martin Wermke from TU Dresden and Dr. Nicolas Girard from Institut Curie. The webcast may be accessed from the Investors section at About the IMforte Phase 3 Trial IMforte (NCT05091567) is an ongoing Phase 3, randomized, multicenter maintenance trial evaluating the efficacy, safety and pharmacokinetic of lurbinectedin plus atezolizumab, compared with standard-of-care first-line maintenance with atezolizumab alone, in adults (≥18 years) with ES-SCLC, following induction therapy with carboplatin, etoposide and atezolizumab. The primary endpoints for this study are OS and IRF-assessed PFS in the maintenance phase. The trial consists of two phases: an induction phase and a maintenance phase. Participants were required to have an ongoing response or stable disease per the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) v1.1 after the induction phase of four cycles of carboplatin, etoposide, and atezolizumab to be considered for eligibility screening for the maintenance phase. Eligible participants were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to receive either lurbinectedin plus atezolizumab or atezolizumab in the maintenance phase. The trial is sponsored by Roche and co-funded by Jazz Pharmaceuticals. Additional information about the trial, including eligibility criteria and a list of clinical trial sites, can be found at: ( Identifier: NCT05091567). About PharmaMar PharmaMar is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the research and development of new oncology treatments, whose mission is to improve the healthcare outcomes of patients afflicted by serious diseases with our innovative medicines. The Company is inspired by the sea, driven by science, and motivated by patients with serious diseases to improve their lives by delivering novel medicines to them. PharmaMar intends to continue to be the world leader in marine medicinal discovery, development and innovation. PharmaMar has developed and now commercializes Yondelis® in Europe by itself, as well as Zepzelca® (lurbinectedin), in the US; and Aplidin® (plitidepsin), in Australia, with different partners. In addition, it has a pipeline of drug candidates and a robust R&D oncology program. PharmaMar has other clinical-stage programs under development for several types of solid cancers: lurbinectedin, ecubectedin, PM534 and PM54. Headquartered in Madrid (Spain), PharmaMar has subsidiaries in Germany, France, Italy, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland and The United States. PharmaMar also wholly owns Sylentis, a company dedicated to researching therapeutic applications of gene silencing (RNAi). To learn more about PharmaMar, please visit us at About Zepzelca® Zepzelca® (lurbinectedin), also known as PM1183, is an analog of the marine compound ET-736 isolated from the sea squirt Ecteinascidia turbinata in which a hydrogen atom has been replaced by a methoxy group. It is a selective inhibitor of the oncogenic transcription programs on which many tumors are particularly dependent. Together with its effect on cancer cells, lurbinectedin inhibits oncogenic transcription in tumor-associated macrophages, downregulating the production of cytokines that are essential for the growth of the tumor. Transcriptional addiction is an acknowledged target in those diseases, many of them lacking other actionable targets. [i] Cancer today. (s. f.). Alvarado-Lunda G, Morales-Espinosa D. Treatment for small cell lung cancer, where are we now? – A review. Transl Lung Cancer Res. 2016;5(1):26-38.[iii] SEER Explorer Lung and Bronchus Cancer, Recent Trends in SEER Incidence Rates, 2000-2016, by Age, Updated June 27, 2024. Accessed October 10, 2024. Photo - - View original content to download multimedia: Sign in to access your portfolio