Well done Dan McCrum

 This is a real coup: Dan McCrum will speak at the European Compliance & Ethics Conference (ECEC) organised by EQS Group AG on 6 October 2020. This investigative journalist from the Financial Times is a name on everyone's lips at the moment; through tireless research, McCrum uncovered accounting fraud at Wirecard in his article series "House of Wirecard". At this Europe-wide industry summit for the compliance community - the premiere of which is being held online due to the COVID 19 pandemic - McCrum will report how he unearthed one of the biggest business scandals in German history.

Dan McCrum has seen some stressful times in recent years. As early as 2014, he noticed discrepancies in Wirecard's balance sheet, but it took a long time before the full extent of the scandal came to light and the technology group's house of cards collapsed. During this time, the journalist and his colleagues from the Financial Times were exposed to many dirty opposition tricks. They were spied on, defamed as market manipulators and in the end even prosecuted.

Dan McCrum said: "I'm looking forward to sharing the incredible story of Wirecard, how after six years of reporting the Financial Times exposed a €20bn fraud with the help of whistleblowers, in the face of determined opposition and dirty tricks, and to talk about the lessons that can be learned from the scandal".

Marcus Sultzer, Chief Revenue Officer at EQS Group AG, said: "I am delighted that Dan McCrum has agreed to speak at our conference and I can promise all participants a highly interesting interview with extensive behind-the-scenes information. In our preliminary talks it has already become clear that Dan McCrum is not only an excellent investigative journalist but also a real expert in compliance. Using Wirecard as an example, he will again make it clear how important an efficient compliance management system is for identifying risks at an early stage and averting damage to one's own company".

Dan McCrum is one of more than 25 experts who in their virtual presentations at the ECEC 2020 will provide overviews of the issues currently affecting the European compliance industry. Seven local breakout sessions will also address country-specific issues from Germany, France, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. A further conference highlight will be the virtual presentation of the ECEC Award; this is where a European jury will honour an outstanding and innovative compliance project.

All information on the programme and how to register can be found at:  European Compliance & Ethics Conference . For those late deciders, there is still a limited number of free tickets available.
 

Press contact:

Marcus Sultzer

Member of the Management Board

E-Mail:  Marcus.sultzer@eqs.com

 

End of Media Release

 

Additional features:

File:  Dan McCrum speaks at the ECEC conference about the Wirecard scandal.

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COPD / A Personal Journey ............................................................................

Verona Pharma plc

Verona Pharma Announces Publication of Phase 2b COPD Symptom Data in the International Journal of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Publication highlights ensifentrine’s potential to provide rapid symptom relief

LONDON and RALEIGH, N.C., Sept. 16, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Verona Pharma plc (AIM: VRP) (Nasdaq: VRNA) (“Verona Pharma”), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on respiratory diseases, announces publication of a detailed analysis of symptom data from a previously reported Phase 2b clinical trial with nebulized ensifentrine as a maintenance treatment for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (“COPD”) in a leading peer reviewed journal for specialists and healthcare professionals, International Journal of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. The analyses demonstrate that ensifentrine meaningfully improved COPD symptoms in only 4 weeks, with the largest effect on breathlessness, across two different assessment tools, the E-RS™: COPD breathlessness subscale and the Transitional Dyspnea Index (TDI)*. Statistically significant and meaningful improvements in cough/sputum and chest symptoms were also observed, as well as improvements in health-related quality of life measured by SGRQ-C.

The paper is entitled "Symptom improvement following treatment with the inhaled dual phosphodiesterase 3 and 4 inhibitor ensifentrine in patients with moderate to severe COPD – a detailed analysis" and is available here.

Results from the 4-week 405-patient study, first reported in March 2018, demonstrated that ensifentrine met the primary endpoint producing clinically and statistically significant improvements in lung function at all doses. In addition, clinically relevant secondary endpoints were met including significant progressive improvements in COPD symptoms. Further information about this study can be found at www.clinicaltrials.gov, NCT03443414.

Ensifentrine is an inhaled, first-in-class, dual inhibitor of the enzymes phosphodiesterase 3 and 4 that combines bronchodilator and anti-inflammatory activities in one compound. In January 2020, Verona Pharma reported positive top-line results from a second 4-week 416-patient Phase 2b study, in which nebulized ensifentrine was added on to inhaled tiotropium (Spiriva^® Respimat^®) therapy, a long acting anti-muscarinic (“LAMA”) bronchodilator, in symptomatic COPD patients. Ensifentrine has been well tolerated in clinical trials involving more than 1,300 people to date.

Henrik Watz, M.D., Pulmonary Research Institute at Lung Clinic Grosshansdorf, Germany, and lead author on the paper commented: “The fast and meaningful effect of ensifentrine on COPD symptoms, particularly breathlessness, is very encouraging over this relatively short 4-week study. Ensifentrine’s anti-inflammatory activity may be responsible for this impact on symptoms, which adds to its potential as a novel COPD treatment.”