(ADXSD) Advaxis Updates Business Outlook for 2013

Advaxis, Inc. (OTCBB: ADXS and ADXSD) (the “Company”), a leader in developing the next generation of immunotherapies for cancer and infectious diseases, announced an updated business outlook for 2013, which includes the development of its clinical strategy to advance its lead product candidate, ADXS-HPV, to registrational trials. The Company has also generated additional encouraging data and continues to strengthen its financial position.

Thomas A. Moore, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Advaxis, stated, “Earlier in the year, Advaxis stated that it would provide periodic updates to its business outlook and announced two overarching objectives for 2013: one, to advance our lead product candidate, ADXS-HPV, toward a registration development program and, two, to continue to significantly strengthen our financial position. We have outlined the progress the Company has made on these two goals, as well as anticipated 2013 milestone events.”

Anticipated 2013 Milestone Events

• A determination with respect to the Company’s three applications for Orphan Drug Designations with the FDA for ADXS-HPV in three human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated indications: invasive cervical cancer, anal cancer, and head and neck cancer;
• Initiate dialogue with the FDA to discuss ADXS-HPV clinical development plans for the treatment of cervical cancer;
• Complete the elements required to file an Investigational New Drug (IND) application with the FDA for ADXS-PSA for the treatment of prostate cancer in the first half of 2014;
• Advance the canine osteosarcoma study into Phase 2 and expand to additional collaborative academic centers; and
• File an initial listing application for the NASDAQ Capital Market or NYSE AMEX.

2013 Clinical Program Update

• Final 12-month survival data from the Phase 2 cervical cancer trial announced at the 2013 ASCO Annual Meeting in Chicago in June;
• GOG 0265 safety run-in completed and study opened to the GOG group-wide;
• 16 patients enrolled in REALISTIC head and neck cancer trial;
• 3 patients enrolled and dosed in BrUOG 276 anal cancer study; and
• Third dose cohort underway in the canine osteosarcoma study.

Phase 2 Cervical Cancer Program

In June 2013, the Company submitted an Application for Orphan Drug Designation with the FDA Office of Orphan Products Development for ADXS-HPV for the treatment of human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated invasive cervical cancer.

In June 2013, the final 12-month survival and updated safety data from the ongoing Phase 2 study that is being conducted in India in 110 patients with recurrent cervical cancer were presented at the 2013 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting. Preliminary efficacy data continue to show apparent prolonged survival, durable complete and partial tumor reductions, as well as stable disease with ADXS-HPV alone or in combination with cisplatin. 41% (45/110) of patients experienced 104 mild-moderate Grade 1-2 adverse events. 2% (2/110) of patients experienced a Grade 3 serious adverse event, compared to a rate of 130% or more in published studies of active chemotherapy regimens in this disease setting.

The Company has made substantial progress in analyzing the Phase 2 data and is planning a study to determine the best dose and dosing regimen to enhance efficacy without compromising the encouraging preliminary safety profile already observed.

In July, the Company’s clinical team met with global thought leaders in cervical cancer and, under their advisement, are developing the regulatory strategy for the Phase 3 registration approval most clinically relevant to the use of ADXS-HPV and how it can best fit among the treatment options for women with cervical cancer.

The Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG) of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) continues to conduct a single arm Phase 2 study of ADXS-HPV in 67 patients with recurrent/refractory cervical cancer. As of July 2013, 10 patients have been enrolled in the safety run-in portion of the study.

Head and Neck Cancer Program

In June 2013, the Company submitted an Application for Orphan Drug Designation with the FDA Office of Orphan Products Development for ADXS-HPV for the treatment of human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated head and neck cancer.

Cancer Research UK (CRUK) is funding a Phase 1/2 to evaluate the use of ADXS-HPV for the treatment of 27 patients with HPV positive head and neck cancer. This trial is being conducted at the Aintree Hospital at the University of Liverpool, the Royal Marsden Hospital at the University of London, and the Cardiff Hospital at the University of Wales. As of July 2013, 16 patients have been enrolled in the study.

Anal Cancer Program

In June 2013, the Company submitted an Application for Orphan Drug Designation with the FDA Office of Orphan Products Development for ADXS-HPV for the treatment of human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated anal cancer.

The Brown University Oncology Group (BrUOG) is funding and coordinating a Phase 1/2 study of ADXS-HPV in 25 patients with HPV-associated anal cancer. The trial is being conducted at the Rhode Island Hospital and The Miriam Hospital (the main teaching hospitals of The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University). As of July 2013, 3 patients have been enrolled in the study. Multiple institutions will collaborate.

Prostate Cancer Program

The Company expects to file an IND with the FDA for ADXS-PSA in the treatment of prostate cancer in the first half of 2014. In June 2011, the Company conducted a pre-IND meeting with the FDA to discuss the CMC, pharmacology, toxicology, and clinical plans for ADXS-PSA. The required toxicology studies have been completed and data analyses are ongoing.

Canine Osteosarcoma Program

The Company recently announced preliminary data from a Phase 1/2 study that is being conducted at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine evaluating ADXS-cHER2 for the treatment of dogs with osteosarcoma. Canine osteosarcoma is a leading killer of large breed dogs that causes tumors to form on long leg bones. The standard of care (SOC) is immediate limb amputation followed by chemotherapy and sometimes radiation, however, the cancer typically metastasizes to the lungs, causing death in 6-12 months. In this trial, dogs that have undergone SOC for osteosarcoma, and over-express HER-2/neu in their tumors, are treated with ADXS-cHER2.

Updated preliminary data show a significant survival advantage for 9 dogs that received SOC plus ADXS-cHER2 compared to 11 dogs, whose owners elected not to participate in the trial, but who were followed for survival (p=0.04). At this point in the study, 8 of 9 dogs treated with ADXS-cHER2 are alive (mean survival undefined), compared with 5 of 11 dogs in the control group (mean survival 265 days).

Plans are to expand the study into Phase 2 and to open the study to additional collaborative academic centers.

Regulatory Outlook

The Company has assembled and met with an advisory board of key thought leaders in cervical cancer and is in the process of developing the regulatory strategy and Phase 3 clinical protocols necessary to support a request for an FDA meeting to discuss the clinical development plan for ADXS-HPV.

The Company is compiling the elements required to file an Investigational New Drug (IND) application with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for ADXS-PSA for the treatment of prostate cancer in the first half of 2014.

Corporate Development Update

In July 2013, David Sidransky, MD, was appointed to the Board of Directors of the Company. Dr. Sidransky has a very strong background in both the business and science of oncology, with a specialty in head and neck cancer. Dr. Sidransky is the Director of the Head and Neck Cancer Research Division and Professor of Oncology, Otolaryngology, Genetics, and Pathology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and has served on the board of directors and as an employee of numerous biotechnology companies.

Business Development Outlook

Advaxis has entered into several confidentiality agreements with biopharmaceutical companies for the license of ADXS-HPV in the U.S., Asia, and India. So far, these discussions have resulted in one memorandum of understanding and a proposed non-binding term sheet with major regional pharmaceutical companies for Asia and India. These preliminary terms establish the commercial parameters of a potential licensing deal. The Company plans to pursue these negotiations to closure in the coming months.

Advaxis has also entered into a confidentiality agreement with the animal health division of a major pharmaceutical company for the license of ADXS-cHER2. The Company plans to pursue discussions with the goal of entering into a licensing agreement. Discussions with other companies are ongoing.

Corporate Outlook

At the annual meeting of stockholders in June, stockholders approved the effect of a reverse stock split and a decrease in authorized shares of the Company at the discretion of the Board of Directors. In July, Advaxis executed the reverse stock split at a ratio of 1-for-125 and decreased the number of authorized shares from 1,000,000,000 to 25,000,000.

The Company intends to seek an uplisting to a national exchange in the near term. We have explained in our recent SEC filings why uplisting to a national market is important to our overall business strategy and financial viability. The Company strongly believes that the combination of completing the reverse stock split and the contemplated uplisting could heighten the interest of the financial community in Advaxis, as well as potentially broaden the pool of investors that may consider investing in the Company, while strengthening its financial health.

About Advaxis, Inc.

Advaxis is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing the next generation of immunotherapies for cancer and infectious diseases. Advaxis immunotherapies are based on a novel platform technology using live, attenuated bacteria that are bio-engineered to secrete an antigen/adjuvant fusion protein(s) that is designed to redirect the powerful immune response all human beings have to the bacterium to the cancer itself.

ADXS-HPV is currently being evaluated in four clinical trials for human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated cancers: recurrent/refractory cervical cancer (India), locally advanced cervical cancer (GOG/NCI U.S. study, Clinical Trials.gov Identifier NCT01266460), head & neck cancer (CRUK study, Clinical Trials.gov Identifier NCT01598792), and anal cancer (BrUOG study, Clinical Trials.gov Identifier NCT01671488). Advaxis has over 15 distinct immunotherapies in various stages of development, developed directly by Advaxis and through strategic collaborations with recognized centers of excellence such as: the National Cancer Institute, Cancer Research – UK, the Wistar Institute, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of British Columbia, the Karolinska Institutet, and others.

For more information please visit: www.advaxis.com

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to: statements as to the anticipated timing of clinical studies and other business developments, statements as to the development of new constructs, expectations as to the adequacy of our cash balances to support our operations for specified periods of time and as to the nature and level of cash expenditures, expectations as to market opportunities, our ability to take advantage of those opportunities, and the risk factors set forth from time to time in Advaxis’ SEC filings, including but not limited to its report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2012, which is available at www.sec.gov. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly release the result of any revision to these forward-looking statements which may be made to reflect the events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by law. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements.

(FFIV) Announces Third Quarter 2013 Results

F5 Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ: FFIV) today announced revenue of $370.3 million for the third quarter of fiscal 2013, up 6 percent from $350.2 million in the prior quarter and 5 percent from $352.6 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2012.

GAAP net income for the third quarter was $68.2 million ($0.86 per diluted share) compared to $63.4 million ($0.80 per diluted share) in the second quarter of 2013 and $72.3 million ($0.91 per diluted share) in the third quarter a year ago.

Excluding the impact of stock-based compensation and amortization of purchased intangible assets, non-GAAP net income for the third quarter was $88.4 million ($1.12 per diluted share), compared to $84.7 million ($1.07 per diluted share) in the prior quarter and $90.6 million ($1.14 per diluted share) in the third quarter of fiscal 2012.

A reconciliation of GAAP net income to non-GAAP net income is included on the attached Consolidated Statements of Operations.

“Results for the third quarter exceeded our expectations,” said John McAdam, F5 president and chief executive officer. “Strong sales in the Americas led to a 6 percent sequential increase in both product and overall revenue.

“Product sales during the quarter were driven by growing demand for our BIG-IP 4000 appliances and our new entry-level BIG-IP 2000 series. In late June, we released our new midrange BIG-IP 5000 and BIG-IP 7000 series appliances, and initial customer response has been very encouraging.

“The significant performance and scalability enhancements of the new appliances have helped drive growing sales of our security software, including our new Advanced Firewall Manager and our recently upgraded Application Security Manager and Access Policy Manager. Sales of our other software modules have also grown, and demand for our software-only virtual edition products has increased steadily. Along with major enhancements to TMOS, designed to strengthen our SDN integration and cloud scaling capabilities, we recently introduced new 5-gigabit versions of our virtual edition products which run on all major hypervisors including AWS,” McAdam said.

Positive customer response to the company’s new products has contributed to a strong and growing sales pipeline. In spite of ongoing weakness in the global economy, McAdam said he believes that demand for the new products in combination with other business drivers could be a significant catalyst for continued growth.

For the fourth quarter of fiscal 2013, ending September 30, the company has set a revenue target of $378 million to $388 million and a GAAP earnings target of $0.93 to $0.96 per diluted share. Management’s GAAP earnings target includes an anticipated charge of $2.5 million related to a loss on a facility sublease. Excluding this charge, as well as stock-based compensation expense and amortization of purchased intangible assets, the company’s non-GAAP earnings target is $1.17 to $1.20 per diluted share. A reconciliation of the company’s expected GAAP and non-GAAP earnings is provided in the following table:

About F5 Networks

F5 Networks (NASDAQ: FFIV) makes the connected world run better. F5 helps organizations meet the demands and embrace the opportunities that come with the relentless growth of voice, data, and video traffic, mobile workers, and applications—in the data center, the network, and the cloud. The world’s largest businesses, service providers, government entities, and consumer brands rely on F5’s intelligent services framework to deliver and protect their applications and services while ensuring people stay connected. Learn more at www.f5.com.

You can also follow @f5networks on Twitter or visit us on Facebook for more information about F5, its partners, and technology. For a complete listing of F5 community sites, please visit www.f5.com/news-press-events/web-media/community.html.

Forward Looking Statements

Statements in this press release concerning the continuing strength of F5’s business, sequential growth, the target revenue and earnings range, share amount and share price assumptions, demand for application delivery networking and storage virtualization products and other statements that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, as well as assumptions and other factors that, if they do not fully materialize or prove correct, could cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the company, or industry results, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: customer acceptance of our new traffic management, security, application delivery, WAN optimization and storage virtualization offerings; the timely development, introduction and acceptance of additional new products and features by F5 or its competitors; competitive pricing pressures; increased sales discounts; uncertain global economic conditions which may result in reduced customer demand for our products and services and changes in customer payment patterns; F5’s ability to sustain, develop and effectively utilize distribution relationships; F5’s ability to attract, train and retain qualified product development, marketing, sales, professional services and customer support personnel; F5’s ability to expand in international markets; the unpredictability of F5’s sales cycle; the share repurchase program; future prices of F5’s common stock; and other risks and uncertainties described more fully in our documents filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements in this press release are based on information available as of the date hereof and qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. F5 assumes no obligation to revise or update these forward-looking statements.

GAAP to non-GAAP Reconciliation

F5’s management evaluates and makes operating decisions using various operating measures. These measures are generally based on the revenues of its products, services operations and certain costs of those operations, such as cost of revenues, research and development, sales and marketing and general and administrative expenses. One such measure is net income excluding stock-based compensation, amortization of purchased intangible assets and acquisition-related charges, net of taxes, which is a non-GAAP financial measure under Section 101 of Regulation G under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. This measure consists of GAAP net income excluding, as applicable, stock-based compensation, amortization of purchased intangible assets and acquisition-related charges. This measure of non-GAAP net income is adjusted by the amount of additional taxes or tax benefit that the company would accrue if it used non-GAAP results instead of GAAP results to calculate the company’s tax liability. Stock-based compensation is a non-cash expense that F5 has accounted for since July 1, 2005 in accordance with the fair value recognition provisions of Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 718 Compensation—Stock Compensation (“FASB ASC Topic 718”). Amortization of intangible assets is a non-cash expense. Investors should note that the use of intangible assets contribute to revenues earned during the periods presented and will contribute to revenues in future periods. Acquisition-related expenses consist of professional services fees incurred in connection with acquisitions.

The reconciliation of the company’s expected GAAP and non-GAAP fourth quarter earnings also excludes an anticipated loss on a facility sublease from net income (non-GAAP). This loss will be incurred during the quarter ending September 30, 2013 in connection with the extension of certain subleases at the company’s corporate headquarters.

Management believes that non-GAAP net income per share provides useful supplemental information to management and investors regarding the performance of the company’s core business operations and facilitates comparisons to the company’s historical operating results. Although F5’s management finds this non-GAAP measure to be useful in evaluating the performance of the core business, management’s reliance on this measure is limited because items excluded from such measures could have a material effect on F5’s earnings and earnings per share calculated in accordance with GAAP. Therefore, F5’s management will use its non-GAAP earnings and earnings per share measures, in conjunction with GAAP earnings and earnings per share measures, to address these limitations when evaluating the performance of the company’s core business. Investors should consider these non-GAAP measures in addition to, and not as a substitute for, financial performance measures in accordance with GAAP.

F5 believes that presenting its non-GAAP measure of earnings and earnings per share provides investors with an additional tool for evaluating the performance of the company’s core business and which management uses in its own evaluation of the company’s performance. Investors are encouraged to look at GAAP results as the best measure of financial performance. However, while the GAAP results are more complete, the company provides investors this supplemental measure since, with reconciliation to GAAP, it may provide additional insight into the company’s operational performance and financial results.

For reconciliation of this non-GAAP financial measure to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure, please see the section in our Condensed Consolidated Statement of Operations entitled “GAAP to Non-GAAP Reconciliation.”

(INO) Potent hTERT DNA Cancer Vaccine Shows Potential

Mice and monkey study demonstrates robust and broad immune responses; T-cells 18-fold greater than next best peer technology induce tumor-killing function and increase rate of survival Results published in peer-reviewed Cancer Immunology Research

BLUE BELL, Pa., July 24, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NYSE MKT: INO) announced today that in a preclinical study with two animal models, Inovio’s hTERT (human telomerase reverse transcriptase) DNA cancer vaccine administered with Inovio’s CELLECTRA^® adaptive electroporation delivery technology generated robust and broad immune responses, broke the immune system’s tolerance to its self-antigens, induced T-cells with a tumor-killing function, and increased the rate of survival. Because high levels of hTERT expression are found in 85% of human cancers, regardless of type, Inovio’s cancer candidate holds the potential to perform as a “universal” cancer therapeutic based on these early but unprecedented results. Following this strong preclinical data, Inovio plans to advance its synthetic hTERT cancer vaccine, INO-1400, into clinical trials in 2014.

These results appear in the American Association for Cancer Research journal, Cancer Immunology Research, in a paper entitled: “Highly optimized DNA vaccine targeting human telomerase reverse transcriptase stimulates potent antitumor immunity,” authored by Inovio researchers and collaborators.

Dr. J. Joseph Kim, Inovio’s president and CEO, said: “Inovio has demonstrated in multiple published human studies that our synthetically optimized DNA vaccines delivered with our CELLECTRA delivery system generate best-in-class T-cell immune responses. Here we show that in monkeys our hTERT DNA cancer vaccine generated T-cell immune responses more than 18-fold higher than the previous best results of a peer’s hTERT therapeutic vaccine, which was also a DNA vaccine delivered with electroporation. We are particularly enthusiastic about our vaccine’s potential use as a “universal” cancer therapeutic, given that hTERT is present in the vast majority of cancer types yet rare in normal cells. We plan to develop INO-1400 to treat breast and lung cancers and then expand to other cancer types. This hTERT therapy adds to a growing Inovio oncology franchise spearheaded by our phase II candidate, VGX-3100 for treating HPV-related pre-cancers and cancers, as well as our near clinical INO-5150 to treat prostate cancer.”

Data from both murine and human systems over the past 10 years have demonstrated that TERT-specific cytotoxic T-lymphocytes (CTLs) can recognize and kill TERT-expressing tumor cells in multiple types of cancers. In fact, previous research has shown that breast cancer patients who mounted an hTERT-specific CTL response exhibited significantly longer rates of survival. However, the immune system’s tolerance of cancer cells and their associated antigens produced in the body, which exists to prevent autoimmune diseases, often restricts the immune system’s antitumor response. A major challenge for cancer vaccine development has been to develop approaches to break this tolerance in tumor-bearing hosts. Recent advances in our understanding of antigen presentation and tolerance have led Inovio to create this synthetic DNA vaccine targeting the hTERT antigen.

Inovio constructed a highly optimized synthetic DNA vaccine with multiple proprietary features. Using its novel consensus design approach, two differentiating mutations were incorporated in the vaccine sequence to assist T-cells to more readily recognize self-made hTERT antigens and kill the cancer cells to which these antigens are attached (i.e. break tolerance). In addition, Inovio’s use of a full length antigen DNA sequence encompasses multiple epitopes (parts of an antigen that are recognized by the immune system), potentially helping the immune system by providing multiple opportunities to overcome a tumor’s ability to evade recognition by T-cells.

In the study, Inovio researchers confirmed that vaccination with Inovio’s DNA vaccine delivered by adaptive electroporation induced hTERT-specific cellular immune responses with significantly greater T-cell magnitude compared to prior non-Inovio studies. Over four vaccinations there was a significant dose response, showing the value of multiple vaccinations to increase the immune response and highlighting the limitation of alternative technologies that are not amenable to multiple vaccinations such as viral vectors. Vaccination elicited multiple epitopes not only in mice, but also in monkeys, indicating a broad vaccine-induced immune response.

Study results showed that mice vaccinated with Inovio’s DNA cancer vaccine and then challenged with a cancerous tumor experienced delayed tumor growth and longer overall survival compared with non-vaccinated mice. Mice first challenged with a tumor and then treated with the hTERT DNA vaccine displayed killing activity of the targeted cancer cells expressing the hTERT antigen, with no killing of normal cells that did not express the hTERT antigen. The treated mice experienced significantly smaller tumors and also longer overall survival. Vaccinated animal results were compared to a control group of animals that did not receive Inovio’s DNA cancer vaccine.

In monkeys, whose TERT is 96% similar to human TERT and therefore a highly relevant model for immunotherapeutic vaccine development, the hTERT DNA vaccine elicited strong and broad TERT-specific immune responses and demonstrated the potential to eliminate tumor cells.

Overall, in these studies researchers observed that administration of a synthetic highly optimized hTERT DNA vaccine delivered with electroporation was capable of breaking immune tolerance, and eliciting robust and diverse antigen-specific CTLs, which are responsible for clearing cancerous cells, as well as a potent antitumor response. A favorable safety profile emerged from this study, showing that the vaccine-induced CTLs appeared not to be associated with any major toxicities or organ damage.

The expression of hTERT is thought to correlate with tumor survival and hTERT is associated with 85% of human tumors. Furthermore, there is growing recognition that it may be necessary to target stem cells that produce cancerous cells and recent studies have suggested that cancer stem or stem-like cells also express hTERT. These factors highlight the importance of an effective hTERT-targeting vaccine/immunotherapy and point to the potential benefit of Inovio’s novel cancer vaccine.

About Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Inovio is revolutionizing vaccines to prevent and treat today’s cancers and challenging infectious diseases. Its synthetic consensus design approach is intended to help the immune system identify and fight cancer cells or multiple unmatched strains of a mutating virus. These proprietary synthetic vaccines, in combination with Inovio’s electroporation delivery, have in humans generated best-in-class immune responses with a favorable safety profile. Inovio’s lead vaccine, a therapeutic against HPV-caused diseases, is in phase II. Other phase I and preclinical programs focus on HIV, influenza, malaria and hepatitis C virus. Partners and collaborators include the University of Pennsylvania, Merck, National Cancer Institute, U.S. Military HIV Research Program, NIH, HIV Vaccines Trial Network, University of Southampton, US Dept. of Homeland Security, University of Manitoba and PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative. More information is available at www.inovio.com.

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements relating to our business, including our plans to develop electroporation-based drug and gene delivery technologies and DNA vaccines and our capital resources. Actual events or results may differ from the expectations set forth herein as a result of a number of factors, including uncertainties inherent in pre-clinical studies, clinical trials and product development programs (including, but not limited to, the fact that pre-clinical and clinical results referenced in this release may not be indicative of results achievable in other trials or for other indications, that the studies or trials may not be successful or achieve the results desired, that pre-clinical studies and clinical trials may not commence or be completed in the time periods anticipated, that results from one study may not necessarily be reflected or supported by the results of other similar studies and that results from an animal study may not be indicative of results achievable in human studies), the availability of funding to support continuing research and studies in an effort to prove safety and efficacy of electroporation technology as a delivery mechanism or develop viable DNA vaccines, the adequacy of our capital resources, the availability or potential availability of alternative therapies or treatments for the conditions targeted by the company or its collaborators, including alternatives that may be more efficacious or cost-effective than any therapy or treatment that the company and its collaborators hope to develop, evaluation of potential opportunities, issues involving product liability, issues involving patents and whether they or licenses to them will provide the company with meaningful protection from others using the covered technologies, whether such proprietary rights are enforceable or defensible or infringe or allegedly infringe on rights of others or can withstand claims of invalidity and whether the company can finance or devote other significant resources that may be necessary to prosecute, protect or defend them, the level of corporate expenditures, assessments of the company’s technology by potential corporate or other partners or collaborators, capital market conditions, the impact of government healthcare proposals and other factors set forth in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2012, our Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2013, and other regulatory filings from time to time. There can be no assurance that any product in Inovio’s pipeline will be successfully developed or manufactured, that final results of clinical studies will be supportive of regulatory approvals required to market licensed products, or that any of the forward-looking information provided herein will be proven accurate.

CONTACTS:
Investors: Bernie Hertel, Inovio Pharmaceuticals, 858-410-3101, bhertel@inovio.com
Media:     Jeff Richardson, Inovio Pharmaceuticals, 267-440-4211, jrichardson@inovio.com

(FB) Facebook Reports Second Quarter 2013 Results

MENLO PARK, Calif., July 24, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — Facebook, Inc. (NASDAQ: FB) today reported financial results for the second quarter, which ended June 30, 2013.

“We’ve made good progress growing our community, deepening engagement and delivering strong financial results, especially on mobile,” said Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook founder and CEO. “The work we’ve done to make mobile the best Facebook experience is showing good results and provides us with a solid foundation for the future.”

Second Quarter 2013 Financial Summary

Second Quarter 2013 Operational Highlights

• Daily active users (DAUs) were 699 million on average for June 2013, an increase of 27% year-over-year.
• Monthly active users (MAUs) were 1.15 billion as of June 30, 2013, an increase of 21% year-over-year.
• Mobile MAUs were 819 million as of June 30, 2013, an increase of 51% year-over-year.  Mobile DAUs were 469 million on average for June 2013.

Recent Business Highlights

• Surpassed 1 million active advertisers on Facebook, driven by significant growth in local businesses.
• Introduced video for Instagram and saw 5 million videos uploaded in the first 24 hours.
• Facebook for Every Phone has now passed 100 million monthly active users.  In just two years, Facebook for Every Phone has successfully put Facebook into the hands of millions of people around the world with limited access to the Internet, giving them the power to connect and share.
• Launched products including Verified Pages, hashtags and embedded posts to help people on Facebook connect with their friends about what’s taking place all over the world.
• Announced that there have now been over 100,000 apps built on Parse, a cloud-based platform that provides scalable cross-platform services and tools for developers to enable them to build apps that span mobile platforms and devices.
• Facebook’s data center in Lulea, Sweden, began serving live user traffic around the world using Facebook’s Open Compute Project designs and renewable energy.

Second Quarter 2013 Financial Highlights

Revenue – Revenue for the second quarter of 2013 totaled $1.81 billion, an increase of 53%, compared with $1.18 billion in the second quarter of 2012.

• Revenue from advertising was $1.60 billion, representing 88% of total revenue and a 61% increase from the same quarter last year.
• Mobile advertising revenue represented approximately 41% of advertising revenue for the second quarter of 2013.
• Payments and other fees revenue was $214 million for the second quarter of 2013, an increase of 11% from the same quarter last year.

Costs and expenses – GAAP costs and expenses for the second quarter of 2013 were $1.25 billion, a decrease of 35% from the second quarter of 2012, as costs in the second quarter of 2012 were materially impacted by the share-based compensation expense resulting from our IPO.  Excluding share-based compensation and related payroll tax expenses, non-GAAP costs and expenses were $1.02 billion in the second quarter, up 52% compared to $669 million for the second quarter of 2012.

Income (loss) from operations – For the second quarter of 2013, GAAP income from operations was $562 million, compared to a GAAP loss from operations of $743 million in the second quarter of 2012. Excluding share-based compensation and related payroll tax expenses, non-GAAP income from operations for the second quarter was $794 million, up 54% compared to $515 million for the second quarter of 2012.

Operating margin – GAAP operating margin was 31% for the second quarter of 2013, compared to negative 63% in the second quarter of 2012. Excluding share-based compensation and related payroll tax expenses, non-GAAP operating margin was 44% for the second quarter of 2013, compared to 43% for the second quarter of 2012.

Provision for income taxes – GAAP income tax expense for the second quarter of 2013 was $212 million, representing a 39% effective tax rate. Excluding share-based compensation and related payroll tax expenses, the non-GAAP effective tax rate would have been approximately 37%.

Net income (loss) and EPS – For the second quarter of 2013, GAAP net income was $333 million, compared to a net loss of $157 million for the second quarter of 2012. Excluding share-based compensation and related payroll tax expenses and income tax adjustments, non-GAAP net income for the second quarter of 2013 was $488 million, up 65% compared to $295 million for the second quarter of 2012.  GAAP diluted EPS was $0.13 in the second quarter of 2013, compared to a loss per share of $0.08 in the second quarter of 2012.  Excluding share-based compensation and related payroll tax expenses and income tax adjustments, non-GAAP diluted EPS for the second quarter of 2013 was $0.19, up 58% compared to $0.12 in the second quarter of 2012.

Capital expenditures – Capital expenditures for the second quarter of 2013 were $268 million, a 35% decrease from the second quarter of 2012.

Cash and marketable securities – Cash and marketable securities were $10.3 billion at the end of the second quarter of 2013.

Webcast and Conference Call Information

Facebook will host a conference call to discuss the results at 2 p.m. PT / 5 p.m. ET today. The live webcast can be accessed at the Facebook Investor Relations website at investor.fb.com, along with the company’s earnings press release, financial tables and slide presentation.  Facebook uses the investor.fb.com website as a means of disclosing material non-public information and for complying with its disclosure obligations under Regulation FD.

Following the call, a replay will be available at the same website. A telephonic replay will be available for one week following the conference call at + 1 (404) 537-3406 or + 1 (855) 859-2056, conference ID 99420501.

About Facebook

Founded in 2004, Facebook’s mission is to give people the power to share and make the world more open and connected. People use Facebook to stay connected with friends and family, to discover what’s going on in the world, and to share and express what matters to them.

Contacts

Investors:
Deborah Crawford
investor@fb.com / investor.fb.com

Press:
Ashley Zandy
press@fb.com / newsroom.fb.com

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding our future business expectations, which are subject to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are only predictions and may differ materially from actual results due to a variety of factors including: our ability to retain or increase users and engagement levels, particularly mobile engagement; our ability to monetize our mobile products; risks associated with new product development and introduction; our ability to expand the Facebook Platform; competition; privacy concerns; security breaches; and our ability to manage growth and geographically-dispersed operations. These and other potential risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from the results predicted are more fully detailed under the caption “Risk Factors” in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC on May 2, 2013, which is available on our Investor Relations website at investor.fb.com and on the SEC website at www.sec.gov. Additional information will also be set forth in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2013. In addition, please note that the date of this press release is July 24, 2013, and any forward-looking statements contained herein are based on assumptions that we believe to be reasonable as of this date. We undertake no obligation to update these statements as a result of new information or future events.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

To supplement our consolidated financial statements, which are prepared and presented in accordance with GAAP, we use the following non-GAAP financial measures: total revenue and advertising revenue excluding foreign exchange effect, non-GAAP costs and expenses, non-GAAP income from operations; non-GAAP net income; non-GAAP diluted shares; non-GAAP diluted earnings per share; non-GAAP operating margin; non-GAAP effective tax rate; and free cash flow. The presentation of these financial measures is not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for, or superior to, financial information prepared and presented in accordance with GAAP. Investors are cautioned that there are material limitations associated with the use of non-GAAP financial measures as an analytical tool. In particular, many of the adjustments to our GAAP financial measures reflect the exclusion of items, specifically share-based compensation expense and payroll tax related to share-based compensation expense and the related income tax effects, that are recurring and will be reflected in our financial results for the foreseeable future. In addition, these measures may be different from non-GAAP financial measures used by other companies, limiting their usefulness for comparison purposes. We compensate for these limitations by providing specific information regarding the GAAP amounts excluded from these non-GAAP financial measures.

We believe these non-GAAP financial measures provide investors with useful supplemental information about the financial performance of our business, enable comparison of financial results between periods where certain items may vary independent of business performance, and allow for greater transparency with respect to key metrics used by management in operating our business.

We exclude the following items from one or more of our non-GAAP financial measures:

Share-based compensation expense. We exclude share-based compensation expense because we believe that the non-GAAP financial measures excluding this item provide meaningful supplemental information regarding operational performance. In particular, because of varying available valuation methodologies, subjective assumptions and the variety of award types that companies can use under FASB ASC Topic 718, we believe that providing non-GAAP financial measures that exclude this expense allow investors the ability to make more meaningful comparisons between our operating results and those of other companies. Accordingly, we believe that excluding this expense provides investors and management with greater visibility to the underlying performance of our business operations, facilitates comparison of our results with other periods, and may also facilitate comparison with the results of other companies in our industry.

Payroll tax expense related to share-based compensation. We exclude payroll tax expense related to share-based compensation expense because, without excluding these tax expenses, investors would not see the full effect that excluding share-based compensation expense had on our operating results. These expenses are tied to the exercise or vesting of underlying equity awards and the price of our common stock at the time of vesting or exercise, which factors may vary from period to period independent of the operating performance of our business. Similar to share-based compensation expense, we believe that excluding this payroll tax expense provides investors and management with greater visibility to the underlying performance of our business operations and facilitates comparison with other periods as well as the results of other companies.

Income tax effect of share-based compensation and related payroll tax expenses. We believe excluding the income tax effect of non-GAAP adjustments assists investors and management in understanding the tax provision related to those adjustments and provides useful supplemental information regarding the underlying performance of our business operations.

Assumed preferred stock conversion. As a result of our IPO in May 2012, all outstanding shares of preferred stock were automatically converted into shares of Class B common stock. Consequently, non-GAAP diluted shares and earnings per share for the three and six months ended June 30, 2012 have been calculated assuming this conversion for periods prior to the IPO, which we believe facilitates comparison between periods.

Dilutive equity awards excluded from GAAP. In our calculation of non-GAAP weighted average shares used to compute earnings per share attributable to Class A and Class B common stockholders for the three months ended June 30, 2012, we give effect to antidilutive RSUs and stock options that are excluded from GAAP weighted average shares due to our reporting of a net loss.  We also include the effect of unvested RSUs in periods prior to the IPO in such calculation for the three and six months ended June 30, 2012, the number of which is substantial due to the terms of RSUs granted prior to 2011. We believe including these awards facilitates comparison between periods.

Foreign exchange effect on revenue. We translate revenue for the three and six months ended June 30, 2013 using prior year exchange rates, which we believe is a useful metric that facilitates comparison to our historical performance.

Purchases of property and equipment; Property and equipment acquired under capital leases. We subtract both purchases of property and equipment and property and equipment acquired under capital leases in our calculation of free cash flow because we believe that these two items collectively represent the amount of property and equipment we need to procure to support our business, regardless of whether we finance such property or equipment with a capital lease. We believe that this methodology can provide useful supplemental information to help investors better understand underlying trends in our business.

For more information on our non-GAAP financial measures and a reconciliation of such measures to the nearest GAAP measure, please see the “Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Results to Nearest GAAP Measures” table in this press release.

(XOOM) Reports Second Quarter 2013 Results

– Revenue of $33.5 Million, increase of 59% from Q2 2012

– Gross Sending Volume of $1.61 Billion, increase of 82% from Q2 2012       

– 919,610 Active Customers, increase of 40% from Q2 2012

SAN FRANCISCO, July 24, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Xoom Corporation (Nasdaq:XOOM), a digital money transfer provider, today announced financial results for the second quarter of 2013:

• Revenue for the second quarter was $33.5 million, an increase of 59% from the second quarter of 2012.
• Gross profit for the second quarter was $23.4 million, an increase of 72% from the second quarter of 2012.
• GAAP net income for the second quarter was $4.1 million, or $0.11 per diluted share, compared to a net loss of $1.6 million, or $0.32 per diluted share, for the second quarter of 2012.
• Adjusted EBITDA for the second quarter was $6.1 million, compared to a loss of $345,000 for the second quarter of 2012.
• Non-GAAP earnings per diluted share was $0.14, compared to a loss of $0.20 per diluted share for the second quarter of 2012.
• Cash, cash equivalents, disbursement prefunding and short-term investments were $166.9 million as of June 30, 2013, compared to $85.3 million as of December 31, 2012.
• Outstanding amounts due under the line of credit were $49.0 million as of June 30, 2013, compared to $40.0 million as of December 31, 2012.

“We are pleased with our solid results driven by growth across all corridors, including strength from our India corridor,” said John Kunze, president and chief executive officer, Xoom. “We believe our initiatives in providing customers the best-in-class money transfer service are paying off.”

Operating Metrics

• Gross sending volume for the quarter grew 82% to $1.61 billion from the second quarter of 2012.
• Transactions for the quarter grew 57% to 2,582,000 from the second quarter of 2012.
• Active customers for the quarter grew 40% to 919,610 from the second quarter of 2012.
• New customers for the quarter grew 16% to 134,899 from the second quarter of 2012.

Highlights and Strategic Announcements

• In May, Xoom announced a quick deposit service to India to provide customers with a fast and secure service. Customers can now deposit money to bank accounts in India within a breakthrough speed of four hours when sent during Indian banking hours.
• In June, Xoom announced a new Xoom Money Transfer App to provide customers a fast and simple method to send money on the go. The Xoom App is unique in its simplicity. With “one tap and one swipe” customers can complete a quick send to their recipients in just seconds.
• During the quarter, Xoom announced two initiatives to expand its reach in the Mexican and Indian communities.– In early May, Xoom announced Mexican radio personality Eddie “Piolín” Sotelo as an endorser for Xoom. Piolín stars in a series of television and radio commercials, advocating the convenience, security and speed of Xoom.

  — In late May, Xoom announced Indian superstar and trusted icon Amitabh Bachchan as its brand ambassador of Xoom’s revolutionary four hour bank deposit to India.

Business Outlook

For Q3 2013, Xoom estimates the following:

• Revenue to be between $27 million and $28 million.
• Adjusted EBITDA to be between a loss of $1.3 million and a profit of $0.3 million.
• GAAP diluted net loss per share to be in the range of $0.11 to $0.06.
• Non-GAAP diluted net loss per share to be in the range of $0.07 to $0.02.

For Full Year 2013, Xoom estimates the following:

• Revenue to be between $115 million and $117 million.
• Adjusted EBITDA to be between $6.3 million and $9.0 million.
• GAAP diluted net income/loss per share to be in the range of a loss of $0.08 to income of $0.01.
• Non-GAAP diluted net income per share to be in the range of $0.05 to $0.13.

Xoom plans to host a conference call today to review its second quarter 2013 results and to discuss its financial outlook for the third quarter and full year 2013. The conference call can be accessed by dialing the toll free number (877) 440-7574 or the international number (253) 237-1314.  The call is scheduled to begin at 2:00 p.m. PT / 5:00 p.m. ET and can be accessed via the Web at ir.xoom.com. The webcast will be available live, and a replay will be available following completion of the live broadcast for approximately 60 days.

About Xoom

Xoom is a digital money transfer provider, focused on helping consumers send money in a secure, fast and cost-effective way using their mobile phone, tablet or computer. During the 12 month period ended June 30, 2013, Xoom’s more than 915,000 active customers sent more than $4.3 billion to family and friends in 30 countries. The company is headquartered in San Francisco and can be found online at www.xoom.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release and Xoom’s scheduled conference call contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 relating to, among other things, expectations, plans, prospects and financial results for Xoom, including, but not limited to, its expectations regarding its market demand, future earnings, revenue and financial and operating metrics. These forward-looking statements are based upon the current expectations and beliefs of Xoom’s management as of the date of this press release and conference call, and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements made in this press release and during the conference call are based on information available to Xoom as of the date thereof, and Xoom disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

In particular, the following factors, among others, could cause results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements: the evolving nature of the industry in which Xoom operates; its failure to attract new customers or retain existing customers; economic, political or regulatory factors beyond its control, in the U.S. or in countries to which its customers transfer money; fluctuations in foreign exchange rates; competitive pricing and marketing strategies by competitors; the adoption of competing technologies that supplant its services; the use of its services for illegal or improper purposes; the failure of partners to disburse funds according to Xoom’s instructions; its ability to contract for third-party services on commercially reasonable terms; the maintenance of its payment network on terms consistent with those currently in place or newly adopted regulations in the U.S or in countries to which its customers transfer money; increases in transaction processing fees; declines in customer confidence in its business or in money transfer providers generally; its ability to protect its intellectual property; the adoption of smartphones and mobile devices to access information on the Internet and use of its services; potential breaches of its security systems; and other risks and uncertainties.

For a detailed discussion of these and other cautionary statements, please refer to the risk factors discussed in filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), including but not limited to Xoom’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended March 31, 2013, and any subsequently filed reports on Forms 10-Q and 8-K. All documents are available through the SEC’s Electronic Data Gathering Analysis and Retrieval system (“EDGAR”) at www.sec.gov or Xoom’s website at www.xoom.com.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

Xoom’s stated results include certain non-GAAP financial measures, including Adjusted EBITDA, non-GAAP net income and non-GAAP earnings/(loss) per share. Adjusted EBITDA excludes provision for income taxes, interest expense, interest income, depreciation and amortization, and expenses related to stock-based compensation expense. Non-GAAP net income excludes expenses related to stock-based compensation expense. Adjusted EBITDA and Non-GAAP net income exclude these expenses as they are often excluded by other companies to help investors understand the operational performance of their business, and in the case of stock-based compensation, can be difficult to predict. Xoom believes these adjustments provide useful comparative information to investors.

Xoom considers these non-GAAP financial measures to be important because they provide useful measures of its operating performance and are used by its management for that purpose. In addition, investors often use measures such as these to evaluate the operating performance of a company. Non-GAAP results are presented for supplemental informational purposes only for understanding Xoom’s operating results. The non-GAAP results should not be considered a substitute for financial information presented in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and may be different from non-GAAP measures used by other companies.

[XOOM-F]

(TRIP) Earnings Press Release Now Available

NEWTON, Mass., July 24, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — TripAdvisor, Inc. (NASDAQ: TRIP), the world’s largest travel site*, today issued its Second Quarter 2013 earnings press release, which is available now at http://ir.tripadvisor.com/events.cfm. The press release is also available on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. As announced previously, the company will host a conference call today to discuss the press release at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ET). In addition to the press release, the live audiocast and replay will be available to the public at http://ir.tripadvisor.com/events.cfm. Replays of the conference call and the webcast will be accessible at http://ir.tripadvisor.com/events.cfm for at least twelve months following the conference call.

About TripAdvisor
TripAdvisor® is the world’s largest travel site*, enabling travelers to plan and have the perfect trip. TripAdvisor offers trusted advice from real travelers and a wide variety of travel choices and planning features with seamless links to booking tools. TripAdvisor branded sites make up the largest travel community in the world, with more than 230 million unique monthly visitors**, and more than 100 million reviews and opinions covering more than 2.7 million accommodations, restaurants and attractions. The sites operate in 30 countries worldwide, including China under daodao.com. TripAdvisor also includes TripAdvisor for Business, a dedicated division that provides the tourism industry access to millions of monthly TripAdvisor visitors.

TripAdvisor, Inc. (NASDAQ: TRIP) manages and operates websites under 20 other travel media brands: www.airfarewatchdog.com, www.bookingbuddy.com, www.cruisecritic.com, www.everytrail.com, www.familyvacationcritic.com, www.flipkey.com, www.gateguru.com, www.holidaylettings.co.uk, www.holidaywatchdog.com, www.independenttraveler.com, www.jetsetter.com, www.niumba.com,  www.onetime.com, www.seatguru.com, www.smartertravel.com, www.tingo.com, www.travelpod.com, www.virtualtourist.com, www.whereivebeen.com, and www.kuxun.cn.

(BIDU) Announces Second Quarter 2013 Results

BEIJING, July 24, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ: BIDU) (“Baidu” or the “Company”), the leading Chinese language Internet search provider, today announced its unaudited financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2013[1].

Second Quarter 2013 Highlights

• Total revenues in the second quarter of 2013 were RMB7.561 billion ($1.232 billion), a 38.6% increase from the corresponding period in 2012.
• Operating profit in the second quarter of 2013 was RMB2.904 billion ($473.1 million), a 3.2% increase from the corresponding period in 2012.
• Net income attributable to Baidu in the second quarter of 2013 was RMB2.644 billion ($430.8 million), a 4.5% decrease from the corresponding period in 2012. Diluted earnings attributable to Baidu per ADS for the second quarter of 2013 were RMB7.52 ($1.22); diluted earnings attributable to Baidu per ADS excluding share-based compensation expenses (non-GAAP) for the second quarter of 2013 were RMB7.75 ($1.26).

“We made solid progress in the second quarter, adding a record 58,000 online active customers,” said Robin Li, chairman and chief executive officer of Baidu. “The adoption of our mobile platform gained momentum and mobile monetization improved. Mobile revenues for the first time accounted for over 10% of our total revenues this quarter.”

Mr. Li continued, “Our recent investments have further strengthened Baidu’s position in key strategic areas such as search, LBS, app distribution and online video. Our market-leading technology, innovative new products and unrivaled customer value proposition will keep us at the heart of the Internet in China.”

“We are encouraged to see clear progress in key investment areas,” commented Jennifer Li, Baidu’s chief financial officer. “We will continue to invest aggressively and remain committed to building long-term value for our shareholders.”

Second Quarter 2013 Results

Baidu reported total revenues of RMB7.561 billion ($1.232 billion) for the second quarter of 2013, representing a 38.6% increase from the corresponding period in 2012.

Online marketing revenues for the second quarter of 2013 were RMB7.539 billion ($1.228 billion), representing a 38.3% increase from the corresponding period in 2012. Baidu had about 468,000 active online marketing customers in the second quarter of 2013, representing a 33.0% increase from the corresponding period in 2012 and a 14.1% increase from the first quarter of 2013.

Revenue per online marketing customer for the second quarter was approximately RMB16,100 ($2,623), a 3.9% increase from the corresponding period in 2012 and an 11.0% increase compared to the first quarter of 2013.

Traffic acquisition cost (TAC) as a component of cost of revenues was RMB880.0 million ($143.4 million), representing 11.6% of total revenues, as compared to 8.3% in the corresponding period in 2012 and 10.2% in the first quarter of 2013. The increase mainly reflected increased contextual ads contributions and hao123 promotions through our network.

Bandwidth costs as a component of cost of revenues were RMB457.3 million ($74.5 million), representing 6.0% of total revenues, compared to 4.4% in the corresponding period in 2012.  Depreciation costs as a component of cost of revenues were RMB357.0 million ($58.2 million), representing 4.7% of total revenues, compared to 4.5% in the corresponding period in 2012. The increase was mainly due to an increase in network infrastructure capacity.

Content costs as a component of cost of revenues were RMB150.7 million ($24.5 million), representing 2.0% of total revenues, compared to 0.6% in the corresponding period in 2012, and 1.6% in the previous quarter. The year-over-year increase was mainly due to the inclusion of iQiyi’s content costs.

Selling, general and administrative expenses were RMB1.078 billion ($175.7 million), representing an increase of 83.5% from the corresponding period in 2012, primarily due to expenses related to the promotion of our products.

Research and development expenses were RMB941.8 million ($153.4 million), a 72.6% increase from the corresponding period in 2012，primarily due to an increase in the number of research and development personnel.

Share-based compensation expenses, which were allocated to related operating costs and expense line items, were RMB83.3 million ($13.6 million) in the second quarter of 2013, compared to RMB53.9 million in the corresponding period in 2012 and RMB110.9 million in the first quarter of 2013.

Operating profit was RMB2.904 billion ($473.1 million), representing a 3.2% increase from the corresponding period in 2012. Operating profit excluding share-based compensation expenses (non-GAAP) was RMB2.987 billion ($486.7 million), a 4.1% increase from the corresponding period in 2012.

Income tax expense was RMB513.2 million ($83.6 million), compared to income tax expense of RMB235.4 million in the corresponding period in 2012. The effective tax rate for the second quarter of 2013 was 16.3%, as compared to 7.9% for the corresponding period in 2012 and 16.2% in the first quarter of 2013.

Net income attributable to Baidu was RMB2.644 billion ($430.8 million), representing a 4.5% decrease from the corresponding period in 2012. Basic and diluted earnings per ADS for the second quarter of 2013 amounted to RMB7.52 ($1.23) and RMB7.52 ($1.22), respectively.

Net income attributable to Baidu excluding share-based compensation expenses (non-GAAP) was RMB2.727 billion ($444.4 million), a 3.4% decrease from the corresponding period in 2012. Basic and diluted earnings per ADS excluding share-based compensation expenses (non-GAAP) for the second quarter of 2013 amounted to RMB7.76 ($1.26) and RMB7.75 ($1.26), respectively.

As of June 30, 2013, the Company had cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments of RMB34.069 billion ($5.551 billion). Net operating cash inflow for the second quarter of 2013 was RMB3.205 billion ($522.2 million). Capital expenditures for the second quarter of 2013 were RMB547.8million ($89.3 million).

Adjusted EBITDA (non-GAAP), defined as earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization, other non-operating income and share-based compensation expenses, was RMB3.477 billion ($566.5 million) for the second quarter of 2013, representing an 8.4% increase from the corresponding period in 2012.

Outlook for Third Quarter 2013

Baidu currently expects to generate total revenues in an amount ranging from RMB8.730 billion ($1.422 billion) to RMB8.960 billion ($1.460 billion) for the third quarter of 2013, representing a 39.7% to 43.3% year-over-year increase. This forecast reflects Baidu’s current and preliminary view, which is subject to change.

Conference Call Information

Baidu’s management will hold an earnings conference call at 8:00 PM on July 24, 2013, U.S. Eastern Time (8:00 AM on July 25, 2013, Beijing/Hong Kong Time).

Dial-in details for the earnings conference call are as follows:

A replay of the conference call may be accessed by phone at the following number until July 31, 2013:

Additionally, a live and archived webcast of this conference call will be available at http://ir.baidu.com.

About Baidu

Baidu, Inc. is the leading Chinese language Internet search provider. As a technology-based media company, Baidu aims to provide the best way for people to find information. In addition to serving individual Internet search users, Baidu provides an effective platform for businesses to reach potential customers. Baidu’s ADSs trade on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol “BIDU”. Currently, ten ADSs represent one Class A ordinary share.

Safe Harbor Statement

This announcement contains forward-looking statements. These statements are made under the “safe harbor” provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as “will,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “future,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “estimates,” “confident” and similar statements. Among other things, the outlook for the third quarter 2013 and quotations from management in this announcement, as well as Baidu’s strategic and operational plans, contain forward-looking statements. Baidu may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its periodic reports to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, in its annual report to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties.  Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about Baidu’s beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement, including but not limited to the following: our growth strategies; our future business development, including development of new products and services; our ability to attract and retain users and customers; competition in the Chinese and Japanese language Internet search markets; competition for online marketing customers; changes in our revenues and certain cost or expense items as a percentage of our revenues; the outcome of ongoing, or any future, litigation or arbitration, including those relating to intellectual property rights; the expected growth of the Chinese language Internet search market and the number of Internet and broadband users in China; Chinese governmental policies relating to the Internet and Internet search providers and general economic conditions in China, Japan and elsewhere. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in our annual report on Form 20-F and other documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.  All information provided in this press release and in the attachments is as of the date of the press release, and Baidu undertakes no duty to update such information, except as required under applicable law.

About Non-GAAP Financial Measures

To supplement Baidu’s consolidated financial results presented in accordance with GAAP, Baidu uses the following measures defined as non-GAAP financial measures by the SEC: adjusted EBITDA, operating profit excluding share-based compensation expenses, net income excluding share-based compensation expenses, and basic and diluted earnings per ADS excluding share-based compensation expenses. The presentation of these non-GAAP financial measures is not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for the financial information prepared and presented in accordance with GAAP. For more information on these non-GAAP financial measures, please see the tables captioned “Reconciliations of non-GAAP results of operations measures to the nearest comparable GAAP measures” and “Reconciliation from net cash provided by operating activities to adjusted EBITDA” set forth at the end of this release.

Baidu believes that these non-GAAP financial measures provide meaningful supplemental information regarding its performance and liquidity by excluding certain expenses, particularly share-based compensation expenses, that may not be indicative of its operating performance or financial condition from a cash perspective. We believe that both management and investors benefit from referring to these non-GAAP financial measures in assessing our performance and when planning and forecasting future periods. These non-GAAP financial measures also facilitate management’s internal comparisons to Baidu’s historical performance and liquidity. Baidu has computed its non-GAAP financial measures using the same consistent method from quarter to quarter since April 1, 2006. We believe these non-GAAP financial measures are useful to investors in allowing for greater transparency with respect to supplemental information used by management in its financial and operational decision making. A limitation of using these non-GAAP financial measures is that these non-GAAP measures exclude share-based compensation charge that has been and will continue to be for the foreseeable future a significant recurring expense in our results of operations.  A limitation of using non-GAAP adjusted EBITDA is that it does not include all items that impact our net income for the period. Management compensates for these limitations by providing specific information regarding the GAAP amounts excluded from each non-GAAP measure. The accompanying tables have more details on the reconciliations between GAAP financial measures that are most directly comparable to the non-GAAP financial measures.

For investor and media inquiries, please contact:

China

Victor Tseng
Baidu, Inc.
Tel: +86-10-5992-7244
ir@baidu.com

Nick Beswick
Brunswick Group LLC
Tel: +86-10-5960-8600
baidu@brunswickgroup.com

U.S.

Cindy Zheng
Brunswick Group LLC
Tel: +1-212-333-3810
baidu@brunswickgroup.com

(MHH) Reports Second Quarter 2013 Results

Revenue of $28.9 million; Diluted Earnings Per Share of $0.23; 14% Year-Over-Year and 7% Sequential Revenue Growth; 64% Year-Over-Year Earnings Per Share Growth; 9% Sequential Quarterly Increase in IT Consultants on Billing.

PITTSBURGH, July 24, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — Mastech Holdings, Inc. (NYSE MKT: MHH), a national provider of Information Technology and Specialized Healthcare staffing services, announced today its financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2013.

Second Quarter Results:

Revenues for the second quarter of 2013 totaled $28.9 million, which represented a 14% increase over the corresponding quarter last year and a 7% improvement over first quarter 2013 results.  Gross profit in the second quarter of 2013 was $5.5 million compared to $4.8 million in the second quarter of 2012. Consolidated net income for the second quarter 2013 totaled $789,000 or $0.23 per diluted share, compared to $458,000 or $0.14 per diluted share, during the same period last year.

Demand for our IT staffing services was solid in the current quarter and largely in-line with activity levels of a quarter ago.  Market conditions in the healthcare staffing business were steady; however, higher than expected assignment ends in our travel nursing business negatively impacted revenues during the quarter. Gross margins in the second quarter of 2013 were 18.9%, which were slightly below gross margins of 19.1% reported a year earlier, but represented an improvement over first quarter 2013 gross margins of 18.1%.

Kevin Horner, Mastech’s Chief Executive Officer stated, “We are pleased to deliver another quarter of both operational progress and sequential improvement to our financial results. During the quarter, we were able to increase our IT billable consultant-base by 9% and sequentially grew revenues by 7% despite some headwinds in our travel nursing business. Operationally, we are now generating a return on our focused investments made to our recruiting organization.   Commercially, we are beginning to see gross margin expansion as our sales organization takes a more disciplined approach in securing new assignments.”

Commenting on the Company’s financial position, Jack Cronin, Chief Financial Officer, stated, “Our financial position at June 30, 2013 remains strong, with over $14 million of available borrowing capacity under our existing credit facility.  During the quarter we continued to invest in operating working capital to support revenue growth. At June 30, 2013 our “Days Sales Outstanding” measurement stood at 52 days, which is an indication of our high-quality accounts receivables and predictable cash conversion metrics.”

In conjunction with its second quarter earnings release, Mastech will host a conference call at 9:00 A. M. ET on July 24, 2013 to discuss these results and to answer questions.  A live webcast of this conference call will be available on the company’s website, www.mastech.com.  Simply click on the Investor Relations section and follow the links to the live webcast.  The webcast will remain available for replay through July 31, 2013.

About Mastech Holdings, Inc.:

Leveraging the power of 26 years of IT experience, Mastech (NYSE MKT: MHH) provides Information Technology Staffing services in the disciplines which drive today’s business operations and Specialized Healthcare Staffing services to hospitals and other healthcare facilities.  More information about Mastech can be found at Mastech’s website: www.mastech.com.

Forward-Looking Statements:

Certain statements contained in this release are forward-looking statements based on management’s expectations, estimates, projections and assumptions. Words such as “expects,” “anticipates,” “plans,” “believes,” “scheduled,” “estimates” and variations of these words and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, which include but are not limited to projections of revenues, earnings,  and cash flow.  These statements are based on information currently available to the Company and it assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements as circumstances change.  These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve certain risks and uncertainties, which are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual future results and trends may differ materially from what is forecast in forward-looking statements due to a variety of factors, including, without limitation, the level of market demand for its services, the highly competitive market for the types of services offered by the company, the impact of competitive factors on profit margins, market conditions that could cause the Company’s customers to reduce their spending for its services, and the company’s ability to create, acquire and build new lines of business, to attract and retain qualified personnel, reduce costs and conserve cash, and other risks that are described in more detail in the company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission including its Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2012.

(NBS) to Begin Trading on NASDAQ Under Same Ticker

NEW YORK, July 23, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — NeoStem, Inc. (NYSE MKT:NBS), a leader in the emerging cell therapy market, today announced that it has met the listing criteria for the NASDAQ Capital Market and will move its listing from NYSE MKT to the NASDAQ Capital Market effective with the start of trading on August 5, 2013. NeoStem will continue to trade under its existing ticker symbol “NBS”. NeoStem’s common stock will trade on the NYSE MKT until the market close on August 2, 2013.

“NeoStem’s move to NASDAQ aligns with the Company’s plans to grow and expand its cellular therapy-based R&D platform and contract manufacturing capabilities, both in the US and internationally,” said Dr. Robin L. Smith, Chairman and CEO of NeoStem. “We believe that NASDAQ will provide our Company with enhanced exposure, while at the same time providing investors with the best prices, the fastest execution and lowest cost per trade. Additionally, we believe that our transfer to the NASDAQ will enhance our public visibility to institutional shareholders. As the world’s largest electronic stock market, NASDAQ promotes innovation and attracts leading growth companies from a diverse group of sectors. We are proud to be joining fellow cell therapy industry companies such as Celgene Corporation, Harvard Bioscience Inc., Osiris Therapeutics, Inc., Mesoblast Limited, Stemline Therapeutics, Inc., Verastem, Inc. and Shire PLC on the NASDAQ.”

“We are extremely pleased to welcome NeoStem to the NASDAQ Stock Market,” said Bruce Aust, Executive Vice President, NASDAQ OMX. “We are confident that a listing with NASDAQ will provide NeoStem with enhanced visibility, greater liquidity and increased exposure to the institutional investment community.”

About NeoStem, Inc.

NeoStem, Inc. (“NeoStem” or the “Company”) is a leader in the emerging cellular therapy industry. Our business model includes the development of novel proprietary cell therapy products as well as operating a contract development and manufacturing organization providing services to others in the regenerative medicine industry. The combination of a therapeutic development business and revenue-generating service provider business provides the Company with capabilities for cost effective in-house product development and immediate revenue and cash flow generation.

For more information, please visit: www.neostem.com

Forward-Looking Statements for NeoStem, Inc.

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements reflect management’s current expectations, as of the date of this press release, and involve certain risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements include statements herein with respect to the successful execution of the Company’s business strategy, including with respect to the Company’s research and development and clinical evaluation efforts as well as efforts towards development of cellular therapies, including with respect to AMR-001, the future of the regenerative medicine industry and the role of stem cells and cellular therapy in that industry and the Company’s ability to successfully grow its contract development and manufacturing business. The Company’s actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward- looking statements as a result of various factors. Factors that could cause future results to materially differ from the recent results or those projected in forward-looking statements include the “Risk Factors” described in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 11, 2013 and in the Company’s periodic filings with the SEC. The Company’s further development is highly dependent on future medical and research developments and market acceptance, which is outside its control.

CONTACT: NeoStem
         Dr. Robin L. Smith
         Chairman and CEO
         Phone: +1-212-584-4174
         Email: rsmith@neostem.com

(PRAN) Completes Phase 2 Huntington Disease Trial With PBT2

(BCRX) Fred Cohen Appointed to BioCryst’s Board of Directors

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc., (NASDAQ:BCRX) today announced that Fred E. Cohen, M.D., D.Phil., was elected to the Company’s Board of Directors.

“The Board of Directors and Leadership Team of BioCryst are very pleased to have Fred join the Company’s Board,” said George B. Abercrombie, Chairman of the Board of BioCryst. “Fred brings a wealth of scientific knowledge and business acumen to BioCryst and has been a valuable resource to the organization for several years as both an advisor and as an investor. We look forward to his guidance and insights toward the further success of BioCryst.”

In 2001, Dr. Cohen joined TPG to initiate TPG’s venture efforts in biotechnology and life sciences, and he serves as a Partner and Managing Director at TPG Biotech. Dr. Cohen has been a member of the faculty of University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) since 1986. At UCSF, Dr. Cohen has served as an Internist for hospitalized patients, a consulting Endocrinologist and as the Chief of the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism. His research interests include structure based drug design, prion diseases, computational biology and heteropolymer chemistry. Fred’s research is best known in the fields of protein structure and the conformational basis of prion disease.

Dr. Cohen received his B.S. degree in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry from Yale University, his D.Phil. in Molecular Biophysics from Oxford on a Rhodes Scholarship, his M.D. from Stanford and his postdoctoral training and postgraduate medical training in Internal Medicine and Endocrinology at UCSF. He is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and the American College of Medical Informatics and a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation and Association of American Physicians. Dr. Cohen was elected to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences in 2004 and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2008.

Currently Dr. Cohen serves on the Board of Directors of Genomic Health, Quintiles Transnational and the Boards of several privately held companies.

“Both peramivir and BCX4161 were discovered using structure based drug design, a proven approach to developing potent and selective inhibitors of enzymes involved in disease,” said Dr. Fred E. Cohen. “With the recent progress in BioCryst’s hereditary angioedema and peramivir influenza development programs, it is an exciting time to join its Board of Directors.”

About BioCryst Pharmaceuticals

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals designs, optimizes and develops novel small molecule drugs that block key enzymes involved in infectious and inflammatory diseases, with the goal of addressing unmet medical needs of patients and physicians. BioCryst currently has two late-stage development programs: peramivir, a viral neuraminidase inhibitor for the treatment of influenza, and ulodesine, a purine nucleoside phosphorylase (PNP) inhibitor for the treatment of gout. In addition, BioCryst has several early-stage programs: BCX4161 and a next generation oral inhibitor of plasma kallikrein for hereditary angioedema and BCX4430, a broad spectrum antiviral for hemorrhagic fevers. For more information, please visit the Company’s website at www.BioCryst.com.

This press release contains forward-looking statements, including statements regarding future results and achievements. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performances or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Please refer to the documents BioCryst files periodically with the SEC and located at http://investor.shareholder.com/biocryst/sec.cfm.

(SCON) Delivers on Conductus(R) 2G HTS Wire Orders

Ships to Three Multinational Smart Grid Companies

AUSTIN, Texas, July 23, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Superconductor Technologies Inc. (STI) (Nasdaq:SCON), a world leader in the development and production of high temperature superconducting (HTS) materials and associated technologies, announced the successful shipment of Conductus^® 2G HTS wire against previously announced purchase orders from three industry leading, multinational industrial companies. These shipments consisted of wire that attained critical current performance between 250 and 400 Amps per centimeter width (A/cm-width) for the various specific customer requests. As previously announced in April 2013, the company’s current wire production capacity for the next several months is allocated to ship against existing purchase orders for emerging smart grid applications. These initial shipments are being used for qualification testing in the various customers’ product designs for devices such as superconducting fault current limiters and HTS high field magnets used in multiple applications.

“Our customers are performing qualification testing of Conductus wire to complete their vendor selection process for upcoming projects,” stated Adam Shelton, STI’s VP of Marketing and Product Line Management. “These shipments represent a significant milestone for STI as our potential customers look to secure a supply of HTS wire for 2014 and beyond. With the customer qualification phase well underway, our important objective to establish commercial relationships with these customers is fast approaching. For our customers to successfully complete upcoming smart grid projects, they will require a significant quantity of superconducting wire at various lengths. Our wire performance, yields and wire length per run have dramatically improved over the first half of 2013. We expect our wire performance to continue to improve in these areas that are critical to achieving commercial volumes. By carefully aligning our 2013 production output with requirements from strategic target customers who are committed to the commercialization of superconducting devices, we are executing on our plan to bring Conductus wire to market in commercial volumes in 2014. We expect to continue to ship high performance, longer length wire to satisfy existing purchase orders for Conductus 2G HTS wire in the coming months.”

“Conductus wire is suitable for use in HTS power cables, superconducting high-field magnets, superconducting fault current limiters, and superconducting motors and generators applications. As the power industry continues to adopt HTS technology to address problems unsolvable by conventional means, STI is clearly focused on fostering customer relationships with leading, multi-national industrial companies with established sales channels to utilities. As our current wire capacity increases, our intention is to secure business with these customers as we prepare for the full commercial launch of Conductus wire in 2014 as we transition from pilot to full production,” Shelton concluded.

About Superconductor Technologies Inc. (STI)

Superconductor Technologies Inc., headquartered in Austin, TX, has been a world leader in HTS materials since 1987, developing more than 100 patents as well as proprietary trade secrets and manufacturing expertise. For more than a decade, STI has been providing innovative interference elimination and network enhancement solutions to the commercial wireless industry. The company is currently leveraging its key enabling technologies, including RF filtering, HTS materials and cryogenics to develop energy efficient, cost-effective and high performance second generation (2G) HTS wire for existing and emerging power applications, to develop applications for advanced RF wireless solutions and innovative adaptive filtering, and for government R&D. Superconductor Technologies Inc.’s common stock is listed on the NASDAQ Capital Market under the ticker symbol “SCON.” For more information about STI, please visit http://www.suptech.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

Statements in this press release regarding our business that are not historical facts are “forward-looking statements” that involve risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are inherently subject to uncertainties and other factors, which could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements. These factors and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: our limited cash and a history of losses; the limited number of potential customers; the limited number of suppliers for some of our components and our HTS wire; there being no significant backlog from quarter to quarter; our market being characterized by rapidly advancing technology; overcoming technical challenges in attaining milestones to develop and manufacture commercial lengths of our HTS wire; customer acceptance of our HTS wire; fluctuations in product demand from quarter to quarter; the impact of competitive filter products, technologies and pricing; manufacturing capacity constraints and difficulties; our ability to raise sufficient capital to fund our operations, and the impact on our strategic wire initiative of any inability to raise such funds; the impact of any such financing activity on the level of our stock price; and local, regional, and national and international economic conditions and events and the impact they may have on us and our customers, such as the current worldwide recession.

Forward-looking statements can be affected by many other factors, including, those described in the “Business” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” sections of STI’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2012 and in STI’s other public filings. These documents are available online at STI’s website, www.suptech.com, or through the SEC’s website, www.sec.gov. Forward-looking statements are based on information presently available to senior management, and STI has not assumed any duty to update any forward-looking statements.

CONTACT: Investor Relations Contact
         Cathy Mattison or Kirsten Chapman
         LHA
         +1-415-433-3777
         invest@suptech.com

(FIRE) Cisco Announces Agreement to Acquire Sourcefire

Accelerates Cisco’s Security Vision of Continuous and Pervasive Advanced Threat Protection

(UPI) Completes Internal Control Review; Files Form 10-K for Fiscal 2013

No Changes to Previously Reported Results or Financial Statements Board of Directors Appoints Rob Kill President & Chief Executive Officer Fiscal 2014 First Quarter Results to be Released on August 1, 2013

MINNEAPOLIS, July 23, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — Uroplasty, Inc. (NASDAQ: UPI), a medical device company that develops, manufactures and markets innovative products to treat voiding dysfunctions, announced today that it has filed its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2013.  On June 14, 2013, Uroplasty indicated that it had delayed filing the Form 10-K to complete a review of its internal control over financial reporting.  Today, Uroplasty reported that it has completed that review.  Although the Company did uncover a material weakness in internal control during the review, that weakness did not result in any changes in previously announced financial results or financial statements for prior reporting periods.  As a result of the 10-K filing, the Company believes it is now compliant with all NASDAQ listing requirements.

In addition, Uroplasty announced today that the Board of Directors has appointed Robert C. Kill, who had been acting as interim Chief Executive Officer, as President and Chief Executive Officer. “During the past three months, the Board of Directors retained an executive search firm and conducted a thorough search for the most qualified candidate to lead our company going forward,” said James P. Stauner, Chairman of the Board.  “As part of our process, Rob accepted the invitation of the search committee to consider the more permanent position.  We concluded that given his previous experience as CEO of a high-growth public healthcare company, his track record of generating value for shareholders, and his knowledge of Uroplasty, Rob was the most qualified candidate for the role.  We are delighted he has agreed to lead Uroplasty as we seek to build momentum in the marketplace and increase shareholder returns.”

In addition to his service on the Uroplasty Board since 2010, Mr. Kill has been an operating partner of Altamont Capital Partners, a private equity firm, since 2012.  From 2007 until 2012, Mr. Kill was President and CEO of Virtual Radiologic Corporation (vRad), a provider of technology-enabled outsourced radiology solutions.  During his tenure with vRad, the company completed its IPO, was subsequently taken private in a $294 million transaction and completed several add-on acquisitions.  Prior to vRad, Mr. Kill was President of Misys Physician Systems, a developer of electronic medical record and practice management software.  Mr. Kill was with Baxter Healthcare for the first ten years of his career, where he held senior leadership roles in operations, marketing and sales.

Mr. Kill noted, “Uroplasty has significant potential in the overactive bladder market for patients who want effective therapies without the risks of implant surgery or the side effects of drugs or Botox.  The more I have learned about the markets we are addressing and Uroplasty’s pivotal role in those markets, the more enthusiastic I become about our prospects.”

Uroplasty also announced that Mahedi H. Jiwani, the Company’s Chief Financial Officer, has retired. The Company has commenced a search for a new Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Kill will hold the role of acting Chief Financial Officer until the position is filled.  “Medi had been Uroplasty’s CFO since 2005. We wish him well in his retirement, and thank him for his many years of service to the Company,” added Mr. Kill.

Fiscal 2014 First Quarter 2014 Conference Call

Uroplasty will release financial results for the fiscal first quarter ended June 30, 2013 at the market close on August 1, 2013.  The Company will host a conference call and webcast to discuss these results on August 1, 2013 at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time (3:30 p.m. Central Time).  Individuals wishing to participate in the conference call should dial 877-941-2333.  No passcode is necessary.  To access the live webcast of the call, go to Uroplasty’s website at www.uroplasty.com and click on the Investor Relations section. An archived webcast will also be available at investor.uroplasty.com.

About Uroplasty, Inc.

Uroplasty, Inc., headquartered in Minnetonka, Minnesota, with wholly-owned subsidiaries in The Netherlands and the United Kingdom, is a global medical company committed to offering transformative treatment options to specialty physicians. The Company’s products are designed to help providers change the lives of their voiding dysfunction patients and strengthen the efficiency of their practices. Uroplasty’s focus is the continued commercialization of its Urgent® PC Neuromodulation System, the only FDA-cleared system that delivers percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation (PTNS) for the office-based treatment of overactive bladder and associated symptoms of urgency, frequency and urge incontinence. The Company also offers Macroplastique®, an injectable urethral bulking agent for the treatment agent for the treatment of adult female stress urinary incontinence primarily due to intrinsic sphincter deficiency. For more information on the company and its products, please visit Uroplasty, Inc. at www.uroplasty.com.

Forward-Looking Information

This press release contains forward-looking statements that reflect our best estimates regarding future events and financial performance. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from our anticipated results. We discuss in detail the factors that may affect the achievement of our forward-looking statements in our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC. In particular, we cannot be certain that we will ever achieve sustained profitability, that the rate of reimbursement for PTNS treatments will be adequate to justify the cost of our product, that other Medicare carriers or private payers will provide coverage for this treatment or that existing carriers and payers will not change their coverage decisions, that the rate of adoption of our products by new customers will continue, or that any of the other risks identified in our 10-K will not adversely affect our expectations as described in these forward-looking statements.

Contact:

EVC Group
Jenifer Kirtland
415.568.9349

(NBS) Appoints Stephen W. Potter as Executive Vice President

NEW YORK, July 22, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — NeoStem, Inc. (NYSE MKT:NBS) (“NeoStem” or the “Company”), a leader in the emerging cellular therapy market, announced today the appointment of Stephen W. Potter as Executive Vice President of the Company. Mr. Potter is a seasoned and successful senior executive with extensive management experience in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries.  Stephen has served since February on NeoStem’s Board of Directors and its Nominating and Governance Committee.  Upon his appointment as Executive Vice President, Stephen resigned from the Company’s Board of Directors.

“Stephen brings a history of success in cell therapy development and global operations and, combined with his existing working knowledge of both the research and operations of our Company, he will be a key figure in our future success,” said Dr. Robin L. Smith, Chairman and CEO of NeoStem. “As NeoStem moves forward in growing its contract development and manufacturing services business, continues the development and looks ahead to the commercial launch of its therapeutic product pipeline, and evaluates multiple business development opportunities, we expect Stephen’s demonstrated experience to have a significant impact on our Company’s value.”

“I am excited to join the NeoStem team, working collaboratively with its management and advisors, to drive significant value for the Company,” said Mr. Potter. “I believe that cell therapies will play a significant role in the fight against chronic disease. NeoStem has developed a unique platform of contract services as well as developing its own pipeline of cell therapy products and I am pleased to work with Dr. Robin Smith and the Company’s top notch team in the building of a world class, highly competitive and profitable business.”

Most recently, Mr. Potter served as Senior Vice President of Operations and Corporate Development for Osiris Therapeutics, Inc. where he worked as a member of the senior leadership that achieved approval of the first-ever stem cell drug therapy, Prochymal®. He was also responsible for the launch and overall management of the Bio-Surgery business unit and had operational oversight for multiple functional areas including manufacturing, human resources, IT, legal, and business development. Prior to his tenure at Osiris, Mr. Potter served as Senior Vice President of Corporate and Business Development at Genzyme Corporation. Over his ten years at Genzyme, he was the senior leader for its global corporate and business development team that provided strategic and transaction support, including support for many of Genyzme’s cell therapy opportunities. Mr. Potter has also held positions at DuPont Pharmaceuticals, E.I. Dupont de Nemours and Company, Inc., and Booz Allen & Hamilton. He earned a B.S. from University of Massachusetts and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

About NeoStem, Inc.

NeoStem, Inc. is a leader in the emerging cellular therapy industry. Our business model includes the development of novel proprietary cell therapy product, as well as operating a contract development and manufacturing organization that provides services to others in the regenerative medicine industry. The combination of a therapeutic development business and revenue-generating service provider business provides the Company with capabilities for cost effective in-house product development and immediate revenue and cash flow generation.

For more information, please visit: www.neostem.com

Forward-Looking Statements for NeoStem, Inc.

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements reflect management’s current expectations, as of the date of this press release, and involve certain risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements include statements herein with respect to the successful execution of the Company’s business strategy, including with respect to the Company’s research and development and clinical evaluation efforts as well as efforts towards development of cellular therapies, including with respect to AMR-001, the future of the regenerative medicine industry and the role of stem cells and cellular therapy in that industry and the Company’s ability to successfully grow its contract development and manufacturing business. The Company’s actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward- looking statements as a result of various factors. Factors that could cause future results to materially differ from the recent results or those projected in forward-looking statements include the “Risk Factors” described in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 11, 2013 and in the Company’s periodic filings with the SEC. The Company’s further development is highly dependent on future medical and research developments and market acceptance, which is outside its control.

CONTACT: NeoStem
         Dr. Robin L. Smith
         Chairman and CEO
         Phone: +1-212-584-4174
         Email: rsmith@neostem.com

(PETS) D/B/A 1-800-PetMeds Announces Q1 Financial Results

Quarterly Earnings Per Share Increase 22%

Quarterly New Order Sales Increase 10%

Quarterly Online Sales Increase 11%

POMPANO BEACH, Fla., July 22, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — PetMed Express, Inc. (Nasdaq:PETS) today announced its financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2013. Net sales for the quarter ended June 30, 2013 were $74.2 million, compared to $69.0 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2012, an increase of 7.6%. Net income was $4.8 million, or $0.24 diluted per share, for the quarter ended June 30, 2013, compared to net income of $4.0 million, or $0.20 diluted per share, for the quarter ended June 30, 2012, a 22% increase to EPS. New order sales increased by 9.6%, from $13.9 million to $15.2 million for the quarters ended June 30, 2012 and 2013, respectively. The Company also acquired approximately 207,000 new customers for the quarter ended June 30, 2013, compared to 197,000 new customers for the quarter ended June 30, 2012. Reorder sales increased by 7.1%, from $55.1 million to $59.0 million for the quarters ended June 30, 2012 and 2013, respectively. Additionally, the Company’s online sales increased by 11% to $58.4 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2013, compared to $52.8 million for the same quarter the prior year, with approximately 79% of all orders being generated from its website during the quarter compared to 77% for the same quarter the prior year.

Menderes Akdag, CEO and President, commented: “We are pleased with the strong new order and reorder sales for the quarter. Our sales increase for the quarter was also highlighted by an increased average order size – $77 for the quarter ended June 30, 2013 compared to $73 for the same quarter in the prior year. For the quarter ended June 30, 2013 our operating expenses decreased by 109 basis points, mainly due to the leverage of our general and administrative expenses. Cash flow from operations increased by 44%, from $13.8 million to $19.8 million for the quarters ended June 30, 2012 and 2013, respectively. For the remainder of Fiscal 2014 we are focusing on improving our advertising efficiency and continuing to expand our product offerings.”

This morning at 8:30 A.M. Eastern Time, Mr. Akdag will host a conference call to review the quarter’s financial results. To access the call, which is open to the public, please dial (888) 455-1758 (toll free) or (203) 827-7025. Callers will be required to supply PETMEDS as the passcode. For those unable to participate in the live event, the call will be available for replay from 10:00 A.M. on July 22, 2013 until August 5, 2013 at 11:59 P.M. To access the replay, call (888) 562-2791 (toll free) or (402) 998-1448, and enter passcode 5500.

Founded in 1996, PetMed Express is America’s Largest Pet Pharmacy, delivering prescription and non-prescription pet medications and other health products for dogs and cats at competitive prices direct to the consumer through its 1-800-PetMeds toll free number and on the Internet through its website at www.1800petmeds.com.

This press release may contain “forward-looking” statements, as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 or by the Securities and Exchange Commission, that involve a number of risks and uncertainties, including the Company’s ability to meet the objectives included in its business plan. Important factors that could cause results to differ materially from those indicated by such “forward-looking” statements are set forth in Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations in the PetMed Express Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended March 31, 2013. The Company’s future results may also be impacted by other risk factors listed from time to time in its SEC filings, including, but not limited to, the Company’s Form 10-Q and its Annual Report on Form 10-K.

For investment relations contact PetMed Express, Inc., Bruce S. Rosenbloom, CFO, 954-979-5995.