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Posted: Apr 29, 2020 12:01 AM

The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Townhall.com.

What I am about to say may surprise some people, especially considering that I am the president and founder of the United States Concealed Carry Association (USCCA). Despite the fact that I have been pleasantly surprised by the large swath of Americans who are working to improve their preparedness in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic indeed, the last two months have seen record firearms sales I want to emphasize that going out and purchasing a gun is not the sole requirement of actually being prepared. Rather, it's a small step at the beginning of a lifelong and life-changing journey for millions of Americans who want to keep their loved ones safe.

As the coronavirus pandemic has spread in recent weeks, many Americans have begun truly evaluating their own levels of personal security and preparedness for the first time and are also considering what they would do if they were ever forced to protect themselves or their families.

The result of such evaluations? Record firearms sales in virtually every state and municipality across the country. Gun sales in the states most affected by the virus thus far (California, New York and Washington come to mind) have been particularly high. Images of Americans many of them first-time gun owners lined up at gun stores and sporting-goods stores have become commonplace.The National Association of Sporting Goods Wholesalers (NASGW) reported a 168 percent spike in ammunition shipments for the week ending March 14. Figures from the FBI show 3.7 million background checks were done that same monththe most for a single month since the system began in 1998.

Perhaps not surprising in a world where seemingly everything is politicized, particularly when it comes to firearms, anti-gun groups and politicians have predicted that rising gun sales, coupled with schools being closed, will lead to more accidental shootings and deaths. Kris Brown, president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, recently claimed, for example, that an unintended consequence of these panic-induced purchases in response to COVID-19 could be a tragic increase of preventable gun deaths.

Try again, Mr. Brown. The reality is that this type of fearmongering and effort by some to use the pandemic to further erode gun rights is not rooted in fact. Even as gun ownership has consistently risen year after year with roughly 100 million gun owners in the U.S. today preventable accidents have steadily decreased; there was a 44 percent decline from 1999 to 2018. A recent report from the National Safety Council, a reference resource for safety statistics, shows that preventable or accidental gun-related deaths totaled only 458 cases in 2018, which was the lowest figure since the organization began keeping record in 1903. This represented just 1 percent of all firearms fatalities in 2018, even as concealed carry permits have soared by more than 215 percent in recent years.

One key reason for this is that responsible gun owners take firearms safety very seriously. Many of these individuals have proven that they are willing to comply with the law by fulfilling all of the requirements associated with obtaining a concealed carry permit. In fact, a recent report by the Crime Prevention Research Center found that concealed carry permit holders are among the most law-abiding demographic of Americans today.

All of this aside, the bottom line is that all of us share the common goal of working to reduce future tragedies. Being a responsibly-armed American does not stop with your constitutional right to bear arms. In fact, making the decision to carry a firearm, or even to simply keep a gun for home defense, is where the real responsibility begins.

In addition to firearms safety, education and training must be top priorities for all gun owners, particularly for the thousands of Americans who have purchased a firearm for the first time in recent weeks. Theres no substitute for live-fire training, and many gun ranges have closed their doors during this pandemic, but gun owners still have the option to access countless online training materials and courses from knowledgeable instructors.

Safe firearms storage is also critical. Every new gun ships with a gun lock. A gun owner should use that lock or another secure storage device any time he or she is not either training at a range or carrying said sidearm. Many police and fire stations offer free gun locks no questions asked. Again, when not in use, a firearm should be stored in a secured lockbox to which only the lawful owner or another authorized individual has access.

There will continue to be political and policy disagreements about gun ownership in the coming days and beyond and thats OK. But right now, as millions of Americans continue to embrace their right to self-protection and others still are just starting to open their minds to the responsibly-armed lifestyle, we need to remember that education, training and safety must remain the uncompromisable tenets on which we all stand.

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As Gun Sales Rise, Education and Training Are Critical - Townhall

There are plenty of questions among cruisers in this time of a global cruise suspension, and Royal Caribbean shed a bit of light on some of these topics.

Earlier on Tuesday,Royal Caribbean Senior Vice President of Sales and Trade Support & Service Vicki Freed took questions from travel agents about a variety of topics that many guests are wondering about.

In addition to announcing a doctor's note is no longer needed for guests who are over 70 years old, anumber of hot topics were hit during the question and answer session of the call, and here are the answers provided to concerns many readers have had as well.

One agent wanted to know how Royal Caribbean will handle guests going to the buffet once sailings start back up.

Royal Caribbean Director, Post Cruise Guest Relations & Shared Services, Laly Rodriguez, commented, "We're still ironing out some of the different details, as to whether there'll be folks serving. We might have different shifts for our buffets, and have different options taking place in our main dining venues. Those are still being worked out, but as soon as we know, you'll know."

A very hot topic is when guests can expect to receive refunds for canceled sailings.

Ms. Rodriguez provided an explanation on the current refund situation, "When we first started with our global suspensions, we anticipated that refunds would take us about 30 days, but given the volume and being able to handle all the volume that we are receiving, it seems that we are closer to a 45 day window."

"We've been able to modify some of our processes, add things that we didn't have in the past, like bots processing the refunds; we've addedresources to accounting; we've always been looking to speed this up"

"Your clients should be seeing their refunds in about 45 days, and hopefully with the next batches of suspensions that we've announced, the timing should get tighter and tigher."

In addition to the refunds being processed, Royal Caribbean will be sending a proactive apology communication to guests in order to explain how long it has been taking to get through all of the refunds promised.

Last week, I broke the news of Royal Caribbean's trademark of a name for a sanitary mask, and Ms. Freed was asked if there was any update on what this was all about.

There was not much information to share, but Ms. Freed had this to say, "Other than what I read on the RoyalCaribbeanBlog that we have a patent for it, I don't know anything else about it. I'm sure it will be adorable with Crown and Anchors, and whatever else designs we can come up with."

Ms. Rodriguez elaborated, "This whole situation has made us as a cruise line take on a bunch of other innovations that we've never thought we'd been in the business of taking on."

"This is one of a number of innovations that our team's areexploring as we look forward to safe and healthy and a fun return to cruise. So keep your eyes peeled for more hopefully."

When asked about cruises to Alaska this year, Ms. Freed offered an optimistic attitude, "Alaska's certainly a real possibility that we will be sailing there. The end of July, certainly I'm optimistic.

Another question asked was if Royal Caribbean would shorten or change the final payment date due to the current situation.

Royal CaribbeanAccount Executive Brittany Yochum spoke to this concern, "At this time, we're not pushing back any of our final payment dates, especially because we do have the Cruise with Confidence policy out through the end of August."

Just like readers here, travel partners were curious if Odyssey of the Seas has any kind of update on the progress being made.

Ms. Yochum provided a brief update, "She is still being built, and we are definitely working on our way to still having her be delivered."

Another question asked as if there would be any changes to Royal Caribbean's President's Cruise on October 25 out of Barcelona on Allure of the Seas.

Royal Caribbean's manager of the Sales Training Team,Renee Didier, answered, "The President's Cruise is still in our scope, and of course we're going to look forward to welcoming our guests onboard. So right now, we are still planning that cruise."

Link:
Royal Caribbean offers updates on refunds, Odyssey of the Seas and the President's Cruise - Royal Caribbean Blog

Making the Best of a Challenging Situation: Engaging Employees Through Training

By helping employees to feel productive and sharpen skills through training, ADT Commercial has hit upon an innovative way to ease collective stress during uncertain times.

As organizations across industries continue to navigate the COVID-19 public health crisis, there are ways in which companies in the security, fire and life safety industries can take actions now to make the best of a situation that continues to evolve and challenge us daily.

At a time of seemingly insurmountable challenges facing our lives, careers and businesses, there remain substantial opportunities to focus our time and energies on investing in our people, our skills and our customers; taking this approach can help us through these difficult times and even propel us into a more stable future.

Now, more than ever, organizations across the industry are striving to keep their businesses intact and their people taken care of, while still maintaining a trusted partnership with their customers and patrons. ADT Commercial is no different. Our company announced in March that it was dedicated to providing pay protections to all employees into May, even in the event of any kind of slow down or reduction in work hours due to the COVID-19 crisis.

The prospect is daunting, but as other leaders look to identify various ways that will allow them to stand by employees during the COVID-19 global pandemic just as we did, theyll find a significant opportunity to re-invest resources to support frontline teams in tangible ways. By prioritizing comprehensive training and reallocating resources amid newfound downtime to educate employees, organizations stand to reassure and empower their workforce while also bolstering their capabilities to provide more accurate, exceptional and essential services to their customers.

Following are just a few best practices to consider when establishing an approach to help frontline employees progress and fine-tune their skillset during a crisis.

Its no question that frontline employees those who are interacting with your customers each and every day to deliver on your service promise are truly the backbone of any organization. Thats why its so important to pivot quickly in times of crisis. If theres an opportunity to expand those customer-facing employees knowledge base and enhance their skillsets, take it.

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Making the Best of a Challenging Situation: Engaging Employees Through Training - Security Today

When you get creative, there are quite a few best practices approaches dealers can employ to keep security system sales active. There is no reason to be idle as homeowners still need the security systems the industry provides.

(Image courtesy bigstockphoto.com)

I believe no discussion about ways to positively weather business sales limitations due to social distancing guidelines can start without first offering support for the efforts to help keep our communities safe and healthy. Individuals and businesses have all been adversely affected in some way or another. It is very important to keep our resolve to do everything we can to help minimize the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

Recently, Ive spoken to quite a few security dealers. As you would expect, all are concerned about keeping their business moving forward and their employees working in light of the pandemic mitigation strategies imposed. In an industry that thrives on door-to-door personalized selling, this is a new reality where dealers are trying to balance social distancing and at the same time support customers and bring in revenue. In a short amount of time, many dealers are saying their businesses are down by 25 to 60 percent.

Making security systems available to homeowners is considered an essential service, and that rings true now more than ever. In this period of uncertainty, more and more homeowners want solutions that give them peace-of-mind during this pandemic. So, there is definitely a need to secure our homes and protect our families to have one less thing to worry about in these stressful, difficult times.

Given the unprecedented selling circumstances we find ourselves in, it is remarkable how resilient and agile the security business is. The fact is that when you get creative, there are quite a few best practices approaches dealers can employ to keep security system sales active. There is no reason to be idle as homeowners still need the security systems we provide.

Now is time for suppliers to kick support into overdrive with additional resources on new selling and service models from detailing proven marketing strategies to useful recommendations on social media and a full schedule of online training.

A new way to manage the business uses a common-sense, no contact approach instead of rolling a truck for a service call or an installation. Dealers can mail a table/counter kit with pre-configured and labeled sensors to customers allowing the customer to install the parts easiest to do immediately. And once social distancing mandates pass, dealers can assure customers they will quickly schedule a professional installation on the panel and other more complex components.

In addition, the sales or service call and an installation can all be managed remotely using a video call such as with FaceTime, Zoom, WebEx, or other video chat services. To save money on shipping, technicians can double as delivery personnel assuring the homeowner of a sanitized porch drop off. At the same time, technicians can also install window stickers or yard signs.

Upgrades and referral programs are other avenues for sales. Offering homeowners a 4G LTE radio upgrade is very timely now as the carrier deadlines approach. In addition, its an opportune time to ask existing customers to refer a family member, friend or neighbor. Or prompt them to write a review. Free product offers, like a video doorbell, or future product credits are usually good incentives for referrals.

For our part, weve started a comprehensive series of free webinars with a particular series on recommendations for social distancing selling. In these, we offer helpful tips to maintain door-to-door selling with advice on how far away to comfortably stand, what protective gear to wear, CDC guidelines for hygiene and what sanitization methods to use, several role-playing scenarios and more. Weve also found this is a good opportunity to give technicians new skills such as how to program remotely.

During this time where people are keeping their social distance and following stay at home orders, it is important to market your business now more than ever. Helping dealers to adopt new marketing techniques, we know that social media can be an excellent way to connect with their local community. Informational posts on Twitter, Nextdoor, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram highlight the necessary services dealers provide to the local area.

Getting the word out another way; dealers can put their customer database to good use in a series of email blasts or even send a direct mail piece. I believe people are happy to help small businesses right now and would be grateful to get a better understanding of their security options. Cementing customer relationships with truly useful information is always welcome.

Bruce Munigiguerra is Senior Vice President of Sales & Marketing at Nortek Security and Control.

Continued here:
Creative sales strategies to weather the COVID-19 shutdown - SecurityInfoWatch

Kurlan & Associates Inc.

Global Sales Training Market Segmentation

This market was divided into types, applications and regions. The growth of each segment provides an accurate calculation and forecast of sales by type and application in terms of volume and value for the period between 2020 and 2026. This analysis can help you develop your business by targeting niche markets. Market share data are available at global and regional levels. The regions covered by the report are North America, Europe, the Asia-Pacific region, the Middle East, and Africa and Latin America. Research analysts understand the competitive forces and provide competitive analysis for each competitor separately.

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Sales Training Market Region Coverage (Regional Production, Demand & Forecast by Countries etc.):

North America (U.S., Canada, Mexico)

Europe (Germany, U.K., France, Italy, Russia, Spain etc.)

Asia-Pacific (China, India, Japan, Southeast Asia etc.)

South America (Brazil, Argentina etc.)

Middle East & Africa (Saudi Arabia, South Africa etc.)

Some Notable Report Offerings:

-> We will give you an assessment of the extent to which the market acquire commercial characteristics along with examples or instances of information that helps your assessment.

-> We will also support to identify standard/customary terms and conditions such as discounts, warranties, inspection, buyer financing, and acceptance for the Sales Training industry.

-> We will further help you in finding any price ranges, pricing issues, and determination of price fluctuation of products in Sales Training industry.

-> Furthermore, we will help you to identify any crucial trends to predict Sales Training market growth rate up to 2026.

-> Lastly, the analyzed report will predict the general tendency for supply and demand in the Sales Training market.

Have Any Query? Ask Our Expert @ https://www.verifiedmarketresearch.com/product/sales-training-market/?utm_source=COD&utm_medium=002

Table of Contents:

Study Coverage: It includes study objectives, years considered for the research study, growth rate and Sales Training market size of type and application segments, key manufacturers covered, product scope, and highlights of segmental analysis.

Executive Summary: In this section, the report focuses on analysis of macroscopic indicators, market issues, drivers, and trends, competitive landscape, CAGR of the global Sales Training market, and global production. Under the global production chapter, the authors of the report have included market pricing and trends, global capacity, global production, and global revenue forecasts.

Sales Training Market Size by Manufacturer: Here, the report concentrates on revenue and production shares of manufacturers for all the years of the forecast period. It also focuses on price by manufacturer and expansion plans and mergers and acquisitions of companies.

Production by Region: It shows how the revenue and production in the global market are distributed among different regions. Each regional market is extensively studied here on the basis of import and export, key players, revenue, and production.

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Verified market research partners with the customer and offer an insight into strategic and growth analyzes, Data necessary to achieve corporate goals and objectives. Our core values are trust, integrity and authenticity for our customers.

Analysts with a high level of expertise in data collection and governance use industrial techniques to collect and analyze data in all phases. Our analysts are trained to combine modern data collection techniques, superior research methodology, expertise and years of collective experience to produce informative and accurate research reports.

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Tags: Sales Training Market Size, Sales Training Market Trends, Sales Training Market Growth, Sales Training Market Forecast, Sales Training Market Analysis

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Sales Training Market Segmentation, Application, Technology, Analysis Research Report and Forecast to 2026 - Cole of Duty

M&A Moves is a Technical.ly column where we highlight D.C.-area companies completing mergers and making acquisitions to scale their businesses. Have a submission? Email us at dc@technical.ly and tell us why it belongs in the roundup.

Boston-based Rapid7 announced its intent to acquire Arlington, Virginia-based DivvyCloud in a deal valued at approximately $145 million in cash and stock.

Rapid7 is a publicly traded provider of security analytics and automation technology. Founded in 2013, DivvyCloud develops technology to automate and manage cloud infrastructure that businesses use to improve security. Rapid7s acquisition of DivvyCloud is expected to close some time in this second quarter.

Joining forces with Rapid7 is a natural next step, said DivvyCloud cofounder and CEO Brian Johnson in a statement. With the combined expertise of both Rapid7 and DivvyCloud, we are even better positioned to help enterprises accelerate innovation using cloud and containers without the loss of control.

When the deal closes, DivvyClouds team of more than 75 will join Rapid7, and so will its portfolio of over 50 customers. DivvyCloud didnt disclose any leadership transitions as a result of the acquisition at this time. With this partnership, Rapid7 customers will gain access to DivvyClouds platform.

This deal comes after DivvyCloud hit a major growth spurt in 2019 by nearly doubling its employee count and moving into a new headquarters.

P.S. The Arlington company is hosting a free webinar at 2 p.m. on April 29 on the state of enterprise cloud adoption and security. More info here.

Virginia Beach, Virginia-based DroneUp, a four-year-old end-to-end drone pilot service provider for aerial data collection, has acquired AeroVista Innovations for an undisclosed amount. This acquisition allows DroneUp to provide full-service drone training to private and public sector organizations, per a press release.

AeroVista Innovations, which is also headquartered in Virginia Beach, provides drone training, consulting and programs to public agencies and organizations.

DroneUp will mainly integrate AeroVistas business operations into its brand as The DroneUp Training Academy. The academy will be led by both DroneUp training director, Brenden Stewart, and the companys sales director, Melanie Harris.

Our training division allows us to enhance the skills of our pilots who fly complex missions for our customers and to assist our clients in problem-solving internal and off-site issues impacting safe and complete drone solutions, DroneUp founder and CEO Tom Walker said in a statement. DroneUp is looking forward to the expansion through this acquisition.

Chevy Chase, Maryland-based private equity firm Arlington Capital Partnersannounced that its portfolio company, AEgis Technologies, has acquired Chantilly, Virginia-based Excivity.

AEgis Technologies provides advanced engineering solutions across the intelligence market. Founded in 2016, Excivity creates security software and hardware, including applications and situational awareness toolsets. The company also consults its clients on how to implement security tech, and conducts cybersecurity trainings.

The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed but Excivitys founder and CEO Matt Ramsey and CTO Roger Edmiston joined the AEgis Technologies leadership team. The pair will still manage the Excivity business and as of this month, Ramseys new role is general manager, according to his Linkedin profile.

The acquisition adds complementary technologies, deep industry relationships, and a highly technical employee base to the AEgis platform, Arlington Capital Partners VP Henry Albers said in a statement. We will continue to pursue strategic acquisitions that add cutting-edge capabilities in our target mission areas.

Originally posted here:
M&A Moves: Boston's Rapid7 will acquire Arlington-based DivvyCloud for $145M - Technical.ly

OPI, in partnership with Martin Wilde Associates (MWA), is pleased to announce the publication of its latest research report, The View From The Top: The State Of The OP Industry 2019-20.

This is OPI and MWAs seventh annual market research study, and it is based on perceptions and forecasts for the OP sector following more than 60 in-depth interviews with senior industry executives from around the world.

The survey shows that core OP sales were resilient in 2019, with more than half of the respondents indicating that traditional product sales had increased versus 2019. Nevertheless, the most widely reported growing categories were in what used to be called adjacencies, such as breakroom, jan/san and PPE.

Another interesting finding is that a majority of the respondents are looking to acquire another business in 2020, although less than half were looking to buy an OP specialist.

Since the interviews were carried out, the world has been hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, to ensure that a realistic assessment of the market conditions in 2020 is obtained, survey respondents will be invited to review and revise their initial estimates in a number of areas. These results will be published later in the year as a supplement to the report, and free of charge to all those who purchased the original survey.

For more details about this new State of the Industry report, please click here.

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Market segmentation, by product types: Web-based App-based

Market segmentation, by applications: For Professionals For Personal Trainer

Order a Copy of Global Fitness Training Software Market Report 2020 @https://www.orianresearch.com/checkout/1571735

What to Expect From This Report on Fitness Training Software Market:

Regions Covered in Fitness Training Software Market are:-

North and South America

Europe

China

South Korea

Japan

India

Research Objectives of Fitness Training Software Market:

-To study and analyze the global Fitness Training Software consumption (value & volume) by key -regions/countries, product type and application, history data from 2014 to 2020, and forecast to 2025.

-To understand the structure of Fitness Training Software market by identifying its various sub segments. Focuses on the key global Fitness Training Software manufacturers, to define, describe and analyze the sales volume, value, market share, market competition landscape, SWOT analysis and development plans in next few years.

-To analyze the Fitness Training Software with respect to individual growth trends, future prospects, and their contribution to the total market.

-To share detailed information about the key factors influencing the growth of the market (growth potential, opportunities, drivers, industry-specific challenges and risks).

-To project the consumption of Fitness Training Software submarkets, with respect to key regions (along with their respective key countries).

-To analyze competitive developments such as expansions, agreements, new product launches, and acquisitions in the market.

-To strategically profile the key players and comprehensively analyze their growth strategies.

Major Points from Table of Contents1 Industry Overview of Fitness Training Software

2 Industry Chain Analysis of Fitness Training Software

3 Manufacturing Technology of Fitness Training Software

4 Major Manufacturers Analysis of Fitness Training Software

5 Global Productions, Revenue and Price Analysis of Fitness Training Software by Regions, Manufacturers, Types and Applications

6 Global and Major Regions Capacity, Production, Revenue and Growth Rate of Fitness Training Software 2014-2019

7 Consumption Volumes, Consumption Value, Import, Export and Sale Price Analysis of Fitness Training Software by Regions

8 Gross and Gross Margin Analysis of Fitness Training Software

9 Marketing Traders or Distributor Analysis of Fitness Training Software

10 Global and Chinese Economic Impacts on Fitness Training Software Industry

11 Development Trend Analysis of Fitness Training Software

12 Contact information of Fitness Training Software

13 New Project Investment Feasibility Analysis of Fitness Training Software

14 Conclusion of the Global Fitness Training Software Industry 2019 Market Research Report

In addition, this report discusses the key drivers influencing market growth, opportunities, the challenges and the risks faced by key manufacturers and the market as a whole. It also analyzes key emerging trends and their impact on present and future development.

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Fitness Training Software Market 2020: Comprehensive Research Study, Key Players Analysis, Sales Revenue, Global Opportunities, Competitive Landscape...

The UN Security Council must renew and strengthen enforcement of the arms embargo on South Sudan, Amnesty International said today, exposing new evidence that multiple security forces are breaching it and concealing weapons amid a volatile security situation. Next month the Security Council is set to vote on a resolution that would renew the embargo, which currently expires on 31 May 2020.

Earlier this year, the organizations investigators gained access to 12 military training and cantonment sites across the country run by members of formerly opposed forces including the South Sudan Peoples Defence Forces (SSPDF), Sudan Peoples Liberation Army-In Opposition (SPLA-IO) and South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA), as well as the so-called Organized Forces of the police, fire brigade, and wildlife service.

Amnesty International discovered evidence of newly imported small arms and ammunition, illicit concealment of weapons, and diversion of armoured vehicles for military uses not approved under the arms transfer licenses. Government and former opposition forces reporting on security arrangements actively deceived Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD)-supported monitors, showing an urgent need for meticulous, independent verification.

The African Union has dubbed 2020 the year to silence the guns on the continent, which, as they have stated, includes taking measures to prevent UN arms embargo violations. Renewing the embargo on South Sudan is a crucial part of this effort. Weapons have been used to commit horrific human rights violations and war crimes throughout the conflict, said Deprose Muchena, Amnesty Internationals Director for East and Southern Africa.

The UN arms embargo hasnt been a panacea, but the situation would almost certainly be worse without it in place.

The UN arms embargo hasnt been a panacea, but the situation would almost certainly be worse without it in place. The ceasefire continues to be broken sporadically, the implementation of critical security, governance and accountability arrangements are persistently delayed, and South Sudan awash with small arms is also facing the public health crisis posed by COVID-19. Now is not the time to let even more weapons flow into this volatile mix.

Most of the hundreds of rifles and other small arms that Amnesty International investigators observed in the hands of soldiers were acquired prior to the embargo the UN Security Council imposed on all of South Sudan in July 2018. However, several bodyguards for prominent generals from government and opposition forces alike, who would have first access to newly acquired weapons, carried models of Eastern European weapons never before documented in the country (see technical addendum for more details). Amnesty International therefore believes that these weapons were brought into South Sudan in violation of the arms embargo.

Amnesty International has also acquired verified photographs of ammunition used by the National Security Service (NSS) at Luri, a highly secretive NSS base outside South Sudans capital, Juba. The images show Chinese cartridges manufactured in 2016, after Chinas last acknowledged sale to South Sudan. Either these cartridges breached the arms embargo, were secretly sold beforehand, or were acquired from a third-party seller who would have broken the embargo or illicitly diverted the ammunition.

Small arms imports are not the only likely violations. Sources have told Amnesty International that at the time the arms embargo was established, the South Sudan governments fleet of Mi-24 attack helicopters was dysfunctional and grounded. Since then it has acquired spare parts to refurbish the helicopters, violating the arms embargo.

Satellite imagery analysis by Amnesty International shows that several of the helicopters underwent significant maintenance at Luri and Juba International Airport in October 2018 and have been flown several times since. Two aircraft were missing twice from the ramp in Juba, on 4 March and 10 March 2019, and one was missing on 10 February 2020. There are many reasons the aircraft could have flown, but it is noteworthy that in March 2019, fighting took place against the National Salvation Front in Yei, in the southern part of the country. The Mi-24s are especially problematic in the context of South Sudan, where the heavy armed gunships have unfettered opportunity to strafe ground targets with rockets and machine guns and have been used in attacks that have unlawfully killed and injured civilians.

Just one of these attack helicopters costs USD $36 million, and parts and maintenance come at a premium, particularly when these components violate a UN arms embargo. Given the tremendous challenges facing South Sudans grossly under-funded health and social welfare systems particularly in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic priority must be given to protecting people's health and livelihoods, rather than purchasing and importing arms. The embargo must remain, be strengthened and independent monitors based in South Sudan must be mandated to inspect exempted shipments, said Deprose Muchena.

As part of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS) signed in September 2018, government and opposition forces committed to moving troops to joint cantonment sites, turning in their weapons to independently monitored armouries, and beginning a training process to form unified forces as a step towards building a new military.

However, Amnesty International investigators did not find this disarmament process occurring at any of the 12 sites visited. Some fighters did not bring their weapons to the cantonment sites, as a wariness of the peace process prompted SSPDF and opposition forces to retain their arms. In other cases, fighters arrived with weapons but then hid them away in their dwellings rather than turn them in.

The only site that had a nominally established armoury was Gorom, where the special VIP protection force is being formed and trained. In a presentation to diplomats and independent ceasefire monitors, the brigadier general leading the training there said they had dedicated four shipping containers to store weapons. However, when Amnesty International researchers requested the containers be opened, they discovered they were all stuffed with bags of grain stacked to the ceiling, and only a handful of small arms were laid against the door of a single container.

The government carefully orchestrates what monitors can see and blocks access to strategic sites, thereby effectively largely controlling what information is reported to IGAD. For example, in December 2018, when three ceasefire monitors and their driver attempted to gain entry to Luri, NSS officers arbitrarily detained them, blindfolding, handcuffing and physically assaulting them. The monitors were turned away after NSS agents stole their money and valuables.

Child soldiers and other violations

During the investigation, Amnesty International observed child soldiers present in at least two cantonment and training sites, within ranks of government and opposition forces, including the VIP protection force. UNICEF estimates there are 19,000 children used by armed forces and armed groups in South Sudan as of late July 2019. Only 53 have been released from barracks, bases and cantonment sites as at 7 February 2020.

In February 2020, the government signed an action plan with the UN to end and prevent all grave violations against children. The SPLA-IO and SSOA endorsed the plan which will apply to the opposition forces as they unify with government forces. Two weeks after the signing of the action plan, on 26 February, 15 children associated with armed forces and armed groups were released, but more needs to be done to end the perpetration of violations against children affected by conflict and holding those responsible for it to account.

Besides blatant UN arms embargo violations, the Government of South Sudan has also violated sales agreements for legally acquired weapons. In 2014, it purchased armoured vehicles from STREIT Group, a Canadian company with a major manufacturing plant in the United Arab Emirates that typically supplies African countries. At the time of the sale, the Government of South Sudan promised only to use the vehicles for policing.

However, photographs obtained by Amnesty International show the vehicles being used in military operations against opposition forces, in violation of the sales agreement. And during its recent field investigation, Amnesty International researchers observed one STREIT Typhoon armoured vehicle in Western Equatoria State in the south-west of the country, a tense strategic area that saw persistent fighting from 2016 until 2019. This shows that the government continues its practice of illicit diversion.

Until forces in South Sudan stop illegally concealing weapons, and use the ones they have responsibly, the arms embargo must stay in place. The security situation in South Sudan is too fragile while basic international norms, such as the prohibition of the recruitment and use of child soldiers, continue to be violated. South Sudan must seriously tackle these problems and the UN Security Council must renew the arms embargo to stem the flow of weapons into the country, said Deprose Muchena.

South Sudan has been covered by a comprehensive European Union arms embargo since July 2011, following its secession from Sudan. The embargo encompasses not only the supply of arms by EU member states, by their nationals, or on ships and aircraft flagged in their jurisdictions; but also the provision of technical advice and assistance relating to embargoed weapons, and financial assistance for arms supplies. The global Arms Trade Treaty, which came into force in December 2014, prohibits the transfer of weapons which carry a substantial risk of being used for war crimes, such as attacks directed against civilian objects or civilians protected as such principles that are also enshrined in many domestic arms control laws.

The UN arms embargo on South Sudan was instituted on 13 July 2018. The resolution legally obliges all UN member states to prevent the direct or indirect supply, sale or transfer of arms and related material including ammunition, military vehicles and spare parts from entering South Sudan. This includes using ships that sail under their flag or aircraft. The embargo also extends to technical support, training, financial or other assistance related to military activities.

Amnesty International researches violations of all three arms control regimes.

The vast majority of the hundreds of small arms observed by Amnesty International investigators during their time in South Sudan were either two standard Kalashnikov variantsRussian AKMs and Chinese Type 56sor Chinese CQs, a copy of the American M-16. Investigators also recorded a small number of Israeli Galils in the security details of senior government officials. All of these weapons were most likely imported into the country prior to the UN arms embargo.

This finding is consistent with other surveys of small arms and light weapons undertaken in South Sudan by outside monitoring organizations, including Small Arms Survey, Center For Advanced Defense Studies (C4ADS), and Conflict Armament Research, the latter of which produced the most thorough and complete dataset of weapons in the country to date in its November 2018 report Weapon Supplies Into South Sudans Civil War.

However, Amnesty International investigators documented several weapons, held by members of the SSPDF and SPLA-IO, which do not appear in any of these databases. At one training site, near the border in the south-west, several SSPDF soldiers were armed with MPi-KMS-72 rifles manufactured in the former East Germany. The MPi-KMS-72 is identifiable from its side-fold triangular stock and distinctive plum furniture, or purplish pistol grip and front hand-guards. In addition, at an SPLA-IO camp in Western Bahr el Ghazal State, in the north-west of the country, where clashes with government forces took place from December 2015 until January 2019, and at a nearby training site that hosted both government and SPLA-IO forces, Amnesty International investigators identified several PM md. 90 carbines, manufactured in Romania. The PM md. 90 is identifiable from its side-fold triangular stock and distinctive wooden front pistol grip.

Neither the East German MPi-KMS-72s nor the Romanian PM md. 90s appear in any published inventory or survey of South Sudanese small arms, including the detailed Conflict Armament Research iTrace database. While these weapons are not newly manufactured, it is reasonable to believe they are newly shipped to South Sudan, which would constitute a violation of the UN arms embargo. Multiple sources confirmed to Amnesty International that South Sudanese government forces and armed groups were seeking older Eastern European arms from illicit arms traffickers, as they were available in quantity and, because of their date of manufacture, less obviously a UN arms embargo violation. However, note that sales from Eastern Europe would also constitute a violation of the European Union embargo.

In addition, Amnesty International has acquired detailed photographs of the ammunition cartridges fired at Luri. The photos show 7.62x39mm cartridges, standard ammunition for Kalashnikov-style rifles, with a headstamp of 811_16. This indicates that the ammunition was manufactured at Chinese State Factory 811 in 2016.

This finding is significant. As detailed in the 2018 Conflict Armament Research report, the majority of the 7.62x39mm cartridges they documented in South Sudan were manufactured in Chinese State Factory 811 in 2013, and so bore the headstamp 811_13. Conflict Armament Research also documented a small number of 811_14 headstamps, the latest date that appears in their dataset. These cartridges most likely came from two large shipments of 20 million rounds from China in May 2014. Amnesty International protested the sale at the time, correctly predicting that the shipment by China would fuel human rights violations and war crimes. Significantly, China claims that it has not sold arms or ammunition to South Sudan since September 2014, saying it would be inappropriate.

If the NSS acquired the ammunition directly from China, then either the Chinese government broke the arms embargo or sold the arms after pledging not to, but before the UN Security Council imposed the arms embargo on the territory of South Sudan in July 2018. If the NSS acquired the Chinese ammunition from a third-party seller, then they either broke the embargo or illicitly diverted the ammunition.

In 2015, South Sudan purchased at least four Mi-24 attack helicopters from Ukraine. When the UN arms embargo was instituted in July 2018, these helicopters were in disrepair and unserviceable, unable to fly. Any provision of spare parts to maintain these helicopters would constitute a violation of the arms embargo. In addition, Ukraine is signatory to the Arms Trade Treaty. As a signatory, Ukraine is bound not to undermine the treatys object and purpose, which includes contributing to international and regional peace, security and stability.

At the start of the embargo, satellite imagery indicates that two of the helicopters were based at Luri and two at Juba International Airport (JIA). Amnesty International consulted a series of 308 satellite images to build a detailed timeline of the specific locations of the four helicopters since the imposition of the embargo. This analysis demonstrates that the helicopters have been undergoing maintenance, moving between sites at Luri and JIA, and flown for other purposes, including possibly in support of ground combat, since the July 2018 arms embargo.

In October and November 2018, several months after the embargo was implemented, satellite imagery shows maintenance and movement of the two helicopters on the southern military ramp at JIA. Similarly, in October 2018 one of the helicopters at Luri underwent maintenance and moved to JIA, where it remains until today. The last Mi-24 at Luri does not have its rotors installed, and appears to be in a long-term state of disrepair, though in the last month new rotor blades have been placed near the airframe, indicating refurbishment is possibly imminent.

For the majority of the time since, the three Mi-24s at JIA have stayed in the same parking locations, except for two cases.

On two separate occasions, on 4 March and 10 March 2019, two of the helicopters were missing from JIA. Satellite images show that the helicopters returned to the ramp on 8 March. There are many reasons the aircraft could have flown, but it is noteworthy that at that time, fighting took place against the National Salvation Front in Yei, in the southern part of the country. In addition, one of the helicopters was missing on 10 February 2020. Amnesty International investigators personally observed that on 12 February 2020, one of the Mi-24 helicopters lacked its standard cloth windscreen, which is placed on the aircraft during non-flying times to protect the glass from weather and debris. The lack of the windscreen is another indication that the helicopter had recently flown.

Amnesty International believes that flight operations are the only reasonable explanation for the helicopters to be missing from the ramp. The nearby hangars are blocked from the ramp by concrete barriers, and in any case have doors too small to accommodate the helicopters. The helicopters also do not appear on the rest of the grounds of JIA, which are reserved for civilian and UN aircraft.

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Amnesty International calls on the UN Security Council to renew its arms embargo on South Sudan, citing new evidence of violations on the ground -...

LUND Apr 29, 2020 (Thomson StreetEvents) -- Edited Transcript of Immunovia AB (publ) earnings conference call or presentation Tuesday, April 28, 2020 at 2:30:00pm GMT

Hello, and welcome to the Immunovia Q1 Conference Call. My name is Jas, and I'll be your coordinator for today's event. (Operator Instructions) I will now hand you over to your host, Mats Grahn, CEO, to begin today's call. Thank you.

Yes. Good afternoon or good morning wherever you are. It is a pleasure to welcome you to this quarter 1 report from Immunovia. And we will, today, after this slide, also go through the agenda, which is the first quarter highlights, of course. It's our response to the ongoing pandemic. We'll talk about the remaining steps to launch of IMMray PanCan-d, our test for early detection of pancreas cancer; touch on the commercial launch preparation activities; the prospective studies; and then there will be some short information about the upcoming AGM; and we'll finish up with questions.

So the first thing is the highlights that we have had in quarter 1. And we -- the most important thing is, of course, that the verification study of IMMray PanCan-d proceeds as planned. We did receive all the required blood samples and actually more from our key opinion leader network for the verification study.

The commercial team also worked hard with preparing the detailed plans for the launch, particularly during January and February. Then when the pandemic hit in March, these plans had to be adopted significantly to accommodate the situation. I will touch upon that later in the presentation.

And of course, what happened was that in-person activities has had -- such as conferences and patient organization meetings, both very, very important for awareness and knowledge about the tests, were canceled and now has been turned into digital activities in a successful way.

Furthermore, an important step in quarter 1 was that we welcomed our new Senior Vice President of Sales for North America, Mike Pettigrew, to the team. And also, we proceeded with our discovery study in lung cancer even after the partner on pharma side decided not to continue. We have all the control of our samples and continues as planned for the -- and we'll be reporting that in quarter 2.

Shortly on the -- before I move on to the COVID-19 situation in the Q1 report, you can also see that our cash flow for the quarter was about SEK 40.5 million. And more -- most importantly, we have SEK 223 million at hand, which means we have over a year with the current business plan going forward, which is great in these times of corona unrest on the market.

So let's move to the response to the pandemic. This is, of course, extremely important for all companies right now. And I'm happy to say that we are pretty well off, and I'll talk about the impact that then has happened.

We have, of course, work-at-home policies introduced for the employees. Even if you're healthy and you can work from home, they are doing so to minimize the risk of infections. If people have symptoms, cold and so forth, and then it's, of course, mandatory to stay at home. This leads to some reshuffling in tasks, of course, when people have to stay at home and so forth, but we have been able to manage that well this far.

When it comes to activities that require that staff is at -- in place, the R&D labs in Sweden, the clinical lab in Sweden and the production facilities, still fully operational. So we have managed very well during this first period of the pandemic, thanks to the loyal and flexibility of the staff, which we are really happy about.

The COVID-19, also for the ones who are not familiar to the local situation, in South Sweden hasn't had any major impact yet as opposed to the Stockholm area, for example. So in that sense, we're also fortunate to be located here in the south of Sweden. None of our employees are infected thus far here or in U.S. or elsewhere.

We, of course, constantly follow the guidelines and changes or orders from authorities in the geographies where we are active. And particularly focusing on U.S. in the right corner of this slide, the clinical lab is well prepared for -- with detailed plans for sales part. However, as we reported, first of April, the state went into a shutdown and stay-at-home orders for all people 1st to April 7. That has -- during, let's say, last weeks have been prolonged to May 4. And that, of course, is a challenge for us, where our staff in the lab cannot -- are not allowed to go to work and has to stay at home, and we'll touch more upon this later in the presentation.

When it comes to other activities to mitigate COVID-19, we were successful during Q1 to stock reagents, consumables and chemicals required for our work leading up to the launch and also having all instrumentation in place and installed the last things right before things got a little bit difficult. So we are very well equipped on that side and have been able to continue to fill up with what we need. So that is fully under control.

Moving forward then to our clinical collaborations with all the hospitals across the world. They are, of course, following their national guidelines and local guidelines and regulations, which means that many of our sites or most of them actually have stopped clinical trials in general, including sample collaboration. And this is because they, of course, have reallocated resources, clinicians and staff to COVID-19 care.

Some places even -- it's not even possible to get into the hospitals to pick up, for example, collected samples that are there. So -- and also individuals that are in the clinical programs, even if they would like to, they may not be able to travel or come to the hospital given the situation. That's why the sites are affected in that sense.

However, there are also a good situation for us because we managed to get all the samples we needed and even more for the verification studies delivered to our site in Lund before any of this shutdown. So we are in a good situation compared to many others there. And we are working hard in various ways to also secure the last ones for the validation, which we'll come back to as well during the presentation.

Let's move over to the remaining steps to launch and the details of some of the challenges we have and how we work with them. As you are aware, we are at the verification study. That is important to verify the functionality and the performance of the locked test in IMMray PanCan-d, both the signature and algorithms and so forth. This is done on the known samples, and we are working hard to complete that one that then leads over to this next step, the validation study. And we have come this far. And we have, over the years, overcome numerous obstacles. And now finally, we have to overcome the corona situation as well, and we will. We will be the first to market with this test that no one else has been able to do before. So we are still on the same path here. We are working hard to overcome the last hurdles caused by the corona. And everybody else is affected by that as well. So I'm very confident that we'll be the first to market.

Let's look into a little bit of the details of what's happening in Massachusetts, specifically where we are located outside Boston. This is now our main time risk, so to say, for our plan for the launch in Q3. And that is because the lab, as we have stated in the press release and also in the updates of 1st of April, is fully ready with the plans, what needs to be done from now until launch, including accreditations and sales starts and practical setups and so forth. However, since as of today, Massachusetts has extended this statewide mandatory closure or what they call nonessential to COVID-19 businesses and also stay-at-home guidelines all the way until May 4. This -- losing more than a month of practical work there is a challenge, which meet by doing replanning for different scenarios. We are reallocating tasks between Massachusetts, well, the lab in Marlborough and our team here in Lund, as far as possible. We are -- reallocation samples that are required and everything that is possible. It is a critical activity, and we need to get the lab opened, but we are in the hands of the authorities there. It's still possible to move to the targets, but it's the main risk, and I want you to be aware of that.

And looking a little bit into the detail here on these 2 last steps, the validation study and the -- verification study followed by the validation study. The validation is done on locked signature and algorithms on blinded samples, and we have most samples in-house but specific for the U.S. launch, and we are focusing to secure transfer of some samples that are already collected but are at hospitals where we currently can't get in. We are -- although in -- confident that we will be able to access them as soon as things ease up a little bit just in -- especially in U.S. hospitals. And then we are also getting positive feedback on collection of remaining samples, mainly for the CE marking that will happen in parallel. So we also, of course, use the mitigation of excess samples for the validation collection and reallocate it as much as possible to the activities in validation. So this is important to understand, and we are working really hard to meet this.

And I also want to make sure that you understand that the subset of the studies, particularly the validation, has to be performed in the CLIA/CAP laboratory in Marlborough for the U.S. accreditation to CLIA/CAP. And we are, of course, doing everything we can to minimize the impact that is closed down and are ready to go as soon as possible after the opening as soon as our people get into lab. However, we have worked hard on reallocating tasks, and our team in U.S. are actually doing a great work from home even though they can't be in the lab, even supporting with digital tasks, the people in here in Lund facilities and vice versa. So for example, doing important work on results coming from the scanners overnight, so they are ready when the people here in Lund come to work in the morning and so forth. So it's a constant replanning, reshuffling. We've been successful this far, but it is very tight, and we really need the authorities to open up the ability to go to work in Massachusetts.

Okay. Let's move over to the commercial side and talk about the commercial launch preparation activities. We mentioned -- I mentioned in the beginning here that the prelaunch activity that was planned in detail and ready to go had to be replanned in March because of important clinical conferences, which are really important to meet the key opinion leaders, the clinicians, the gastro people and so forth to introduce the test and make them really aware in a broader sense than we have now when we are closing in to launch. That is not possible face-to-face because the conference have been canceled during foreseeable months here of the launch.

Same thing, we have had the last year's extensive collaborations with the patient organization and taking part in numerous, what they call, walks or patient meetings in all the major cities basically in U.S. And since these ones were also canceled because we can't gather thousands of people in that way either, digital plans have been put in place, and we have also increased activities in a very, very innovative way from our launch team and our commercial organizations. Example of these are net conferences where we will present are now step by step getting turned into digital conferences. The latest example here is that the big and very important -- most important key opinion leader meeting in Europe called EPC has been decided -- that was planned to be in Paris now will be a digital full meeting where Immunovia is presenting the test and those things. So that's now set in stone, and it will happen.

Even more important in collaborations with one of the major patient organizations, the patient meet -- patient organization meetings that normally take place physically in different cities, there will be -- was a plan for a huge one outside U.S. in London summer. That one has now been turned into a virtual digital walk. And we have, I think, today announced it on our home page when and how it will happen. And that means that even U.S. investors are interested in the company, and the test will be able to take part in that one that way. So this is something we worked on our initiatives on our team with the patient organization in U.K. And it's first of its kind ever globally, and we believe this is a great concept that we will try to move further into other countries, as well in other languages. So if you are interested to take part in the virtual walk patient organizations, check it out on our home page, and it will happen in June.

Right. That was some examples. When it comes to the sales preparation and launch preparation activities that are maintained that relates to, for example, setting up the sales system, building the sales training packages for people they are on-boarding right now, completing sales tools and do a lot of target mapping, meaning that we, in detail, continue to map up each individuals in key hospitals and gastro centers that we want the sales force to pay visit to and target. So they are -- will be extremely well prepared and targeted to maximize the use of their time. So that's short about the commercial launch preparations, been a lot of work to reshuffle, but we believe we are in a successful path in this area.

Next slide is about the prospective studies. I mentioned in the beginning here that -- the sites, the hospitals that take part in this, and there are many, as you know, in the 3 studies we run. We run the PanFAM for the hereditary/familiar risk group, we run the PanDIA for the people who are over 50 and gets the first diagnosis of diabetes and PanSYM for differential diagnosis and rollout of pancreas cancer. All the 3 ones have been running, as you know. The one that is affected by this situation the most is the PanFAM because risk people have difficulties or cannot come to the hospitals for their checkups or leave the blood sample right now and/or the hospitals are reallocating resources to the COVID-19. That means that the PanFAM one will be postponed even interim and least to next year, 2021, Q1, Q2. That's for sure.

However, PanDIA, the big study that we run here in Scandinavia, in Sweden particularly will not be affected as this sample collected -- collection is very well advanced already at this stage. And actually, it's still ongoing, has not been closed down since it's running here in the south of Sweden, where the infection of corona has been very low this far.

When it comes to PanSYM, we are confident that the intervention phase that will -- which is planned to start early '21 is -- will be planted accordingly and move on there. So it's really only PanFAM that is affected. This is a much, much better situation than any clinical trials, for example, in the pharma side, which is very difficult if it's interrupted. So this is also, under the circumstances, under control.

Next area, and this is just a summary of the slide of the 3 prospectus studies as you have known them from before, and it's the ones we just talked about.

Finally, here now, the AGM announcements and details. And for that, I will leave the word to Julie Silber, our IR Director.

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Julie Silber, Immunovia AB (publ) - Director of IR [3]

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Hi, and thank you again for joining us. This is Julie Silber, the Director of IR, and I wanted to just do a brief announcement on our Annual General Meeting. As previously announced, the AGM will take place on Thursday, May 7, 2020, at 4 p.m. Details can be found for this on the press release for the AGM that was dated April 3 as well as on our website.

I wanted to take this time to just assure people that we are taking every precaution necessary in accordance with COVID-19 safety requirements and that the meeting will be kept as short as possible. No refreshments will be served, and seating will also accommodate the COVID-19 safety requirements.

Shareholders, agents and/or assistants who feel the slightest bit ill or have a relative that are sick or belong to the COVID-19 risk group should not attend the meeting. Shareholders should consider voting by proxy. The company, if necessary, may actually take further precautions at short notice depending on what is happening with the pandemic. We urge you, all shareholders, anyone who is interested in attending this meeting, to follow the company's website at http://www.immunovia.com for any updates to this information.

And now I will turn this back for Q&A.

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Mats Grahn, Immunovia AB (publ) - CEO [4]

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Right. And just before we start the Q&A, I will just have a few summaries on this one.

So actions taken successfully to date to combat the situation with the pandemic. We are on a critical time line but still on the time line, and we remain focused on the launch of IMMray PanCan-d. We will be the first to market. And we have, of course -- we are ready to adjust to unforeseen circumstances, and we know there will be more of that going forward, of course. Specifically, the Massachusetts closure is the current main risk, and we will work hard on that and update you as soon as we have a clear picture of what that means.

We will be the first-to-market solution for early detection of pancreas cancer. And this -- don't forget about it, it's a major market opportunity exceeding USD 4 billion over time. And this is a great place to be in, and we are sure we will take the chance to meet the remaining obstacles to get to that position.

So with that, I'd like to open up for questions.

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Questions and Answers

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Operator [1]

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(Operator Instructions) And we have just had a question come through, and this comes from the line of [Michael Loffman].

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Unidentified Analyst, [2]

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I was just wondering about the discovery studies of RA and lung. Are they still on schedule for Q2?

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Mats Grahn, Immunovia AB (publ) - CEO [3]

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Right. I suspect that I would get that question, so we actually prepared a slide for that as well, which you hopefully can see now. This is the general path of all studies, all the way from very early stage, all the way to commercialization. As you know, we are at the end of that now for IMMray PanCan-d.

And when it comes to lung cancer, it's in the analysis phase actually. We have run the samples that we did achieve from our previous collaborator and that are now in our ownership and use. So we will conclude that, as we have announced earlier in Q2.

When it comes to RA, we have the samples at hand. We have the clinical date. However -- and we -- but I can't be 100% sure when, so we will announce it when it's ready. And the reason for that is that we are now really allocating all the resources we have to the PanCan-d to make sure that we meet our objectives and targets on the PanCan-d side because the key value in the company right now and for the foreseeable future is to succeed and to capture the pancreas cancer diagnostic market here and really meet the time lines on this one. So we will need -- we are doing a lot of reallocation of people just to meet the effects of the corona and so forth for different tasks day by day. And at any case, we will not -- we will always prioritize PanCan-d. That's why I cannot be sure to promise when the RA data will be ready.

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Operator [4]

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The next question comes from the line of [Oskar Milner].

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Unidentified Analyst, [5]

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Last year around this time, you -- I think you estimated that Immunovia had connected with some 24,000 people via different patient organizations. Could you give an update on where you stand in numbers and so today?

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Mats Grahn, Immunovia AB (publ) - CEO [6]

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Yes. 2000 -- and that was -- the figures you referred to were 2018 approximately, what I can remember. And 2019, we had even more meetings. I believe it was around 35,000 people that attended these meetings, in U.S. particularly. So we spent the last 2 years in close collaboration with the patient organizations, and we visited and informed and met people and took contact details of people who wanted to be on our waiting list and information list and so forth from this one. So it was about 25,000 in 2018 and 35,000 in 2019.

We had planned for this year even more on these visits, and we did some of them this year as well before the corona shut all of them down. That's why we now have this initiative. We're doing digital walks, and it's actually our idea that our commercial team has come up with them and worked with the first patient organization here to run the one -- the big one in London. And we also hope that the U.S. side will jump on to that train, and we can continue with digital ones this year. This is important to continue to build awareness and demand from the self-pay group of -- particularly the hereditary/familiar group.

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Unidentified Analyst, [7]

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Yes. Great. I have a second question. A term I hear often is golden standard when it comes to these tests. Could you speak a little bit about what that is, what that means?

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Mats Grahn, Immunovia AB (publ) - CEO [8]

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Oh, yes. It's very nice to do that in this area. The problem with pancreatic cancer is that there is nothing really that functions when it comes to a blood-based test or a simple test for early detection. There is one single marker called CA19-9, and you measure one thing, which is a standard test. That's actually most often -- it's actually in the guidelines only used -- should only be used for recurrence monitoring, but it's anyway measured on many patients. I wouldn't call it a golden standard. It's the only thing that's there, and it's not really working very well by itself.

The other golden standard, you can say, in this area would be imaging then, which is the current way to diagnose -- only way to diagnose pancreatic cancer and will continue to be important. And that consists not only of CT, the standard CT, but it's more MRI and endoscopic ultrasound.

So in other areas of diagnosis, there may be golden standards of other blood-based or simpler tests and so forth. But in this area has been unmet clinical need, and that's one of the strategic reasons why we picked this one as a target for our first product.

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Operator [9]

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There are currently no questions in the queue. (Operator Instructions)

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Julie Silber, Immunovia AB (publ) - Director of IR [10]

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We do have some questions that have come in via the web section of this call, and I can actually ask some of those at this moment while we're waiting for more call-in question.

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Mats Grahn, Immunovia AB (publ) - CEO [11]

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Great.

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Julie Silber, Immunovia AB (publ) - Director of IR [12]

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The first one is, is the EU launch postponed? Or when do you expect the EU launch?

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See more here:
Edited Transcript of IMMNOV.ST earnings conference call or presentation 28-Apr-20 2:30pm GMT - Yahoo Finance