Statement from Kathy Crosby, CEO and President of Truth Initiative

WASHINGTON, Sept. 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that it plans to evaluate changes to the framework for applications for new tobacco products like e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches to make it easier for them to be sold. While the agency has not fully outlined what changes it may propose, any action that weakens the scientific evidence required or diminishes the review process would undermine the FDA's regulatory role in protecting public health.

The law requires the FDA to evaluate a number of key pieces of information about a proposed new product, including its components, ingredients, toxicological profile and health impact. It also must consider the risks and benefits to the population as a whole, including users and non-users of tobacco products, particularly youth.

The agency's review of these products against a rigorous public health standard is critical in balancing two important objectives: providing adults who smoke with access to products that have demonstrated they pose less risk if used exclusively, while preventing initiation among youth and those who don't already use tobacco or nicotine products.

With more than 24 million U.S. adults who still smoke, there's a clear need to provide an off-ramp from combustible cigarettes – the leading cause of preventable disease and death. Total cessation is always the goal, but access to FDA-authorized alternatives may play an important role for those unwilling or unable to quit nicotine. Adults who use these products deserve confidence that they have been thoroughly evaluated and are not exposing them to unnecessary or unforeseen health risks.

At the same time, we cannot allow new products to become an on-ramp for addiction among young people and nicotine-naïve individuals. This is critical to ensuring authorized products remain appropriate for the protection of public health, especially as the agency considers a wider variety of flavors and higher nicotine strengths.

Achieving these objectives is made significantly more difficult by today's largely uncontrolled marketplace. While the potential FDA changes are intended to smooth the process for companies meaningfully participating in the regulatory system, the biggest obstacle is the continued proliferation of products sold by companies that have no intention of complying with the law.

Nearly 7,500 illegal e-cigarette and nicotine pouch products have flooded the market, exploiting enforcement gaps to continue marketing highly addictive and appealing products with largely untested ingredients that put all consumers at risk.

The goal shouldn't be how quickly products can move through the review process. It should be to ensure the FDA has the scientific information necessary to determine whether products meet the public health standard and that products authorized through that process are the only ones available in the marketplace.

About Truth Initiative

Truth Initiative® is a national nonprofit public health organization committed to a future free from lifelong addiction, fostering healthier lives and a more resilient nation. Our mission is to prevent youth and young adult nicotine addiction and empower quitting for all. Through our evidence-based, market-leading cessation intervention, EX® Program, and national public education campaigns, we lead the fight against youth and young adult tobacco use. Learn more at truthinitiative.org.

SOURCE Truth Initiative

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Ascletis Announces Positive Results from 28-Day Proof-of-Concept Clinical Study in U.S. for ASC50, a First-in-Class and Best-in-Class Oral Small Molecule IL-17A Inhibitor for the Treatment of Plaque Psoriasis

- 48.9% placebo-adjusted reduction in psoriasis area and severity index (PASI) score achieved in mild-to-moderate plaque psoriasis patients with once-daily 200 mg 28-day treatment.

- Steady-state elimination half-life after 28-day treatment in patients was 6.5 days, supporting potential once-weekly oral dosing.

- Placebo-adjusted reduction in PASI score reached 65.9% in mild-to-moderate plaque psoriasis patients 15 days after last dose (28th dose), which supports potential once-weekly oral dosing.

- Strong target engagement after 28-day dosing, indicated by elevated plasma interleukin-17A (IL-17A) levels.

- Once-daily 200 mg 28-day treatment was safe and well tolerated with only mild adverse events observed. No alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) elevations were observed. No hepatic safety signal was detected.

HONG KONG, Sept. 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Ascletis Pharma Inc. (HKEX: 1672, "Ascletis") announces positive results from a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled 28-day proof-of-concept clinical trial with ASC50 in mild-to-moderate plaque psoriasis patients in the U.S. The objectives of the Phase I study were to evaluate the safety, efficacy and pharmacokinetics of once-daily 200 mg of ASC50 after 28-day treatment in mild-to-moderate plaque psoriasis patients (NCT07024602).

Key Findings

- Achieved a placebo-adjusted reduction of 48.9% in psoriasis area and severity index (PASI) score in mild-to-moderate plaque psoriasis patients after once-daily 200 mg 28-day treatment.

- Steady-state elimination half-life after 28-day treatment in patients was 6.5 days, supporting potential once-weekly oral dosing.

- The placebo-adjusted reduction in PASI score increased to 60.7% and 65.9% 6 days and 15 days, respectively, after the last dose (28th dose). These data support potential once-weekly oral dosing.

- 200 mg once-daily dosing demonstrated comparable reduction in PASI score to published secukinumab data (not head-to-head study). Secukinumab is the marketed interleukin-17A (IL-17A) antibody drug.

- Strong target engagement after 28-day dosing, indicated by elevated plasma IL-17A levels.

- Once-daily 200 mg 28-day treatment was safe and well tolerated. All adverse events (AEs) were mild (Grade 1) and transient. No serious adverse events (SAEs) were reported. There was no discontinuation in the study. No alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) elevations were observed. No hepatic safety signal was detected.

"Strong efficacy and encouraging safety and pharmacokinetic data from this proof-of-concept clinical trial support ASC50's potential to be a first-in-class and best-in-class oral small molecule IL-17A inhibitor, offering patients a needle-free administration option to injectable antibody therapies. ASC50's novel scaffold exhibited a steady-state elimination half-life of 6.5 days in patients, supporting the potential for once-weekly oral dosing," said Jinzi Jason Wu, Ph.D., Founder, Chairman and CEO of Ascletis, "ASC50 has the potential to be a differentiated oral alternative compared to injectable antibody therapies and will benefit patients with once-weekly oral dosing."

ASC50 is an in-house discovered and developed oral small molecule inhibitor targeting IL-17A, an important biologically and commercially validated target for multiple autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, including psoriasis. ASC50 is a new chemical entity (NCE) with a novel scaffold.

About Ascletis Pharma Inc.

Ascletis Pharma Inc. is a fully integrated biotechnology company focused on the development and commercialization of potentially best-in-class and first-in-class therapeutics to treat metabolic diseases. Utilizing its proprietary Artificial Intelligence-assisted Structure-Based Drug Discovery (AISBDD) and Ultra-Long-Acting Platform (ULAP) technologies as well as Peptide Oral Transport ENhancement Technology (POTENT), Ascletis has developed multiple drug candidates in-house, including both small molecules and peptides, such as its lead program, ASC30, a once-daily oral small molecule GLP-1R agonist for chronic weight management and diabetes; ASC30_48FDC, a once-daily oral small molecule dual agonist, a fixed dose combination of ASC30 (GLP-1R agonist) and ASC48 (GIPR agonist), ASC30_48_39FDC, a once-daily oral small molecule triple agonist, a fixed dose combination of ASC30 (GLP-1R agonist), ASC48 (GIPR agonist) and ASC39 (amylin receptor agonist (SARA)), ASC39, an eloralintide-like potent selective amylin receptor agonist (SARA) once-daily oral small molecule, ASC30_39FDC, a once-daily oral small molecule dual agonist, a fixed dose combination of ASC30 (GLP-1R agonist) and ASC39 (amylin receptor agonist (SARA)), ASC36, an amylin peptide, designed to be administered once monthly to once quarterly subcutaneously and once daily orally, ASC35, a once-monthly subcutaneously administered GLP-1R/GIPR dual peptide agonist, ASC36_35FDC, a once-monthly subcutaneous triple peptide agonist, a fixed combination of ASC36 (amylin receptor agonist) and ASC35 (GLP-1R/GIPR agonist), ASC37, a GLP-1R/GIPR/GCGR triple peptide agonist, designed to be administered once monthly subcutaneously and once daily orally, and ASC36_37FDC, a once-monthly subcutaneous quadruple peptide agonist, a fixed dose combination of ASC36 (amylin receptor agonist) and ASC37 (GLP-1R/GIPR/GCGR agonist), for chronic weight management. Ascletis is listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (1672.HK).

For more information, please visit www.ascletis.com.

Contact:

Peter Vozzo

ICR Healthcare

443-231-0505 (U.S.)

[email protected] 

Ascletis Pharma Inc. PR and IR Teams

+86-181-0650-9129 (China)

[email protected]

[email protected] 

SOURCE Ascletis Pharma Inc.

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UMG is advancing its data integration center and becomes the first German university hospital to introduce MDClone's internationally established ADAMS model.

Göttingen, Germany and BEER-SHEVA, Israel, Sept. 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The University Medical Center Göttingen (UMG) is the first hospital in Germany and the European Union to introduce MDClone's ADAMS platform. The platform will build on UMG's existing data integration center, UMG-MeDIC, making the clinical data already consolidated there easier and more secure to use for research, patient care, and quality management.

In doing so, UMG adopts ADAMS by MDClone, a data utilization model already in use at leading international healthcare institutions such as UChicago Medicine, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, and Sheba Medical Center.

"With ADAMS, we are the first university medical center in Germany and the EU to adopt an internationally proven model of data utilization. Our aim is to make our data infrastructure even more accessible to our staff," says Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Brück, Chairman of the Executive Board, Executive Board Member for Research and Teaching, and Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the University Medical Center Göttingen. "Particularly in an increasingly challenging economic environment, innovation is becoming a decisive factor for the future viability of hospitals. Data can help us better understand care processes, identify areas for improvement, and advance medical quality and economic efficiency together on a data-driven basis."

With ADAMS, authorized staff will be able to explore longitudinal clinical data independently within a controlled and secure framework and investigate questions without relying on central IT or analytics resources for every analysis. The goal is to make data available more quickly for research questions, the further development of treatment pathways, quality improvement, and the analysis of clinical processes.

Synthetic Data for Faster Research Projects and Stronger Data Protection

Another focus is on synthetic data. Based on real clinical data, the ADAMS platform can generate synthetic datasets that reflect the statistical properties of the original data without sharing real patient records. This opens up additional opportunities for research, for the development and testing of AI applications, and for collaboration with other scientific institutions and external partners.

"With the Medical Informatics Initiative, Germany has created a strong foundation for the use of clinical data. The task now is to generate as much value as possible from this infrastructure for research and patient care," says Bruno Lempernesse, CEO of MDClone. "Internationally, we see healthcare systems moving from merely providing data toward active, organization-wide data utilization. The University Medical Center Göttingen is now the first institution in Germany and the EU to take this path."

UMG-MeDIC was established as part of the nationwide Medical Informatics Initiative (MII). With ADAMS, UMG is systematically advancing this existing infrastructure and adding a utilization layer for research, patient care, and quality management. This is intended to ensure that the investments made have a lasting impact beyond individual funding periods.

About the University Medical Center Göttingen

The University Medical Center Göttingen (UMG) unites the Faculty of Medicine of the Georg-August-University and the University Hospital under one roof in an integrated model. Alongside research, teaching, and transfer, patient care is one of UMG's core responsibilities.

As the only tertiary care provider in southern Lower Saxony, the hospital has approximately 1,700 inpatient and day-patient beds. All basic medical disciplines are represented, as well as a wide range of specialized disciplines in diagnostics and therapy. Each year, UMG treats around 55,000 inpatients and approximately 280,000 outpatients.

With nearly 9,800 employees, UMG and its subsidiaries are among the largest employers in the region. Around 60 clinics, institutes, and departments stand for high-quality patient care, excellent research, modern teaching, and innovative technology transfer.

About MDClone

MDClone helps healthcare organizations turn their data into continuous and measurable improvement. Through the ADAMS Platform and ADAMS Center operating model, clinicians, researchers, and operational leaders gain governed self-service access to data to identify opportunities, take action, measure results, and scale what works. Built specifically for healthcare, MDClone combines longitudinal real-world data, privacy-preserving synthetic data, and AI capabilities to drive measurable clinical, operational, research, and financial outcomes. MDClone works with leading healthcare organizations and academic institutions in North & South America, Europe, and Israel.

SOURCE MDClone

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askVERA's Easy Read software is available in consumer (B2C) and business (B2B) versions, both with built-in Plain English.

LONDON, Sept. 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- askelie®, the UK-based AI platform company behind the ELIE (Ever Learning Intelligent Engine) platform, today announced the launch of askVERA, a new AI-powered service that helps people and organisations understand complex documents and communications.

askVERA is available in two versions: a consumer offering for individuals who need to understand contracts, letters, policies or official correspondence, and a business version for organisations that want to make their own documents and communications more accessible to customers, staff and the public. Both versions include askVERA's Plain English and Easy Read capabilities.

Plain English rewrites dense or technical text into clear, everyday language, while Easy Read presents information in short sentences and simple structure, in line with recognised accessibility standards. Together, they remove barriers to understanding for anyone who finds legal, financial or technical language difficult to navigate, including people with learning disabilities or limited literacy.

"We built askVERA because too many people are left confused or excluded by documents that should be straightforward," said Derek Kilroe, Chairman of askelie®. "Whether you're an individual trying to make sense of a letter from your landlord, or a business that wants its policies to actually be read and understood, askVERA gives you that clarity in seconds."

The B2C version lets individuals upload or paste any document and get an instant Plain English or Easy Read version, helping with everything from tenancy agreements to insurance policies. The B2B version integrates into an organisation's existing workflows, letting businesses simplify their customer-facing content at scale, supporting accessibility commitments and reducing queries caused by unclear communication.

askVERA has already been working with organisations including Cornwall Council to make important documents easier to understand ahead of today's wider launch.

askVERA is available now online via their website as a standalone subscription. For more information, visit askelie.io.

About askelie®

askelie® is a UK-based AI platform company who built ELIE - the Ever Learning Intelligent Engine. ELIE is the Operational AI Platform connecting people and systems. Its product suite includes intELIEdocs, askKIRA, Voice IntELIEgence and ELIEKonnect, alongside askVERA and AskTARA. askelie® is ISO 27001 certified and works with global organisations across regulated industries to remove friction from everyday operations.

SOURCE AskELIE Limited

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NEW YORK, Sept. 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Class Action Attorney Juan Monteverde with Monteverde & Associates PC (the "M&A Class Action Firm"), has recovered millions of dollars for shareholders and is recognized as a Top 50 Firm in the 2025 ISS Securities Class Action Services Report. We are headquartered at the Empire State Building in New York City and are investigating:

- First Hawaiian, Inc. (NASDAQ: FHB) related to its merger with TriCo Bancshares. Upon closing of the proposed transaction, First Hawaiian shareholders are expected to own approximately 65% of the combined company.

Click here for more info https://monteverdelaw.com/case/first-hawaiian-inc/. It is free and there is no cost or obligation to you.

- Indivior Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: INDV) related to its merger with Supernus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Upon closing of the proposed transaction, Indivior shareholders will own approximately 56.5% of the combined company. Is it a fair deal?

Click here for more info https://monteverdelaw.com/case/indivior-pharmaceuticals-inc/. It is free and there is no cost or obligation to you.

- Integer Holdings Corporation (NYSE: ITGR) related to its sale to KKR. Under the terms of the proposed transaction, Integer shareholders are expected to receive $127.00 per share in cash. Is it a fair deal?

Click here for more info https://monteverdelaw.com/case/integer-holdings-corporation/. It is free and there is no cost or obligation to you.

- Lantheus Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: LNTH) related to its sale to Curium US Holdings LLC. Under the terms of the proposed transaction, Lantheus shareholders are expected to receive $102.50 per share in cash, plus non-transferable contingent value rights providing for up to $12.00 per share in potential additional cash payments, subject to achievement of specified commercial milestones for Lantheus' products through 2030. Is it a fair deal?

Click here for more info https://monteverdelaw.com/case/lantheus-holdings-inc-2/. It is free and there is no cost or obligation to you.

NOT ALL LAW FIRMS ARE THE SAME. Before you hire a law firm, you should talk to a lawyer and ask:

- Do you file class actions and go to Court?

- When was the last time you recovered money for shareholders?

- What cases did you recover money in and how much?

About Monteverde & Associates PC

Our firm litigates and has recovered money for shareholders…and we do it from our offices in the Empire State Building. We are a national class action securities firm with a successful track record in trial and appellate courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court.

No company, director or officer is above the law. If you own common stock in the above listed company and have concerns or wish to obtain additional information free of charge, please visit our website or contact Juan Monteverde, Esq. either via e-mail at [email protected] or by telephone at (212) 971-1341.

Contact:

Juan Monteverde, Esq.

MONTEVERDE & ASSOCIATES PC

The Empire State Building

350 Fifth Ave. Suite 4740

New York, NY 10118

United States of America

[email protected]

Tel: (212) 971-1341

Attorney Advertising. (C) 2026 Monteverde & Associates PC. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Monteverde & Associates PC (www.monteverdelaw.com). Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome with respect to any future matter.

SOURCE Monteverde & Associates PC

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The investments will support medically tailored meals, culturally congruent resources, family nutrition programs, and other community-based solutions that connect healthcare and nutrition to improve health outcomes and advance equitable access to care. This initiative reflects the nonprofit health plan's commitment to addressing the social drivers of health, combating chronic disease, improving access to nutritious food, and advancing long-term healthcare affordability.

As the first investment under Blue Shield's new statewide Food as Health initiative, Blue Shield and Alameda County Community Food Bank (ACCFB) today announced a $300,000 multi-year investment to expand the food bank's Food as Medicine program, which provides home-delivered, medically supportive food and nutrition education to eligible Medi-Cal members managing chronic conditions.

Blue Shield is the program's first and largest corporate sponsor investment, helping Alameda County Community Food Bank's pioneering Food as Medicine program to serve more people and strengthen the infrastructure, data collection, and evaluation needed to sustain and expand the program.

"Nutritious food is one of the foundations of good health," said Mike Stuart, president and CEO of Blue Shield of California. "As a nonprofit health plan, we have an important role to play in helping people live healthier lives. Access to healthy food can improve health outcomes, help prevent and manage chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension, and support more affordable healthcare over the long term. We're proud to partner with Alameda County Community Food Bank to help build healthier communities and healthier futures."

The announcement was made during a volunteer event at the food bank's Oakland facility, where Blue Shield employees assembled Food as Medicine boxes and welcome kits for program participants. Leaders from both organizations, community stakeholders, and participants gathered to celebrate the program's impact and the role of nutrition in improving health outcomes.

Food as Medicine participants receive 12 weeks of home-delivered, medically supportive food, including fresh produce, proteins, healthy pantry staples, and nutrition education. Developed from a successful diabetes prevention pilot, the program expanded to support people with chronic conditions and became the first food bank in California to leverage funding from California Advancing and Innovating Medi‑Cal (CalAIM) to provide medically supportive food to eligible Medi-Cal members. Since 2024, the program has grown from an initial cohort of 20 participants to serving more than 400 people annually, reflecting growing demand for nutrition-based approaches that complement traditional medical care.

"Serving as a food justice organization means pushing the boundaries of what it means to be a food bank," said Regi Young, executive director of Alameda County Community Food Bank. "Food insecurity is one part of a complex picture impacting our community — and our Food as Medicine program addresses the intersection between our core work and healthcare. As our first and largest corporate sponsor for the program, Blue Shield's investment will expand our existing model and be a catalyst to share this model with other partners, potentially reshaping how chronic disease is addressed in the future."

The Alameda County Community Food Bank investment is the first of seven investments that will be awarded through Blue Shield's Food as Health initiative. Additional investments supporting food-security organizations across California will be announced in the coming months.

About Blue Shield of California

Blue Shield of California strives to create a healthcare system worthy of its family and friends that is sustainably affordable. The health plan is a taxpaying, nonprofit, independent member of the Blue Shield Association with nearly 6 million members, 6,800 employees, and more than $28 billion in annual revenue. Founded in 1939 in San Francisco and now headquartered in Oakland, Blue Shield of California and its affiliates provide health, dental, vision, Medicaid, and Medicare healthcare service plans in California. The company has contributed more than $60 million to the Blue Shield of California Foundation in the last three years to have an impact on California communities. For more news about Blue Shield of California, please visit news.blueshieldca.com. Or follow us on LinkedIn or Facebook.

About Alameda County Community Food Bank

Alameda County Community Food Bank has been at the forefront of hunger relief efforts in the Bay Area since 1985. The Food Bank serves a community in which 1 in 4 residents experiences some level of food insecurity. The Food Bank's core work includes distributing food through a network of more than 350 food pantries, meal programs, and other community organizations, as well as direct distribution programs including school-based and home delivery distributions. The Food Bank annually distributes the equivalent of ~50 million meals worth of food. In addition to its extensive emergency food programming, ACCFB's hunger-relief efforts include California's largest CalFresh (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) outreach department, anti-hunger advocacy, food as medicine, and food recovery and sustainability efforts. Alameda County Community Food Bank was named Feeding America's Food Bank of the Year in 2016; is an accredited charity by the Better Business Bureau; and for 17 consecutive years has received a Four Star rating from Charity Navigator.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Mark Seelig

[email protected]

(415) 246-9146

Mike Altfest

[email protected]

(510) 684-8655

SOURCE Blue Shield of California

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NEW YORK, Sept. 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Class Action Attorney Juan Monteverde with Monteverde & Associates PC (the "M&A Class Action Firm"), has recovered millions of dollars for shareholders and is recognized as a Top 50 Firm in the 2025 ISS Securities Class Action Services Report. We are headquartered at the Empire State Building in New York City and are investigating:

- LXP Industrial Trust (NYSE: LXP) related to its sale to Brookfield Asset Management and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board. Under the terms of the proposed transaction, LXP shareholders are expected to receive $61.20 per share in cash. Is it a fair deal?

Click here for more info https://monteverdelaw.com/case/lxp-industrial-trust/. It is free and there is no cost or obligation to you.

- Luxfer Holdings PLC (NYSE: LXFR) related to its sale to affiliates of Wynnchurch Capital L.P. Under the terms of the proposed transaction, Luxfer shareholders are expected to receive $17.37 per share in cash. Is it a fair deal?

Click here for more information https://monteverdelaw.com/case/luxfer-holdings-plc/. It is free and there is no cost or obligation to you.

- Northrim Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ: NRIM) related to its merger with PBCO Financial Corporation. Is it a fair deal?

Click here for more info https://monteverdelaw.com/case/northrim-bancorp-inc/. It is free and there is no cost or obligation to you.

- Pulmatrix, Inc. (NASDAQ: PULM) related to its merger with Eos SENOLYTIX, Inc. Upon closing of the proposed transaction, Pulmatrix shareholders are expected to own approximately 6% of the combined company. Is it a fair deal?

Click here for more info https://monteverdelaw.com/case/pulmatrix-inc/. It is free and there is no cost or obligation to you.

NOT ALL LAW FIRMS ARE THE SAME. Before you hire a law firm, you should talk to a lawyer and ask:

- Do you file class actions and go to Court?

- When was the last time you recovered money for shareholders?

- What cases did you recover money in and how much?

About Monteverde & Associates PC

Our firm litigates and has recovered money for shareholders…and we do it from our offices in the Empire State Building. We are a national class action securities firm with a successful track record in trial and appellate courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court.

No company, director or officer is above the law. If you own common stock in the above listed company and have concerns or wish to obtain additional information free of charge, please visit our website or contact Juan Monteverde, Esq. either via e-mail at [email protected] or by telephone at (212) 971-1341.

Contact:

Juan Monteverde, Esq.

MONTEVERDE & ASSOCIATES PC

The Empire State Building

350 Fifth Ave. Suite 4740

New York, NY 10118

United States of America

[email protected]

Tel: (212) 971-1341

Attorney Advertising. (C) 2026 Monteverde & Associates PC. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Monteverde & Associates PC (www.monteverdelaw.com). Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome with respect to any future matter.

SOURCE Monteverde & Associates PC

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Coalition will advocate for common-sense guardrails that protect water resources, hold down energy costs, and ensure communities share in the benefits of responsible development

WASHINGTON, Sept. 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Infrastructure Alliance (AIA) today launched the first nationwide coalition of labor and business focused on establishing responsible, enforceable guardrails for data center development at the state and local level.

AIA's inaugural members include The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), The International Association of Iron Workers, The United Association of Union Plumbers and Pipefitters (UA), The International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (SMART), The International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers (HFIAW), the Ohio State Building & Construction Trades Council, ACT Ohio, QTS, SoftBank, SB Energy, OpenAI, Blackstone, CoreWeave, Prologis, Skybox, Rowan, American Real Estate Partners (AREP) and its vertically integrated data center platform, PowerHouse Data Centers, Related Digital, and Digital Realty.

AIA's goal is to support and shape coordination between industry, labor, local communities, and elected officials to advance the long-term investment that data centers bring to communities and regions across the country. While AIA is not focused on the upcoming election, the coalition's work will begin ahead of and continue through the 2027 state legislative sessions, establishing approaches that can carry this work forward for years to come.

This begins by developing common-sense, locally-grounded standards, not by implementing a one-size-fits-all template. AIA will support the ongoing discussions that policymakers, local leaders, and communities are having in key states to build clear frameworks for data center growth that protect natural resources, enforce accountability, create high-wage local jobs, strengthen our economy, and deliver durable benefits for homeowners, school districts, local businesses, and more.

"Our members are proud to lead the way in modernizing our energy infrastructure and strengthening our economic and energy security for decades to come. Blanket bans on necessary infrastructure projects would set back our economy and threaten good middle-class jobs. The IBEW is committed to responsible development that benefits workers, communities, and our nation," said Kenneth Cooper, IBEW International President.

"At a time when much of America's traditional manufacturing base is under pressure, data center development represents a critical opportunity for the U.S. to lead by building, investing, and creating skilled, high-paying jobs here at home. American workers and communities should have a seat at the table as this critical infrastructure is built," said Michael Coleman, General President of SMART. "We're proud to be part of AIA's efforts to support growth that delivers real benefits, creates sustained opportunity, and holds companies accountable to workers and communities."

"For more than 137 years, the men and women of the United Association have protected our most precious resource: water. And since the invention of the Internet, UA members have built, maintained, and powered the data centers that enable daily life as we know it. As the future of data center construction enters a new chapter, we cannot settle for anything less than the highest standards of quality and safety," said Mark McManus, General President of the United Association. "Our gold-standard training and registered apprenticeship programs mean our members are the best trained and most highly skilled craftspeople in the industry. We are proud to join this coalition to chart a clear path forward, so that United Association members can continue to protect the health of the nation."

"Responsible growth requires clear expectations for everyone involved," said Tag Greason, Co-CEO of QTS. "Communities should have confidence that new development will be accompanied by transparent commitments regarding resource use, infrastructure investment, economic opportunity, and community benefits. In the coming weeks, AIA will release a set of principles that can serve as a practical starting point for policymakers, industry leaders, workers, and local stakeholders in the places that we call home."

AIA's approach is grounded in its own polling across key states, which shows support for data center development shifting from deep skepticism to clear majority support, once enforceable guardrails are proposed and detailed. Informed by this research, AIA will support state policies and standards that:

- Protect water and local resources. Development should include transparent, binding commitments to water stewardship and infrastructure.

- Require projects to pay their own way. Data center developers and operators should pay for the energy and infrastructure needed, protecting households, ratepayers, and local communities from added costs.

- Create good jobs and long-term workforce opportunities. Development should support workers and skilled trades for years to come.

- Deliver visible local benefits. Projects should strengthen schools, roads, community infrastructure, and local institutions.

- Ensure operators are accountable. Communities need clear, binding standards and oversight.

AIA's key operating states currently include Texas, Georgia, Ohio, Iowa, Pennsylvania, Indiana, and South Carolina. Efforts in these states will be led by local initiatives with potential for further state expansion over time.

For more information, contact:

[email protected]

About the American Infrastructure Alliance

The American Infrastructure Alliance is a labor-business coalition advocating for responsible development of core infrastructure that strengthens our economy, creates good jobs, and puts communities first. We support clear state-set guardrails for data centers to ensure that facilities operate responsibly and transparently, and that communities still benefit from these investments. AIA works with Democrats and Republicans alike to build guardrails that allow responsible growth while protecting communities.

SOURCE American Infrastructure Alliance

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JAAM AUTOMATION LAUNCHES NEW AI PLATFORM TO BRING PEOPLE, SYSTEMS AND AI TOGETHER TO MANAGE COMPLEX BUSINESS PROCESSES

- M. by jaam brings Agentic Work Management to existing business processes, helping organisations understand how work gets done and gradually give AI more responsibility

- Launch comes as 88%[1] of organisations use AI, but only 7% have fully scaled it, highlighting the challenge of moving from AI adoption to business-wide impact

LONDON, Sept. 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- jaam automation has today launched M. by jaam, a new AI platform that brings people, systems and AI together, helping businesses understand how work gets done and gradually give AI more responsibility.

Business processes rarely run through a single system or team. Work, knowledge and decisions are spread across people, applications and different stages of a process, making it difficult for AI agents to understand what needs to happen next. As businesses move from experimenting with AI to asking it to take on real work, connecting AI to the wider business context is becoming critical.

M. by jaam coordinates work across people, systems and AI agents, giving organisations the visibility and control to introduce AI at their own pace. With 88%[2] of organisations now using AI but only 7% having fully scaled it, the challenge is shifting from adoption to making AI work effectively across the business. McKinsey found that while 80% of employees say AI has improved their individual productivity, only 37% of organisations report a positive impact on EBIT.

M by Jaam's Context Engine

At the heart of M. is its Context Engine, which brings together information about the organisation, its knowledge and the work happening now and over time. This helps M. understand how work moves through the business and what needs to happen next, giving AI the context it needs to work within existing processes. As work happens, M. can learn from decisions, outcomes and patterns to improve future work and automation.

M. can use its own AI agents, as well as agents that a business has already built, allowing organisations to build on existing AI investments rather than start again.

Andrew Murphy, Chief Strategy Officer and Co-Founder at jaam automation said, "Many businesses have adopted AI incredibly quickly but are struggling to make it work across the business. Every organisation has its own processes, systems, people and ways of doing things. If we're going to ask AI to take on more of that work, it needs to understand how the business actually works."

He continued: "Business context is a bottleneck in AI adoption, and that's the thinking behind M. by jaam. Businesses can build that understanding through the work they're already doing, then introduce AI where it makes sense and give it more responsibility as confidence grows."

Built around the technology businesses already have

M. is designed to work with the technology businesses already use, including Microsoft Azure AI, Copilot and Power Platform, as well as other business systems, the in-built agents within M. and custom-built applications. With the number of active Microsoft 365 agents growing 15x in a year[3], M. gives organisations a way to bring together the AI capabilities they already have alongside people, systems and business processes. Businesses can also bring their own AI agents into M., allowing them to build on existing investments rather than start again

Lucy Bourne, Co-Founder at Oaka Studio (a specialist Microsoft partner growth and strategy consultancy) said "AI is changing how organisations work, however successful adoption is about more than introducing new technology. It's about bringing AI, people and existing systems together in a way that is practical, secure and governed. M. by Jaam provides a way to introduce AI progressively while maintaining visibility and control. Its alignment with the Microsoft ecosystem and ability to work with Microsoft Partners also provides a practical route for organisations already invested in Microsoft technologies to explore what agentic work can look like in practice."

M. helps businesses move towards more automation, at their own pace

M. has been created to let organisations start with the technology and processes they already have, then introduce AI assistance, automate parts of the work and gradually increase the amount that AI can handle.

M. takes organisations through five stages:

- Analyse – Understand requirements, information, knowledge and processes.

- Build – Turn that understanding into the structures and work needed.

- Work – Support live work with the right context and information.

- Intelligence – Monitor progress, spot risks and flag where action is needed.

- Optimisation – Identify where AI, agents and automation can improve the process.

The launch comes as businesses face a growing challenge in coordinating AI agents alongside people and existing technology. Gartner identified "Universal Orchestration" as an emerging enterprise challenge in February 2026, as organisations look to coordinate AI agents, bots and people across different systems and vendors.

M. sits within this wider shift towards Agentic Work Management, helping businesses coordinate work across people, systems and AI while building the context needed to introduce greater automation

About jaam automation

jaam automation helps organisations automate complex business processes, combining people, systems and AI to make work more efficient, resilient and scalable. Building on decades of experience in business process automation, jaam applies AI and Agentic AI to help organisations automate more complex work while maintaining the control and oversight they need.

About M. by jaam

M. by jaam is an Agentic Work Management platform from jaam automation that orchestrates work across people, AI agents and business systems. Its Context Engine brings together organisational knowledge, business processes, live work and historical data, giving people and AI the context they need to work effectively.

M. enables organisations to introduce AI progressively, deciding where people remain involved and where AI can take on greater responsibility. Its goal is to help businesses automate more routine work while enabling people to focus on judgement, creativity and direction.

[1] https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/quantumblack/our-insights/the-state-of-ai

[2] https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/tech-and-ai/our-insights/the-top-trends-in-tech

[3] https://assets-c4akfrf5b4d3f4b7.z01.azurefd.net/assets/2026/05/2026_Work_Trend_Index_Annual_Report_050526-4_69f9b41ca0945.pdf

SOURCE jaam automation

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AZP Insurance Specialists Certifies Gateless Smart Underwrite® Under New AI and Insurance-Backed Risk Framework

Decades of mortgage-risk and claims experience lay the foundation for a framework designed to drive AI trust, adoption and insurable risk management.

PHOENIX, Sept. 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- AZP Insurance Specialists ("AZP"), a mortgage-risk insurance and technology-certification specialist, today announced the Platinum certification of Gateless Smart Underwrite®, an AI-driven mortgage underwriting solution, under AZP's AI Mortgage Technology Certification framework.

AZP AI Mortgage Technology Certification

The certification framework was developed from decades of actual mortgage representation-and-warranty risk, underwriting and claims experience. It is designed to independently evaluate artificial intelligence and advanced technology providers serving mortgage manufacturing and, for qualifying technologies and transactions, provide a pathway to separately underwritten insurance-backed risk protection for defined representation-and-warranty exposures, including covered repurchase losses.

AZP and its predecessor organizations have placed representation-and-warranty insurance on more than 5 million mortgage loans representing more than $2 trillion in mortgage principal. Insurance-backed protection is provided through a Lloyd's of London policy underwritten by Munich Re, subject to applicable underwriting requirements and policy terms, conditions, limits and exclusions.

"There will be no shortage of organizations willing to issue an AI certification badge. Our approach begins somewhere very different—with decades of actual mortgage risk and claims experience. We know what good systems look like, what creates uninsurable risk and what happens when something goes wrong."

— Arthur J. Prieston, Esq., CMB, Chairman, AZP Insurance Specialists

Gateless Becomes First Platinum-Certified Technology Provider

Gateless is the first technology provider certified under the AZP framework and has achieved Platinum, the highest of four certification levels. The designation reflects Gateless' demonstrated governance, controls, auditability, operational maturity and risk-management infrastructure, together with the performance of more than 230,000 loans manufactured and sold by lenders using Smart Underwrite® without a single claim.

"From the beginning, we've believed AI underwriting had to earn the confidence of lenders through measurable performance, strong controls and transparency. AZP's independent certification, together with the availability of separately underwritten insurance-backed protection for qualifying clients and transactions, provides another level of validation as Smart Underwrite® continues to be deployed across the industry."

— Rick Lang, President, Gateless

AI Adoption and Lender Confidence

As artificial intelligence becomes more deeply integrated into mortgage underwriting and loan manufacturing, lenders and institutional mortgage participants are increasingly focused not only on what technology can do, but also on the governance, controls, accountability and financial risk surrounding its use.

"Technology has to deliver real results—faster underwriting, greater accuracy and more efficient operations—while keeping lenders in control. Gateless understands what it takes to make automation work in the mortgage business. Independent certification adds confidence that the technology is backed by the discipline and accountability lenders need to adopt it at scale."

— Phil Shoemaker, Chief Executive Officer, The Loan Store

For more information about the AZP Trust Platform™ AI Mortgage Technology Certification Framework, visit: www.azpinsurancespecialists.com/azpcertification

About AZP Insurance Specialists

AZP Insurance Specialists provides specialized insurance, risk-management and technology-certification solutions to the mortgage industry. Drawing on decades of mortgage underwriting, representation-and-warranty and claims experience, AZP develops risk-management and insurance solutions for lenders, investors, mortgage technology providers and other participants across the mortgage ecosystem. To request more information, visit www.azpinsurancespecialists.com.

About Gateless

Gateless combines mortgage-industry knowledge, expert systems, robotic process automation and machine learning and vision-based AI to create intelligent, real-time mortgage automation. Founded in 2020, the company is on a mission to simplify mortgage lending and transform the borrower experience. To learn more or request a demonstration, visit www.gateless.com.

About The Loan Store

The Loan Store, Inc. (TLS) is a national wholesale mortgage lender (NMLS #1121650) serving brokers and non-delegated correspondent partners across the country. TLS delivers a competitive product suite, advanced technology, and dedicated partner support, backed by decades of wholesale lending experience. Learn more at www.tlstpo.com.

Media Contacts

AZP Insurance Specialists: Zach Prieston | Principal | [email protected] | 415-827-0038

Gateless: Katie King | Chief Risk Officer, Head of Operations | [email protected] | 804-814-3299

SOURCE AZP Insurance Specialists, LLC

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