Tuesday, July 2, 2024

U.S. Will Pay Moderna $176 Million to Develop mRNA Bird Flu Vaccine


U.S. Will Pay Moderna $176 Million to Develop mRNA Bird Flu Vaccine




The United States government will pay vaccine manufacturer Moderna $176 million to develop a new mRNA vaccine to treat bird flu.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will pay Moderna $176 million for a vaccine containing the same mRNA technology as the company’s COVID-19 vaccine.

Bird flu, or H5N1, has been reported in dairy cows and has infected three people in the United States.

In total, 135 dairy herds have been infected with bird flu in 12 states.

Per AP:


The U.S. government will pay the vaccine maker Moderna $176 million to develop a pandemic vaccine that could be used to treat bird flu in people as cases in dairy cows continue to mount across the country, federal officials announced Tuesday.

The funds are targeted for release through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and will pay for continued development of a vaccine that uses the same mRNA technology that allowed rapid development and rollout of vaccines to protect against COVID-19. The award was made through the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, or BARDA, a program focusing on medical treatments for potential pandemics.

Moderna will launch trials to test the safety and effectiveness of a vaccine that could be used to scale up a response to a bird flu pandemic if needed.






War Preparations?


Preparations for a major confrontation: Russian submarines in the Irish Sea - Tu-142 swept 10,000 km from the Bay of Biscay to the North Atlantic
warnews247



The Norwegian Air Force deployed two F-35 fighters to intercept and escort a pair of Russian Navy Tu-142MK anti-submarine warfare aircraft.

According to the German publication Flug Revue, the Russian aircraft, having taken off from an air base in northwestern Russia, covered up to 10,000 kilometers in 15 hours, flying over the waters of the Bay of Biscay and the North Atlantic, where they "met" with Norwegian fighters .


German magazine "Flug Revue" reported that "the Russian patrol" lasted 15 hours, covering a distance of 10,000 kilometers from the Bay of Biscay to the North Atlantic.


The "special mission" of the two Tu-142MK aircraft started from Kipelovo and aimed to test the newly installed Over-The-Horizon (OTH) radar in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. Radar is essential for early detection of nuclear missile launches.

The OTH radar calibration test is not a combat mission but a practice or test mission. The Russian Air Force Tu-142MK maritime patrol aircraft plays a critical role in the calibration test of the newly installed OTH “Container” radar.

The Tu-142MKs are equipped with advanced sensors and electronic systems that allow them to detect and track surface and ground targets over a wide area. The primary objective of the OTH radar calibration test flight is to ensure that the radar is functioning properly, providing accurate information and data to its operators.

During the test flight, the Tu-142MK aircraft flies in predetermined patterns to cover various conditions, environments and altitudes. All information and data collected by the aircraft is transmitted to the radar operators, who use it to adjust the OTH radar parameters.

In addition to their role in radar calibration testing, the Tu-142MK aircraft also provide training opportunities for radar operators and analysts. The Tu-142MK maritime patrol and ASW aircraft are equipped with the "Korshun-K" radar to detect and track surface as well as underwater targets.

In addition to the two Tu-142MK anti-submarine aircraft, a Tu-95 bomber was also spotted flying off Alaska.

According to NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command), the Tu-95 bomber entered the Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) and remained there for about four hours. In response, NORAD deployed F-22 and F/A-18 fighter jets to intercept and escort the Russian bomber out of the North American ADIZ.

Russian attack submarines have conducted missions around the Irish Sea twice since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, three people familiar with the matter said. It is an unprecedented move by the Kremlin that has forced the British military to take action to protect British and Irish waters.

The first deployment of a Russian Kilo-class submarine near the Irish Sea, which separates the island of Ireland from Great Britain, happened about 18 months ago, said the people, who asked not to be named. The second incident occurred more recently. The extent of the submarine movements exceeded what British officials had previously seen, they said.

Two of the people said US officials were aware of the incidents. The UK Ministry of Defense said it does not "comment on operations" . "The US is monitoring Russian naval activity ," a senior Biden administration official said. White House spokesmen declined to comment on the latest report, and Russia's defense ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Kilo-class submarine is a Russian diesel-electric attack submarine capable of launching Kalibr cruise missiles, as well as torpedoes and naval mines.

The deployment of Russian submarines in the waters surrounding Britain and western Ireland during the Ukraine war was already known, although they have not previously been reported to have traveled to the Irish Sea.

Last month, the BBC reported that a Russian submarine had been spotted off the coast of Scotland. A spokesman for Ireland's Ministry of Defense said the agency does not comment on the operations of other countries' armed forces. Without linking it to the reports of Russian submarines, the spokesman said air and naval forces were carrying out "enhanced maritime patrols" near offshore energy infrastructure in the Irish Sea.

The US Naval Institute describes the Kilo program as "one of the most successful naval programs in modern history." More than 60 Kilo-class submarines remain in service, according to the institute. They have been used in the Black Sea to attack targets in Ukraine. Kilo-class submarines have a top speed of 17 knots on the surface or 20 knots submerged, according to a fact sheet on the US Naval Institute website.

According to a National Interest report, the "Kilo" class submarines are a never-ending nightmare for the US Navy, as they hide in shallow waters and can even sink an aircraft carrier.

Things To Come?

Bird Flu — Another Attempt to Control the Food System and Make a Profit


  • Fearmongering around bird flu mirrors CV responses, with calls for testing, social distancing, and vaccination in the agricultural sector. New RFID tagging requirements for dairy cows represent potential government overreach, aimed at increased animal tracking and control
  • Development of mRNA vaccines for bird flu in both humans and animals raises concerns about potential mandatory vaccinations and their impact on the food supply
  • FDA warnings against raw milk consumption lack evidence of foodborne transmission of bird flu to humans and may serve to protect industrial dairy interests. The centralization of the food system has led to a 72% decrease in small farms over the last 90 years, emphasizing the need to support small-scale farmers directly
  • The H5N1 virus may have origins in gain-of-function research, potentially emerging from a lab rather than occurring naturally in wild birds
  • Mass culling of poultry in response to outbreaks has led to over 92 million chickens being slaughtered since 2022, often using inhumane methods

Let the fearmongering begin (again)! Propaganda efforts are making people believe humans can die from the bird flu and that we must “do our part” in preventing the next global pandemic. Wear masks, social distance, sanitize everything, get tested, get vaccinated … It’s kind of like “COVID-19,” but now in dairy cows!

Similar to “wear masks, stay home, practice social distancing and sanitize everything,” the United States Department of Agriculture is now encouraging farmers to regularly test animals, test the milk weekly, register livestock, step up the use of personal protective equipment, limit traffic onto their farms, and increase cleaning and disinfection practices.

“The most important step we can take today is biosecurity. I am calling on producers to use our resources to enhance their biosecurity measures and states and producers to opt in to our support programs and herd monitoring programs, which are designed to limit the spread of this disease in dairy cattle.”— Secretary of the USDA Tom Vilsack.

Similar to “toilet paper shortages,” now there are limitations on number of egg cartons purchased at some stores in Australia as bird flu spreads rapidly across large poultry farms. (Are meat and dairy products next?)


 Coles is one of the two largest supermarket chains in Australia.

Similar to summer event cancellations in 2020 and 2021, state fairs and livestock events are requiring testing1and some are even being canceled this summer due to the bird flu.2

What’s next?

  • Lock downs of cows and chickens inside barns to reduce the spread?
  • Mandatory avian influenza testing?
  • Mandatory mRNA vaccination of all livestock to “solve the problem?”
    • Force farm employees to wear personal protective equipment (PPE)?

This is all a little déjà vu, isn’t it? Can you believe they are trying this again? And all of this may be obvious to you, but when you tune into any mainstream media account right now, people ARE buying it! And there is a massive amount of fearmongering and discussions on “why we should be concerned,” “what to do to prevent a spread.”

For example, Dr. Sanjay Gupta on CNN produced an “Are We Prepared for Bird Flu” fearmongering special.3The CDC is now predicting that the next pandemic will be from the bird flu.

“Once the virus gains the ability to attach to the human receptor and then go human to human, that’s when you’re going to have the pandemic … I think it’s just a matter of time.” — Dr. Redfield, former CDC director.

News agencies from across the country are saying the exact same thing. So, is that really “news?” Or has it become propaganda again? Reporting what they want us to hear to spread fear. So in this article, let’s discuss how this bird flu “pandemic” is an attempt to obtain complete control of the food system.

“Who controls the food supply controls the people.” — Henry Kissinger






The Houthis "pound" ships in the Arabian Sea, the Red Sea and the Mediterranean


Great naval tragedy for the West: The Houthis "pound" ships in the Arabian Sea, the Red Sea and the Mediterranean - American naval armada rushes
warnews247



The Iran- and Russia-backed Houthis claimed to have attacked four more cargo ships in their biggest attack in 24 hours.

The Houthis prove day by day that the situation is developing into a great naval tragedy for the West. The American Admiral is absolutely confirmed: The West's greatest naval operation has failed miserably.

The Houthis also claimed that the attacks were carried out on "three fronts", according to Al-Ain media in the United Arab Emirates.

Houthi Spokesman Yahya Shari says their military recently targeted the following ships in various maritime areas:

-The “MSC Unific VI” was hit in the Arabian Sea

-The “Delonix” Oil Tanker in the Red Sea

-The “Lucky Silver” General Cargo in the Mediterranean Sea

-The cargo ship “Anvil Point” in the Indian Ocean.

From the layout of the ships and the map, it appears that the Houthis are carrying out to the letter the orders of Russia and Iran to impose a "naval blockade" in the An-Mediterranean-Suez-Erythra region.

If Hezbollah enters the game, then the entire region will become a theater of conflict. And maybe we have some surprises.

The Houthis are now directly threatening American aircraft carriers.

"The first operation was carried out by multiple cruise missiles, targeting the Israeli ship MSC Unific in the Arabian Sea, and the strike was accurate and direct ," Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea said in a statement broadcast by the al-Masirah television network. by the Houthis.

"The second operation was carried out with multiple ballistic and cruise missiles, targeting the US tanker Delonix in the Red Sea for the second time this week ," he said, adding that the third operation targeted the British ship Anvil Point in the Indian Ocean with several missiles. cruise "precisely and immediately" .

However according to last minute statements, AW Ship Management has confirmed that MV Anvil Point (IMO 9248540) was not involved in an attack while transiting the Indian Ocean.  

"The vessel and crew are safe and are currently continuing their planned voyage from Duqm, Oman to Mombasa, Kenya."

"The fourth operation was carried out with multiple cruise missiles, targeting the Lucky Sailor ship in the Mediterranean Sea ," he said, vowing to launch more such attacks until Israel halts its assault on the Gaza Strip.

Additionally, in yesterday's thread involving a possible Hezbollah-Iran axis campaign, we also addressed the role the Houthis could play, using their missile arsenal and combining it with that of Hezbollah and Iran, against targets in Israel and in Cyprus.

The Mediterranean literally becomes a "lobster", with the American armada practicing all possible war scenarios.

More specifically, the USS Eisenhower Strike Group recently passed through Suez and entered the eastern Mediterranean. According to reports, the Strike Group of the aircraft carrier USS Theodor Roosevelt is sailing as we speak for the Middle East, in order to operate as part of the "Prosperity Guardian" against the Houthis.

In addition, the amphibious assault aircraft carrier USS Wasp also passed Gibraltar, days ago, accompanied by the amphibious assault ship USS Oak Hill, along with elements of the 24th Marine Unit on board.

The “Wasp” crossed the Strait of Gibraltar on Wednesday afternoon, 26/06, after a replenishment stop at Rota Naval Station in Spain. Oak Hill entered the sea on June 18, according to Gibraltar-based ship watcher Michael Sanchez. The Wasp came to replace the Eisenhower, which, by order of Secretary of State Lloyd Austin, should return to Norfolk, Virginia.

But the question that arises is that given the developments in the Middle East, with Israel, Iran-Hezbollah-Houthis, having their finger on the trigger, will he leave or will he remain in the region taking part in Israel's protection?



'Peace-Loving" Tolerant Liberal Activists Attack Jews And Elderly In Asheville, NC For Filming Anti-Zionist Session


Violent Anarchist Mob Attacks Jews and Elderly in Asheville, NC – Drags Them from Library for Filming Anti-Zionist Session (VIDEO)


Peaceful mob beats Jews at North Carolina library.

An anti-American, anti-Zionist mob beat Jews and elderly citizens and dragged them from the library for filming one of their anti-Israel sessions.

The video was later published online.

The Jew-hating anarchists started complaining during the session that they were being filmed – in a public library. For some reason they did not want the session to be filmed?This was during a session on anti-Zionism during the Carolina Anarchist Bookfair.

The young Leftists surrounded the man filming and blocked him from filming. Then they beat him and the two other Jews in attendance.

Hat Tip Ari

Via Monica Buckley on Instagram.

Asheville NC. Pro-Terror Mob Violently Attacks Jews and Elderly Veteran at a public event at the West Asheville Public Library. The speaker started his speech by celebrating Oct 7. The crowd eventually “exposed” us as Zionists and asked the speaker what they should do with us. He casually mentioned “murder” and then told the crowd to decide how to handle us and watched as they beat up three people.

Listen carefully to the glee and casual giggling as they inflict their violence. Not a single person there attempted to help the victims. More video footage to come. Stay tuned. Firestorm Coop and ACAB Bookfair Sponsored this terrorist training in #AshevilleNC @wlos_13 @citizentimes @cityofasheville@mountainxpress @visitasheville


Algemeiner has more on the beatings.

Three pro-Israel attendees of a public event titled “Strategic Lessons From the Palestinian Resistance” reported being attacked and forcibly dragged out by anti-Israel activists also in attendance at the West Asheville Library in North Carolina on Saturday.

The event, hosed by Another Carolina Anarchist Bookfair, was one of multiple anti-Israel sessions that took place during a three-day “anarchist” book fair.

The Algemeiner interviewed David Moritz, a 54-year-old son of Holocaust survivors, and Monica Buckley, who is 48 and identifies as queer. Both are Jewish and attended the event with 80-year-old Bob Campbell, who was also interviewed for this story.

Approximately 60-80 anti-Israel activists were in attendance at the event held in a public library. Almost all were masked, with the exception of one activist who is reported to regularly attend events in the area unmasked.

According to Moritz, Buckley, and Campbell, the event celebrated and glorified Hamas’ massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, when the Palestinian terrorist group killed 1,200 people and kidnapped about 250 others as hostages…

Canada 'sleepwalking' into cashless society, consumer advocates warn


Canada 'sleepwalking' into cashless society, consumer advocates warn


A consumer group is urgently calling on the federal government to follow other jurisdictions in the U.S and Europe and bring in legislation to stem the slide toward a cashless society.

Only 10 per cent of transactions in Canada today are done using cash, according to Carlos Castiblanco, an economist with the group Option Consommateurs.

"There is a need to protect cash right now before more merchants start refusing [it]," Castiblanco recently told CBC Radio's Ontario Today.

It's critical to act now, he added, before retailers begin removing all of the infrastructure required to store and maintain physical money.

"They are already used to dealing with cash," he said. "So this is the moment to act, before it is more complicated."

In a report called "Will cash be a thing of the past?", Option Consommateurs published one of the first deep dives into who is still using coins and paper money.

A recent online poll of some 1,500 people commissioned by a different group, Payments Canada, found that a majority of respondents were worried about the prospect of cashless stores and want to maintain the option to use cash — which is free from bank fees, isn't susceptible to privacy breaches and can be used during internet outages.

"There's still very solid demand for cash," Sharon Kozicki, the deputy governor of the Bank of Canada, said in a recent interview with CBC.

The bank closely tracks how money gets used, she said, with the use of cash actually rising at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

While that growth has slowed, Kozicki said there's still an "overall general increase that suggests people still want it."

Even a report commissioned by the Bank of Canada suggests it's time to protect access to money.


That report, titled "Social policy implications for a less-cash society," recommends legislative action, arguing that cash-based transactions have plummeted from 54 per cent in 2009 to 10 per cent as of 2021.

One of its authors, Aftab Ahmed, described who would be most affected by a world with no cash in a recent article in Policy Options, the online magazine for the Institute for Research on Public Policy.

"For many — such as Indigenous peoples, unhoused individuals, older Canadians, victims of domestic abuse and others who are vulnerable — cash is a beacon of economic security, a source of financial autonomy, an emergency lifeline and an emblem of cultural traditions," Ahmed wrote.

"Canada must avoid sleepwalking into a cashless future and instead recognize the risk of exacerbating financial exclusion of those most vulnerable."








Only A Matter Of Time - ISIS Linked Individuals Stream Over U.S. Border


Only A Matter Of Time - ISIS Linked Individuals Stream Over Border
DAN HART/



A startling new report has revealed that an ISIS-affiliated smuggling network was able to slip over 400 individuals through the U.S. southern border on the Biden administration's watch, with the location of more than 50 of them currently unknown. Experts say the administration's open border policies are vastly increasing the likelihood of a major terrorist attack occurring on U.S. soil.

In recent months, a number of national security experts have expressed alarm due to the dramatic increase in terrorism warning signs, including FBI Director Christopher Wray, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, CENTCOM Commander General Erik Kurilla, and former National Counterterrorism Center director Christine Abizaid. This week, the Special Operations Association of America (SOAA), which represents the U.S. military's special forces, added their voice to the chorus in a letter which emphasized that the organization was "gravely concerned by the current heightened risk of terrorist attacks against targets inside the United States and both U.S. and allied interests abroad."

The group highlighted President Joe Biden's decision to withdraw U.S. forces from Afghanistan as particularly catastrophic. "The United States has lost significant intelligence collection capabilities in the region, leaving federal authorities blind and deaf to emerging threats emanating from the region," the letter noted. "The creation of new and reestablishment of previous terrorist training camps within Afghanistan has led to successful, deadly attacks by the Islamic State's regional branch against targets in Iran and Russia and elsewhere, adding further credence to the notion that the U.S. is at risk."

SOAA went on to cite the border as another area of paramount concern. "This risk is compounded by developments in the Middle East and the porous, unsecured southern border through which we have seen numerous instances of individuals on terrorist watchlists and others from adversarial countries attempt to enter the U.S. -- and those are the ones we know about only because they were detected. We do not know how many other terrorists are already currently inside the U.S."




A Challenge to a Failing Western Civilization


A Challenge to a Failing Western Civilization
Barry Shaw


According to Professor Michael Wolffsohn of the Federal University in Munich,“Hamas is not just a terror army, but also an organization that holds a modern ideology for the extermination of Jews.”

Wolffsohn is one of the world’s leading researchers on the analysis of German-Israeli relations.According to Professor Michael Wolffsohn of the Federal University in Munich,“Hamas is not just a terror army, but also an organization that holds a modern ideology for the extermination of Jews.”

Wolffsohn is one of the world’s leading researchers on the analysis of German-Israeli relations.

According to him, students in Europe and the US who express solidarity with Hamas, “are actually expressing solidarity with the ‘values’ of the Nazi Einsatzgruppen, ”who were the spearhead of the German masterplan for the extermination of the Jews.”

With due respect to Professor Wolffsohn, the spirit of Hamas is not confined to the Palestinian controlled territories.

The notion and depth of Hamas has been promoted and expanded by professors, lecturers and administrators who have infiltrated elite Western universities in pursuit of their Marxist-Islamist global deception.

This negative and dangerous influence is felt in government decisions made by tainted administrators, the media, and corporate America. But not only America.


It has been allowed to expand its influence with open border policies inviting an alien mass immigration, a migration that exported the jihadism of Hamas from the Middle East into Western countries in which they take root and spread their influence,

This migration has changed Western societies forever, permitted by a dormant indigenous population that left critical decisions to their elected Socialist leaders who ruined their nations’ economy, security, traditional values, and self confidence, out of a delusional political appeasement to the unappeased stranger.

That spIrit, the notion of Hamas, is no longer something that we Israelis alone have to deal with.

Yes, we are at the forefront of the war of civilizations against the uncivilized, but it is increasingly embedded in your society, whether you are reading this from the American continent, Europe, or Australasia.

Deal with it before they devour you, as we are dealing with it as I am writing this to you.

Be warned! First, they come for the Saturday people…



You will own nothing and be happy:


 Charles Wills


When Klaus Schwab, a direct descendant of Hitler's Nazi elite, said, "You will own nothing and be happy", everyone concluded that he was talking to the middle class. We know that because the impoverished, wards of the state, and slaves own nothing. So Schwab had to be talking to productive citizens; people who own cars, land, and homes. And what are productive citizens that own nothing known as? They are known as slaves!

The internet based Merriam Webster's Dictionary defines slavery as: " The practice or institution of holding people as chattel (property) involuntarily and under threat of violence." The Cambridge Dictionary defines slavery as"The activity of legally owning other people who are forced to work for or obey you."

Ownership or power over others isn't the driving force behind slavery. The primary driving force behind slavery is monetary gain. For example, flesh peddlers kidnap people and sell them as slaves for profit, and Democrat slave masters buy people to profit from the fruits of their labor.As our founders defined it, "slavery is forcing people, under threat of punishment, to give up all or part of the fruits of their labor to another person, organization, or government". That definition of slavery is why our founders prohibited the Federal Government from taxing an individual's income (the fruits of labor) in the Constitution. They considered taxing the fruits of labor a form of state servitude or slavery.


Schwab's statement, "You Will Own Nothing" provides proof that the New World Order plans to totally enslave the entire global population because the only people who own nothing are slaves. The New World Order plans to return the entire world to the slavery and servitude that existed when our founders rebelled against it. The biggest difference between past and modern slavery is that modern slavery is based on consent, and that's reflected in Schwab's complete statement, "You will own nothing and be happy"; happy that your masters allow you to live.


Iran vows to protect Hezbollah from Israeli attack


Iran vows to protect Hezbollah from Israeli attack
RT



Iran will throw all of its military power behind Hezbollah if Israel launches a full-scale attack on the Lebanon-based Islamist movement, a senior official in Tehran has warned. He added, however, that his country does not want an all-out war in the Middle East.

Tensions between the Jewish state and the Shia group, which has close ties with Iran, reached boiling point after the start of the Hamas-Israel war in October, with the two belligerents exchanging cross-border strikes. However, they have so far managed to avoid a major engagement.

In an interview with the Financial Times on Tuesday, Kamal Kharrazi, a foreign affairs adviser to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, reiterated that Iran is “not interested” in a regional war. He urged the US, Israel’s key ally, to put pressure on West Jerusalem to prevent such escalation.

However, Kharrazi insisted that “all Lebanese people, Arab countries, and members of the axis of resistance will support Lebanon against Israel” if efforts to avoid a major conflict prove unsuccessful. “In that situation, we would have no choice but to support Hezbollah by all means,” he said.

The so-called ‘axis of resistance’ is an informal alliance that seeks to challenge US and Israeli power in the region, and comprises Iran, Hamas, the Syrian government, the Houthis in Yemen, Islamic militia in Iraq, and several other militant groups.

Tehran is unlikely to launch a direct strike on Israel in response to an attack against Hezbollah, an Iranian official told the FT. Instead, it would probably use Islamic militant groups to retaliate, they added.

However, Iran took direct action against Israel in April after claiming that the Jewish state had attacked Tehran’s consulate in Damascus, Syria, killing several Iranian military officers. It launched a large drone raid on Israeli territory, and West Jerusalem retaliated with a number of limited strikes on Iran, but a major escalation was avoided.

Tensions between Iran and Israel peaked after Hamas launched a surprise attack on the Jewish state on October 7. In response, West Jerusalem started an offensive in Gaza, causing unprecedented destruction in the Palestinian enclave. Hostilities between Israel and Hamas have so far claimed the lives of more than 37,000 Palestinians and 1,400 Israelis.


Walgreens closing huge wave of major stores US - full list here


Walgreens closing huge wave of major stores US - full list here
Franca Akenami



As part of plans to revamp its struggling operations, Walgreens intends on implementing a wave of closures across its estimated 8,600 American stores.

While the retail giant hasn't divulged exact figures, it advised on Thursday of "significant" planned shutdowns for underperforming branches across the nation, as part of an ongoing optimisation strategy set to unfold over several years.

When briefing the Wall Street Journal, CEO Tim Wentworth indicated that the impending store closures bear significant weight, making up a "meaningful percent" of the approximately one-fourth of less profitable locations.

The spotlight during this shake-up will be primarily on non-profitable stores, those located too closely together, or stores struggling with ongoing theft problems, Wentworth elucidated.

Following Walgreens' announcement during the quarterly earnings report, combined with a full-year profit forecast cut there was a nearly 9% plummet in pre-market trading shares.

In addressing the tough business conditions, Wentrought concluded; "We continue to face a difficult operating environment, including persistent pressures on the U.S. consumer and the impact of recent marketplace dynamics which have eroded pharmacy margins," and that "Our results and outlook reflect these headwinds."