News

Los Angeles – October 01, 2026 -- Three pharmacy benefit managers—CVS Caremark, Optum Rx, and Express Scripts—processed roughly 80% of U.S. prescription claims last year, a concentration that AlignRx says is squeezing independent pharmacies out of the market. The nation's largest independently owned Pharmacy Services Administrative Organization (PSAO) is the subject of a forthcoming feature on the public television series All Access with Andy Garcia, which examines the reimbursement pressures facing community pharmacies nationwide.

Vertically integrated PBMs leave pharmacies reimbursed below drug cost

The feature details how market consolidation among the three dominant PBMs has created a vertically integrated system in which patients face higher out-of-pocket costs and reduced choice. Community pharmacies, AlignRx says, are often reimbursed less than the cost of the medication they dispense, straining their ability to stay open.

Alghero – October 01, 2026 -- Hankook Tire & Technology, the exclusive tire supplier to the FIA World Rally Championship, will equip all competitors at Rally Italia Sardegna, the season-closing round running October 1-4 around Alghero on Italy's Sardinia island.

Rally Italia Sardegna replaces canceled Saudi Arabia round as 2026 finale

With Rally Saudi Arabia pulled from the WRC calendar, the 23rd edition of this historic gravel event now decides the 2026 Drivers' Championship. Teams face unpredictable October weather and demanding roads where tire strategy is expected to be decisive.

Courbevoie – October 01, 2026 -- ACI EUROPE, Amadeus, IATA, IDEMIA Public Security and SITA have formed the Responsible Biometrics Travel Industry Coalition, pressing EU policymakers to prevent the bloc's Digital Omnibus legislation from restricting voluntary biometric use in air travel.

The five organizations argue the current legislative proposal, designed to simplify Europe's digital rulebook and strengthen competitiveness, could unintentionally curb passengers' ability to opt into biometric verification at airports.

Aachen, Germany – October 01, 2026 -- INFORM has launched Passenger Assistance (PA) Dispatching, a cloud-native SaaS platform built to help airports manage surging demand for wheelchair, unaccompanied minor, VIP and special assistance services through real-time forecasting and automated decision support.

Airports face rising passenger assistance loads amid staffing shortages

Growing traveler volumes, stricter service expectations and persistent staffing gaps are straining manual dispatch systems, according to INFORM. Fragmented operational data leaves teams reacting to disruptions rather than anticipating them, the Aachen-based logistics software provider said.

Fredericksburg – October 01, 2026 -- Skanska has signed a USD 163 million contract, about SEK 1.5 billion, with the University of Mary Washington to build a new theatre and renovate fine arts buildings in Fredericksburg, Virginia.

Contract value flows into Skanska's third-quarter 2026 US order bookings

The deal will be recorded in Skanska's US order intake for Q3 2026, adding to the construction group's North American pipeline.

Scope covers a new 293-seat theatre and renovation of existing arts facilities

The project includes site development, infrastructure, core shell and interior fit-out for a multi-story theatre spanning approximately 6,300 square meters (68,230 square feet) with a 293-seat performance hall. Work also covers 7,600 square meters (82,000 square feet) of renovations to existing fine arts buildings and an 800 square meter (8,950-square-foot) addition.

Dubai – October 01, 2026 -- IGEL, a global software company behind the IGEL Adaptive Secure Endpoint Platform, will host its Now & Next Workspace & Endpoint Security Summit at Dubai Knowledge Park on October 21, 2026, as organizations across the UAE face between 90,000 and 200,000 cyberattack attempts daily, according to the UAE Government Cybersecurity Council.

UAE cyberattack volumes drive enterprise focus on endpoint resilience

The one-day program will gather IT and security leaders to address endpoint security, operational resilience, and secure workspace delivery as regional enterprises expand investment in artificial intelligence, cloud services, and digital experiences. The growing complexity of these environments has widened the attack surface organizations must defend, according to IGEL.

Madrid – October 01, 2026 -- Fresenius SE & Co. KGaA has completed the acquisition of the remaining 45% stake in mAbxience from Insud Pharma, giving the German healthcare group full ownership of the Spanish biosimilars manufacturer.

Fresenius consolidates control after four-year partnership

Fresenius first acquired a 55% majority stake in mAbxience in August 2022 and has consolidated the business since then. The deal closes out that ownership structure, placing mAbxience's biosimilars platform entirely within Fresenius Kabi's Biopharma division, which spans development, manufacturing and commercialization.

New York – October 01, 2026 -- Kyndryl (NYSE: KD) found that 98% of organizations that delayed technology modernization experienced negative business impacts, according to the company's first global Modernization Report released today. The study, based on responses from 2,000 business and technology leaders across five continents and 12 industries, shows nearly half of organizations are behind schedule on modernization goals even as AI adoption becomes the dominant investment driver.

Armonk, N.Y. – October 01, 2026 -- IBM has launched a self-hosted deployment option for Bob, its agentic software development platform, allowing enterprises to run AI-powered coding and modernization tools entirely within on-premises, private-cloud, sovereign-cloud, or air-gapped infrastructure.

IBM ties the launch to a shift away from public cloud AI deployment

Futurum Research projects hybrid and edge deployments will account for 44% of the AI infrastructure market by 2030, while public cloud share is expected to fall to 46% over the same period, as organizations prioritize sovereign control alongside ecosystem connectivity.

Singapore – September 30, 2026 -- Emerald Clinical Trials has appointed Michael Stibilj as Chief Executive Officer, effective October 1, 2026, tasking the 30-year CRO veteran with leading the next phase of growth for a platform that now spans more than 1,000 professionals across 40-plus countries and 70-plus locations.

Stibilj joins from six years as Chief Operating Officer at Novotech

Before Novotech, Stibilj served three years as CEO of PPC Group and spent 22 years at IQVIA in regional and global leadership roles, with operational experience across China, Singapore and Australia.

Appointment follows the acquisition of Hongyi Clinical Development Services

The deal combined Emerald with Hongyi to create a clinical development platform supporting sponsors from first-in-human trials through post-marketing across China, Asia-Pacific, Europe and the Americas.