Including two new awardees, these remarkable results secure Sands China’s position as the leading integrated resort operator for world-class excellence 

MACAO, Feb. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Sands China Ltd. is celebrating record-breaking achievements that have redefined luxury hospitality benchmarks, with seven hotels receiving a Five-Star accolade in the 2026 Forbes Travel Guide. It is also the only integrated resort operator in Macao to add two new hotels to its portfolio: The Londoner^® Macao’s Paiza Grand, which received the coveted rating in its first year of operation, and The St. Regis Macao. These results put Sands China in the unrivalled leadership position of having the most Forbes Five-Star hotels under one roof, world-wide.

Sands China’s Forbes Five-Star award-winners for 2026 are:

Hotels

• Paiza Grand at Londoner Grand (Inaugural award)
• Londoner Court (4^th consecutive year)
• The Londoner Hotel (4^th consecutive year)
• Paiza Lofts at The Parisian^® Macao (3^rd consecutive year)
• The St. Regis Macao (Inaugural award)
• Four Seasons Hotel Macao (13^th consecutive year)
• The Grand Suites at Four Seasons (5^th consecutive year)

Restaurants

• The Huaiyang Garden at The Londoner Macao (2^nd consecutive year)
• Zi Yat Heen at Four Seasons Hotel Macao (4^th consecutive year)

Spa

• The Spa at Four Seasons Hotel Macao (7^th consecutive year) 

Grant Chum, President and Chief Executive Officer of Sands China Ltd. said, “We are thrilled to be recognised with a total of ten Forbes Five-Star accolades including seven Forbes Five-Star Hotels, an unprecedented achievement for a single integrated resort destination. Forbes Travel Guide is the world-renowned authority in the hospitality industry, and we are proud of our team for their accomplishments. Being honoured with these prestigious awards across our portfolio is an important milestone for Sands China and affirms our commitment to setting the highest industry standards. These unmatched results reflect both our dedication to excellence and our ambition to continually elevate Macao’s profile on the global tourism stage.”

Tane Picken, Chief Hospitality Officer – Asia, Las Vegas Sands Corp. added, “These awards attest to the passion, professionalism and dedication of our team members, who deliver exceptional services and experiences to every guest. We view each Five-Star rating as an honour and a responsibility, and we remain determined to consistently exceed guest expectations and deliver unsurpassed Sands Lifestyle experiences.”

Sands Dazzling Five-Star Portfolio
Atop Londoner Grand resides the 313-suite Paiza Grand, where a haven of British elegance awaits the most discerning guest, complemented by highly-trained Grand Butlers. Its crowning jewels are the six Hanover Suites. Bathed in natural light, these opulent two-bedroom suites have the ambience of a private oasis with large outdoor terrace and swimming pool. Forbes Travel Guide highlighted Paiza Grand’s appeal to VIP travellers and families, the personalised hospitality and the quality of rest that its spacious suites afford.

Other stellar offerings include Londoner Court, a 368-suite hotel where guests enjoy a residential London experience fit for royalty, enhanced by personal butler service; The Londoner Hotel, a 600-suite hotel, featuring a contemporary interpretation of classic British design; and Paiza Lofts, with 208 Parisian apartment-style suites, including the palatial, three-bedroom, Versailles Suite.

Completing Sands China’s Five-Star hotel recipients for 2026 are Four Seasons Hotel Macao, The Grand Suites at Four Seasons, and The St. Regis Macao, one of only two St. Regis properties in Greater China rated Forbes Five-Star.

Rounding out the Five-Star lineup this year are two-Michelin-starred The Huaiyang Garden at The Londoner Macao, Four Seasons’ Chinese restaurant Zi Yat Heen, and The Spa at Four Seasons Hotel Macao.

Forbes Travel Guide is the only independent, global rating system for luxury hotels, restaurants, and spas; evaluating based on up to 900 standards across facilities and service, with wellness and sustainability commitments also a factor in the final rating.

Photo caption: Sands China Ltd. has many reasons to celebrate its 2026 Forbes Travel Guide results. This includes: a record-breaking seven hotels receiving a Five-Star accolade; the most Five-Star hotels under one roof, world-wide; and the only integrated resort operator in Macao to add two new Five-Star hotels to its portfolio.

SUZHOU, China and MÖLNDAL, Sweden, Feb. 11, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Suzhou Ribo Life Science Co., Ltd. (HKEX: 06938) (“Ribo”) and its subsidiary Ribocure Pharmaceuticals AB (“Ribocure”) today announced that they have entered into an exclusive worldwide licensing agreement with Madrigal Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: MDGL) (“Madrigal”) for six pre-clinical small interfering RNA (siRNA) programs for the treatment of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH).

The collaboration will utilize Ribo’s validated liver targeting siRNA GalSTAR^TM platform to develop novel treatments for MASH. The license agreement covers multiple existing pre-clinical assets from Ribo. In addition, both parties have the option to expand the scope of collaboration onto new siRNA programs including bi-specific siRNAs (agents that target two disease-causing genes simultaneously) utilizing Ribo’s unique GalSTAR^TM and siRNA chemical modification platforms.

We are enthusiastic to join forces with Madrigal Pharmaceuticals, drawing on their extensive knowledge together with our siRNA expertise to advance life changing therapies for people affected by liver disease, says Dr. Zicai Liang, CEO of Ribo.

To have the opportunity to work with the company that successfully launched the world’s first drug for MASH, a disease with rising prevalence and strong associations with numerous life-threatening comorbidities, is very encouraging. Leveraging our proprietary siRNA platform, we aim to expand the MASH therapeutic landscape through complementary, multi-mechanistic approaches, delivering more targeted and effective treatments for patients with unmet needs, says Dr Li-Ming Gan CEO of Ribocure and co-CEO of Ribo.

Financial Considerations
Under the agreement, Ribo has granted Madrigal an exclusive global license to develop, manufacture, and commercialize several siRNA assets. Ribo will receive an upfront payment of US$60M and cumulative payments could reach US$4.4B if certain development, regulatory and commercial milestones are achieved, as well as potential royalties on net sales.

About MASH

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), formerly known as nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), is a serious liver disease that can progress to cirrhosis, liver failure, liver cancer, need for liver transplantation and premature mortality. MASH is the leading cause of liver transplantation in women and the second leading cause of all liver transplantation in the U.S., and the fastest-growing indication for liver transplantation in Europe.

Once patients progress to MASH with moderate to advanced liver fibrosis (consistent with stages F2 to F3 fibrosis), the risk of adverse liver outcomes increases dramatically: these patients have a 10-17 times higher risk of liver-related mortality as compared to patients without fibrosis. Those who progress to cirrhosis face a 42 times higher risk of liver-related mortality, underscoring the need to treat MASH before complications of cirrhosis develop. MASH is also an independent driver of cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of mortality for patients.

As MASH disease awareness improves and disease prevalence increases, the number of diagnosed patients with MASH with moderate to advanced fibrosis or compensated MASH cirrhosis (F2-F4c) is expected to grow.

About Suzhou Ribo Life Science Co. Ltd. and Ribocure Pharmaceuticals AB
Suzhou Ribo Life Science Co. Ltd. (HKEX: 6938) is an innovative clinical stage R&D company devoted to the development of nucleic acid drugs and related products based on the RNA interference (RNAi) technology. With its innovative R&D capabilities with vertically integrated technological platforms, Ribo has built a strong product pipeline, aiming to make contribution to the treatment of serious diseases with unmet medical needs.

As a subsidiary of Suzhou Ribo Life Science, Ribocure Pharmaceuticals AB is dedicated to globalized development of life-saving oligonucleotide therapies, with focus on development of assets and pipeline as well as new target ideas and on building innovative capacities to conduct clinical trials and developing siRNA drugs to address real unmet medical needs globally.

For more information, please visit www.ribolia.com and www.ribocure.com

About Madrigal Pharmaceuticals

Madrigal Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: MDGL) is a biopharmaceutical company focused on delivering novel therapeutics for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), a liver disease with high unmet medical need. Madrigal’s medication, Rezdiffra (resmetirom), is a once-daily, oral, liver-directed THR-β agonist designed to target key underlying causes of MASH. Rezdiffra is the first and only medication approved by both the FDA and European Commission for the treatment of MASH with moderate to advanced fibrosis (F2 to F3). An ongoing Phase 3 outcomes trial is evaluating Rezdiffra for the treatment of compensated MASH cirrhosis (F4c). For more information, visit www.madrigalpharma.com.

ROME, Feb. 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — IRBM, a leader in early drug discovery research, has announced a major scientific breakthrough with the discovery of a novel and potent allosteric inhibitor targeting the Zika virus (ZIKV) protease (NS2B-NS3). The findings, published in Nature Communications (doi: 10.1038/s41467-026-68943-x), demonstrate the molecule’s efficacy in preclinical models and represent a promising new approach to combat ZIKV infections.

Visualization of how IRBM-Z-2 binds to a newly discovered pocket on the Zika virus protease, revealing key interactions that may help block the virus’s activity.

Mosquito-borne ZIKV poses a serious public health threat due to its association with severe neurological complications. With no approved antivirals or vaccines currently available, there is an urgent need for new treatment options.

IRBM scientists identified a small molecule that binds to a previously uncharacterized allosteric site on the NS2B-NS3 protease, a key enzyme required for viral replication. The inhibitor effectively suppressed protease activity in biochemical and cellular assays and demonstrated significant antiviral activity in animal models. It also exhibited a favorable safety and pharmacokinetic profile, supporting its potential for clinical development. Notably, this mechanism may extend to other flaviviruses including dengue, yellow fever, and West Nile, suggesting broader therapeutic potential.

IRBM’s integrated approach, combining high-content phenotypic screening, computational modeling, mechanistic enzymology, iterative medicinal chemistry, and ADME profiling allowed the team to rapidly advance from initial hit identification to preclinical candidate selection.

“This discovery marks an important milestone in antiviral drug development,” said Carlo Toniatti, MD, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer at IRBM. “By leveraging cutting-edge medicinal chemistry and integrated screening technologies, our team has delivered a novel ZIKV protease inhibitor with compelling preclinical activity.”

The achievement, funded by the Region of Lazio, is the result of a collaborative initiative originating from CNCCS, and it opens a promising path toward targeted antiviral therapies that could fill a critical gap in global public health preparedness. It also reinforces the joint commitment of CNCCS and IRBM to tackle rare and neglected diseases with innovative science.

“Innovation in drug discovery never happens alone. At IRBM, we aim to act as a bridge between academic discoveries and the clinic, and the success of this project demonstrates the impact that effective public–private partnerships can have on advancing new therapies,” added Matteo Liguori, CEO and Founder of IRBM.

About IRBM IRBM is a leading research organization specializing in early drug discovery. With decades of expertise and a proven track record of delivering innovative preclinical candidates, IRBM is known for its rigorous, multidisciplinary approach to designing and executing complex experiments for the toughest drug discovery challenges. IRBM advances programs across a wide spectrum of modalities and therapeutic areas, including antivirals, oncology, neuroscience, rare diseases, and beyond.

About CNCCS CNCCS is a public-private consortium between IRBM, CNR, ISS, and the University of La Sapienza, which acts as a lead factory for drug discovery programs, integrating a chemical compound repository with a high-throughput screening (HTS) platform.  Its mission is to act as a bridge between academic research and pharmaceutical development, with a particular focus on targeting rare, neglected, and poverty-related diseases.

Website: www.irbm.com