We put out the ballots and you made the picks. The Duncan Banner is proud to announce this year’s 2022 Readers’ Choice winners. Congratulations to all winners!

Shopping

Appliance Dealer: 

1st: J&J Appliance 

2nd: Freeman’s Appliance

Antique Store: 

1st: The Flipping Vintage 

2nd: Marlow Mercantile   

Auto Parts Store: 

1st: Auto Zone 

2nd: O’Reilly’s Auto Parts    

Car Dealer, New: 

1st: Billingsley Ford/Merit Auto

Car Dealer, Used: 

1st: Hunt Motor Co.

2nd: Billingsley Ford  

Carpet Store: 

1st: Allison’s Flooring America

2nd: Linda & Sarah’s Carpet   

Farm Supply Store:

1st: Tractor Supply Co.

2nd: Orscheln Farm & Home

Furniture Store: 

1st: Eclectic Echo & Co., LLC

2nd: Flinn Furniture

Gift Shop: 

1st: Think Ability Market

2nd: Cowtown Corner      

Grocery Store: 

1st: Homeland

2nd: Delbert’s Supermarket    

Hardware Store: 

1st: Ace Hardware,

2nd: Harbor Freight     

Jewelry Store: 

1st: Graham Jewelry

2nd: Payne Jewelry    

Sporting Goods: 

1st: Coaches Corner

2nd: Hibbett Sports     

Thrift Store/Consignment Shop: 

1st: Goodwill Industries

2nd: Justuff Surplus, LLC

T-Shirt Shop: 

1st: Coaches Corner

2nd: Ava Lane Designs   

Western Wear: 

1st: Crutchers Western Wear

2nd: Stockman’s The Cowboy Store

Women’s Clothing Store: 

1st: Red Diamond Fashions,

2nd: Branded Apparel                                                                 

Eats & Drinks

All-Around Restaurant: 

1st: Bob’s Landmark Eatery,

2nd: 81 Stakeout

Barbecue: 

1st: RibCrib Duncan

2nd: Bearfeather’s BBQ

Bakery: 

1st: Hollie’s Sweets & More

2nd: Special Days Cake

Breakfast: 

1st: Tim’s Place

2nd: Jimmy’s Egg

Buffet: 

1st: Wright’s Family Steakhouse

2nd: Pizza-N-Stuff

Best Catfish: 

1st: Bob’s Landmark Eatery

2nd: Bill’s Catfish 

Chicken Fried Steak: 

1st: Bob’s Landmark Eatery

2nd: Wright’s Family Steakhouse

Chili: 

1st: Bob’s Landmark Eatery

2nd: Tastees

Coffee Shop: 

1st: Viridian Coffee

2nd: Jitters Coffee House

Convenience Store: 

1st: ASAP General Store

2nd: Dave’s Cave

Deli: 

1st: Big Belly Deli

2nd: Homeland

Dinner: 

1st: Bob’s Landmark Eatery

2nd: Jonny’s at Oak Tree

Donut Shop: 

1st: Daylight Donuts

2nd: Duncan Donuts

Drive-Thru Restaurant: 

1st: Tastees

2nd: Cali Burrito

Fast Service: 

1st: Tastees

2nd: Bob’s Landmark Eatery

Fountain Drink: 

1st: Dave’s Cave

2nd: Chisholm Corner

French Fries: 

1st: McDonald’s

2nd: Tastees

Fried Chicken In Town: 

1st: Chicken Express

2nd: Bob’s Landmark Eatery

Hamburger In Town: 

1st: Tastees

2nd: Tim’s Place

Home-Cooked Food: 

1st: Tim’s Place

2nd: Bob’s Landmark Eatery

Ice Cream In Duncan: 

1st: Braum’s

Kids’ Meal: 

1st: Bob’s Landmark Eatery

2nd: RibCrib Duncan

Lunch: 

1st: Bob’s Landmark Eatery

2nd: Tastees

Mexican Food: 

1st: La Fiesta,

2nd: Don Jose Mexican Restaurant

Pizza: 

1st: DYO Pizza

2nd: DiCintio’s Pizza Cucina

Produce: 

1st: Homeland

2nd: Delbert’s Supermarket

Restaurant Service: 

1st: Bob’s Landmark Eatery

2nd: Tastees

Restaurant Value: 

1st: Tim’s Place

2nd: Tastees

Sandwich: 

1st: Bob’s Landmark Eatery

2nd: Tastees

Steak In Town: 

1st: Bob’s Landmark Eatery

2nd: La Fortuna Restaurant

Wine & Spirits: 

1st: Mini Mall Package Store

2nd: Murphree’s Wine & Spirits

Taco: 

1st: Taco Caso

2nd: La Tapatia Taco Truck

Services

Accounting Firm: 

1st: Criswell CPA 

2nd: Shepherd & Shepherd

Auction Company: 1st Gary Criswell Auction Service & Real Estate, 

2nd Land Pros Real Estate & Auction Co

Auto Repair/Service: 

1st: O’Neal’s Foreign Car Service,

2nd: Frye’s Garage, LLC

Auto Salesperson: 

1st: Mark Hunt @ Hunt Motor Co

2nd: Kevin Hammack @ Osage Auto Sales

Bail Bonds: 

1st: Randy Cain Bail Bonds

2nd: E&L Bail Bonds

Bank: 

1st: First Bank & Trust

2nd: BancFirst

Banner & Sign Design: 

1st: Sign Dezigns

2nd: DG Tint & Trim

Barber Shop: 

1st: Lupe Varel @ #Hashtag Hair Salon

2nd: Blades & Bourbon Barbershop

Body Shop: 

1st: Michel Collision Center

2nd: OK Paintless Dent Repair

Car Wash: 

1st: Shine Time Car Wash

2nd: 3B Industries

Carpet Cleaner: 

1st: Cleancraft Carpet Care

2nd: Aqua Dry

Caterer: 

1st: Bearfeather’s BBQ

2nd: Big Belly Deli 

Church: 

1st: New Hope Baptist Church

2nd: Ray of Hope Church

Contractor: 

1st: Monkey Concrete

2nd: Carrasco Concrete

Credit Union: 

1st: Endurance Federal Credit Union

2nd: Oklahoma Educators Credit Union

Day Care Center: 

1st: A Great Start Learning Center

2nd: Little Explorers Daycare

Day Care Home: 

1st: Busy Bee Home Daycare, 2nd: Dawn Teague

Dispensary: 

1st: Bee’s Knees 

2nd: Mister Mary Jane Cannabis Dispensary

Dry Cleaners: 

1st: Reams Cleaners

2nd: Dino’s Dry Cleaner

Electric Co.: 

1st: Cotton Electric Co-op

2nd :Public Service Company of Oklahoma

Electrician: 

1st: BJ’s Electric

2nd: Smith-Dressler Electrical Services

Equipment Rental: 

1st: Paramore Supply Co

2nd: Great Plains

Exterminator/Pest Control: 

1st: Red Dirt Pest Control

2nd: Oklahoma Pest Services Co

Financial Consultant: 

1st: First Bank & Trust Co. 

2nd: Edward Jones – Kristin Arrington

Firefighter: 

1st: Sal Joy @ Meridian Volunteer Fire Department

2nd: Ryan Ellis, Duncan Fire Department

Flooring Store: 

1st: Allison’s Flooring America,

2nd: Linda & Sarah’s Carpet 

Florist Shop: 

1st: Wildflower at Heart

2nd: Duncan Floral

Funeral Home: 

1st: Whitt Funeral Home

2nd: Bailes-Polk Funeral Home

Glass Company: 

1st: Shane Burke Glass & Mirror

2nd: Morris & Sons Glass

Hair Salon: 

1st: Tortoise & Hair Luxury Salon

2nd: The Hair Loft

Heat & Air Repair: 

1st: Climate Control Co

2nd: Davis Air Conditioning

Home Builder Supply: 

1st: Duncan Builders Supply

2nd: McCoy’s Home Builders

Hotel/Motel: 

1st: Holiday Inn Express

2nd: Fairfield Inn & Suites

Insurance Agency: 

1st: Connor Sager Agency – Farmers

2nd: Redden Insurance Agency

Insurance Agent: 

1st: Shasta Smith @ Redden Insurance Agency

2nd: Margie Ball @ Bartling Insurance

Landscaping: 

1st: Montgomery Landscape

2nd: Gardentown Nursery      

Lawn Mower & Equip. Store: 

1st: Eastland Lawnmower

2nd: Great Plains 

Lawn Service: 

1st: Ben Doyle

2nd: Caden Montgomery

Lawyer: 

1st: Ellis & Buckholts

2nd: Hammond & Archer, PLLC      

Loan Service: 

1st: First Bank & Trust

2nd: Endurance Federal Credit Union        

Mechanic: 

1st: O’Neal’s Foreign Car Service

2nd: Dustin Frye @ Frye’s Garage, LLC

Mortgage Lender: 

1st: Natalie Gomez @ BancFirst

2nd: Arvest Bank

Nail Salon: 

1st: Charito Reyes

2nd: The Hair Loft

Non-Profit: 

1st: Stephens County Humane Society

2nd: Gabriel’s House        

Nursery/Garden Center: 

1st: Gardentown Nursery

2nd: Montgomery Landscape

Oil Change: 

1st: Erik’s Total Car Care

2nd: Billingsley Ford

Paint Store: 

1st: Sherwin Williams

2nd: Duncan Builders Supply

Pastor/Reverend: 

1st: Billy Morgan @ Freedom Bikers Church

2nd: Randy Southerland @ New Hope Baptist Church

Pawn Shop: 

1st: EZ Pawn    

Pet Boarding: 

1st: Duncan Pet Resort

2nd: Minson Veterinary Hospital  

Pet Grooming: 

1st: Osage Animal Hospital

2nd: Duncan Pet Resort   

Photographer: 

1st: Frozen Weddings

2nd: RowCal Photography       

Place To Buy Gas: 

1st: ASAP General Store

2nd: Chisholm Corner

Place to get windows tinted: 

1st: DG Tint & Trim

2nd: Superior Sound       

Plumber: 

1st: SCA Plumbing, LLC

2nd: Justus Plumbing         

Police Officer: 

1st: Cory Faulk @ Comanche PD

2nd: Julio Alvarez, DPD

Pool Service: 

1st: Crystal Pools & Spa

2nd: Duncan Pool         

Realtor: 

1st: Tara Harper @ Bridges Realty

2nd: Tammy Mowdy @ Land Pros      

Rent To Own Store: 

1st: Aaron’s Rent to Own

2nd:  Buddy’s Rent to Own   

Real Estate Agency: 

1st: Bridges Realty Group

2nd: Land Pros Real Estate & Auction Co.

Roofer: 

1st: Chester Gates @ Gates Roofing

2nd: Stapp Roofing          

Sheriff Deputy: 

1st: Rick Lang

2nd: Ron Pruitt       

Small Engine Repair: 

1st: Eastland Lawnmower Services

2nd: Gerald Curtis Small Engine Repair   

Storage Facility: 

1st: Oak Tree Storage

2nd: Storage Ranch     

Tattoo Shop: 

1st: Old 81 Tatoo

2nd: Skin Deep Body Art       

Teller: 

1st: Nicole Prater @ Endurance FCU

2nd: First Bank & Trust Tellers

Tile Installation: 

1st: Hurley’s Creative Tile

2nd: Wolston Tile Designs    

Tire Store: 

1st: McNair Tire & Alignment

2nd: Montgomery Tire & Alignment    

Travel Agency: 

1st: First Class Travel

2nd: Cathy at Sundown Travel       

Tree Service: 

1st: Richard’s Tree Service

2nd: Tamez Tree Service        

Utility Company: 

1st: Cotton Electric Co-op

2nd: Public Service Co of Oklahoma    

Volunteer Organization: 

1st: Beautiful Day

2nd: Christian Helping Hands       

Waiter/Waitress: 

1st: Samantha @ Boom-a-Rang 

2nd: Aretta @ Bob’s Landmark Eatery    

Wrecker Service: 

1st: Best Towing & Recovery

2nd: Tri-County Towing & Recovery

Arts & Entertainment

Art Gallery: 

1st: Chisholm Trail Arts Council

2nd: Chisholm Trail Heritage Center

Band (local): 

1st: Mean Stump

2nd: Von Hawks Rising

Civic Organization: 

1st: Beautiful Day

2nd: Gabriel’s House 

Golf Course: 

1st: Duncan Golf & Tennis Club

2nd: Twin Oaks

Movie Theatre: 

1st: Palace Theatre

2nd: Heritage Park Theatre

Museum: 

1st: Chisholm Trail Heritage Center,

2nd: Stephens County Historical Museum

Radio Station: 

1st: KFXI Foxy 92

2nd: KLOVE

Tourist Destination in County: 

1st: Main Street Duncan

2nd: Chisholm Trail Heritage Center

Health & Fitness

Assisted Living Center: 

1st: Chisholm Trail Assisted Living

2nd: Ashbrook Assisted Living

Chiropractor: 

1st: Varai Chiropractic,

2nd: Axis Chiropractic

Counseling Service: 

1st: Micah Foraker

2nd: Melanie Smith

Dance/Gymnastics Studio: 

1st: Powerhouse Academy

2nd: Heartbeat Dance

Dentist: 

1st: Dr. Schick

2nd: Scott Family Dentistry

Doctor: 

1st: Demetra Cox

2nd: Christopher Herndon

Fitness Center: 

1st: Simmons Center,

2nd: Catalyst Nutrition and Fitness

Home Health Agency: 

1st: DRH Health

2nd: Healthwatch

Hospice: 

1st: DRH Health

2nd: Comforting Hands Hospice

Hospital: 

1st: DRH Health

Nursing Home: 

1st: Elk Crossing

2nd: Wilkins Health & Rehabilitation

Pharmacy: 

1st: Baker Express Pharmacy

2nd: R&S Drug Store #3 

Physical Therapy: 

1st: DRH Health

2nd: Valir

Place To Get A Massage: 

1st: Peaceful Panda

2nd: Harmony Medispa

Hospital Volunteer: 

1st: Teresa Woods

2nd: Vicki Vermedahl

Massage Therapist: 

1st: Reshayla Beard

2nd: Wanda Moore

Nurse: 

1st: Stephanie Gonzalez

2nd: Robbi Matthews

Optician: 

1st: Rice Family Vision

2nd: Edwards Family Vision

Optometrist: 

1st: Brendhan Fritts

2nd: Rice Family Vision

Pharmacist: 

1st: Christopher Crain @ Homeland

2nd: Ryan Woody @ Thompson’s Pharmacy

Podiatrist: 

1st: John Cauthon

2nd: Jordan Gibbon

Surgeon: 

1st: Danny Giles @ Duncan Orthopedics

2nd: Che Miller @ The Surgical Institute at True North

Urgent Care Clinic: 

1st: Urgent Med

2nd: XPress Wellness

Veterinarian: 

1st: Minson’s Veterinary Hospital

2nd: Chisholm Trail Animal Hospital

Education & Workforce

Boss: 

1st: Amanda Mora @ Bob’s Landmark Eatery

2nd: Breanna Jones @ Coaches Corner

New Business: 

1st: Tortoise & Hair Luxury Salon

2nd: Sno Parlor

Place to work: 

1st: First Bank & Trust

2nd: A Great Start Learning Center

Teacher: 

1st: Sandra Hurst @ Edge Academy

2nd: Mikey Eaves @ Marlow

• SP-102 (SEMDEXATM) is the first non-opioid novel injectable corticosteroid gel formulation product in development for the treatment of lumbar radicular pain, and it contains no preservatives, surfactants, solvents, or particulates.
• The study met its primary endpoint with a highly statistically significant reduction in average daily leg pain in patients receiving SEMDEXATM compared to placebo (p<0.001).
• Data demonstrated the utility of SEMDEXA in rapidly reducing sciatica pain with an extended effect for up to 99 days following a single epidural injection of SP-102 (SEMDEXA).
• Safety analysis demonstrated a clean safety profile with no identified safety risks. There were no serious adverse events related to the drug or injection procedure. No adverse events of special interest such as hematoma and infection at the injection site, or paraplegia were reported. The C.L.E.A.R trial also established the safety of repeat injections, as patients who experienced moderate-to-severe radicular pain between 4 and 20 weeks were allowed to receive open-label additional SP-102 (SEMDEXA) injection.
• The key secondary endpoint of Oswestry Disability Index, the gold standard for measuring degree of disability and estimating quality of life, showed a 28% improvement at 4 weeks on SP-102 (SEMDEXA) compared to baseline (minimal clinically meaningful improvement 8%-12%).1 The LS Mean (SEM) difference as compared to placebo was -6.28 (1.49), with a p-value < 0.001.
• “It has been a while since new drugs have been developed for interventional pain procedures. We are anxiously awaiting a new injectable formulation of viscous gel dexamethasone with extended local effect and its FDA approval for the treatment of radicular pain based on the results of this large randomized multicenter placebo-controlled trial. If approved by the FDA, it will be the first corticosteroid ever approved for epidural injections addressing safety issues with steroid medications that have been used off-label in the past few decades. This could be an important addition to treatment options for these patients, a game-changer”, said Prof. Dr. Nebojsa Nick Knezevic, M.D., Ph.D.

PALO ALTO, Calif., May 05, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Scilex Holding Company (“Scilex”), a Sorrento Company (nearly 100% or over 99.9% majority-owned subsidiary of Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc.) ( SRNE, “Sorrento”) and a commercial biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing non-opioid therapies for patients with acute and chronic pain, announced pivotal Phase 3 SEMDEXATM data presentation at the American Society of Interventional Pain 2022 annual meeting. The pivotal Phase 3 SP-102 (SEMDEXATM) trial has a highly positive results evaluating SEMDEXATM in sciatica patients following an epidural injection was presented at the Innovation summit session of the 2022 American Society of Interventional Pain (ASIPP) Annual Scientific Meeting in Las Vegas, Nevada. Results from this multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study demonstrated that patients experienced rapid onset of pain reduction in sciatica pain and the effect lasted for up to 99 days following a single injection of SEMDEXATM at the end of the procedure. This is the first time this trial study data has been presented at a major North American medical meeting.

The podium presentation described the Phase 3 trial, known as the C.L.E.A.R. trial program, randomized 401 lumbosacral radicular pain/sciatica patients at 40 sites across 25 states in the U.S., which is the largest double-blind randomized controlled epidural steroid injection clinical trial in sciatica.

Presenting Author: Prof. Dr. Nebojsa Nick Knezevic, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Anesthesiology and Surgery, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, President of the Illinois Society of Interventional Pain Physicians, Director-at-Large of the North American Society of Neuromodulation, Vice-Chair for Research and Education, Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Management.

The presentation at the Innovation Summit session, ASIPP on May 5, 2022, described the outcome of the C.L.E.A.R. trial. Key findings from this study include:

• The study met its primary endpoint with a highly statistically significant reduction in average daily leg pain in patients receiving SEMDEXATM compared to placebo (p<0.001).
• A total of 401 sciatica patients were enrolled at 40 clinical sites in US.
• The median time (days) to repeat injection in Placebo group was 57 and 99 days in the SEMDEXATM group, according to Kaplan-Meier estimation (p<0.001).
• Safety analysis demonstrated a clean safety profile with no identified safety risks. There were no serious adverse events related to the drug or injection procedure, and no adverse events of special interest reported, such as hematoma and infection at the injection site, or paraplegia. The C.L.E.A.R trial also established the safety of repeat injections, as patients who experienced moderate-to-severe radicular pain between 4 and 23 weeks were allowed to receive open-label additional SP-102 (SEMDEXA) injection.
• The key secondary endpoint of Oswestry Disability Index, the gold standard for measuring degree of disability and estimating quality of life, showed a 28% improvement at 4 weeks on SP-102 (SEMDEXA) compared to baseline (minimal clinically meaningful improvement 8%-12%).

“These Phase 3 data demonstrate that the median time to repeat injection for patients treated with SEMDEXATM was significantly longer than those treated with placebo,” said Dmitri Lissin, SVP and CMO of Scilex Holding. “We believe these data coupled with Phase 2 results from our repeat-dose trial and earlier PK/PD trial in sciatica patients will help support product registration with the FDA and utility of SEMDEXATM in a pain clinic setting. This is the first time that these pivotal Phase 3 data are being presented at a North American medical meeting and we believe this is another important milestone as we execute on our clinical and pre-commercial strategies.”

There is about 60% use of opioid pain medications for chronic back pain2 which is directly linked to many new persistent opioid users every year and up to many new cases of Opioid Use Disorder annually, making low back pain opioid use an important contributor to the opioid epidemic in the United States.

“With more than 30 million low back pain and sciatica patients every year in the US3,4, there is enormous need for an approved treatment and a desperate need for effective non-opioid alternatives,” said Annu Navani, Secretary ASIPP and Medical Director, Comprehensive Spine & Sports Center and Adjunct Clinical Associate Professor, Stanford University School of Medicine. “Epidural steroid injections have been used more than half a century for low back and leg pain, and there has always been a need for safer, longer lasting and more efficacious formulations.”

Scilex Holding Company and Vickers Vantage Corp. I ( VCKA) (“VCKA”), a special purpose acquisition company sponsored by Vickers Venture Fund VI Pte Ltd and Vickers Venture Fund VI (Plan) Pte Ltd, entered into a definitive business combination agreement (“BCA”) on March 17, 2022. Upon the closing of the transaction, the combined company (the “Combined Company”) will be renamed Scilex Holding Company, and its common stock is expected to be listed on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol “SCLX”. The boards of directors of each of VCKA, Scilex and Sorrento have unanimously approved the proposed transaction. The closing of the transaction, which is expected to occur by the third quarter of 2022, is subject to the approval of VCKA’s shareholders and the satisfaction or waiver of certain other customary closing conditions.

A corporate presentation describing Scilex’s development plans can be found at www.scilexholding.com.

About Scilex Holding Company

Scilex Holding Company, a Sorrento Company (nearly 100% or over 99.9% majority-owned subsidiary of Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc.), is dedicated to the development and commercialization of non-opioid pain management products for treatment of acute and chronic pain. Scilex is uncompromising in its focus to become the global pain management leader committed to social, environmental, economic, and ethical principles to responsibly develop pharmaceutical products to maximize quality of life. Highly positive results from the Phase III Pivotal Trial C.L.E.A.R Program for SEMDEXATM, its novel, non-opioid product for the treatment of lumbosacral radicular pain (sciatica), were announced in March 2022. Scilex targets indications with high unmet needs and large market opportunities with non-opioid therapies for the treatment of patients with moderate to severe pain. Scilex launched its first commercial product in October 2018 and is developing its late-stage pipeline, which includes a pivotal Phase 3 candidate and one Phase 2 and one Phase 1 candidate. Its commercial product, ZTlido® (lidocaine topical system) 1.8%, or ZTlido®, is a prescription lidocaine topical product approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the relief of pain associated with postherpetic neuralgia, which is a form of post-shingles nerve pain. Scilex’s three product candidates are SP-102 (injectable dexamethasone sodium phosphate viscous gel product containing 10 mg dexamethasone), or SEMDEXA, a Phase 3, novel, viscous gel formulation of a widely used corticosteroid for epidural injections to treat lumbosacral radicular pain, or sciatica, with FDA Fast Track status; SP-103 (lidocaine topical system) 5.4%, a Phase 2, triple-strength formulation of ZTlido®, for the treatment of low back pain; and SP-104, 4.5 mg Delayed Burst Release Low Dose Naltrexone Hydrochloride (DBR-LDN) Capsule, for the treatment of chronic pain, fibromyalgia in multiple Phase 1 programs expected to be initiated this year. For further information regarding the SP-102 Phase 3 efficacy trial, see NCT identifier NCT03372161 – Corticosteroid Lumbar Epidural Analgesia for Radiculopathy – Full Text View – ClinicalTrials.gov.

Scilex Holding Company is headquartered in Palo Alto, California, with operations in both Palo Alto and San Diego, California. For further information please visit www.scilexholding.com.

About Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc.

Sorrento is a clinical and commercial stage biopharmaceutical company developing new therapies to treat cancer, pain (non-opioid treatments), autoimmune disease and COVID-19. Sorrento’s multimodal, multipronged approach to fighting cancer is made possible by its extensive immuno-oncology platforms, including key assets such as fully human antibodies (“G-MAB library”), immuno-cellular therapies (“DAR-T”), antibody-drug conjugates (“ADCs”), and oncolytic virus (“Seprehvec”). Sorrento is also developing potential antiviral therapies and vaccines against coronaviruses, including Abivertinib, COVISHIELD and COVI-MSC; and diagnostic test solutions, including COVIMARK.

Sorrento’s commitment to life-enhancing therapies for patients is also demonstrated by our effort to advance a first-in-class (TRPV1 agonist) non-opioid pain management small molecule, resiniferatoxin (“RTX”), and SP-102 (10 mg, dexamethasone sodium phosphate viscous gel) (SEMDEXA), a novel, viscous gel formulation of a widely used corticosteroid for epidural injections to treat lumbosacral radicular pain, or sciatica, and to commercialize ZTlido® (lidocaine topical system) 1.8% for the treatment of postherpetic neuralgia (PHN). RTX has been cleared for a Phase II trial for intractable pain associated with cancer and a Phase II trial in osteoarthritis patients. Positive final results from the Phase III Pivotal Trial C.L.E.A.R. Program for SEMDEXA, its novel, non-opioid product for the treatment of lumbosacral radicular pain (sciatica), were announced in March 2022. ZTlido® was approved by the FDA on February 28, 2018.

For more information visit www.sorrentotherapeutics.com

About Vickers Vantage Corp. I

Vickers Vantage Corp. I is a blank check company formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities.

Important Information for Investors and Stockholders

This press release relates to a proposed transaction between Scilex and VCKA. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or exchange, or the solicitation of an offer to buy or exchange, any securities, nor shall there be any sale of securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, sale or exchange would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. In connection with the transaction described herein, VCKA intends to file relevant materials with the SEC, including a registration statement on Form S-4, which will include a document that serves as a prospectus and proxy statement of VCKA, referred to as proxy statement/prospectus. After the registration statement is declared effective by the SEC, the proxy statement/prospectus will be sent to all VCKA shareholders as of a record date for the meeting of VCKA shareholders to be established for voting on the proposed business combination. VCKA will also file other documents regarding the proposed transaction with the SEC. This press release does not contain all of the information that will be contained in the proxy statement/prospectus or other documents filed or to be filed with the SEC. Investors and security holders of VCKA are urged to read these materials (including any amendments or supplements thereto) and any other relevant documents in connection with the transaction that VCKA files with the SEC when, and if, they become available because they will contain important information about VCKA, Scilex and the proposed transaction. Investors and security holders will be able to obtain free copies of the registration statement, the proxy statement/prospectus and all other relevant documents filed or that will be filed with the SEC by VCKA through the website maintained by the SEC at www.sec.gov.

Participants in the Solicitation

VCKA and its directors and executive officers may be deemed participants in the solicitation of proxies from VCKA’s shareholders in connection with the transaction. A list of the names of such directors and executive officers and information regarding their interests in the proposed business combination will be contained in the proxy statement/prospectus when available. You may obtain free copies of these documents as described in the preceding paragraph.

Scilex and its directors and executive officers may also be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from the shareholders of VCKA in connection with the proposed transaction. Information about Scilex’s directors and executive officers and information regarding their interests in the proposed transaction will be included in the proxy statement/prospectus for the proposed transaction.

Non-Solicitation

This press release is not a proxy statement or solicitation of a proxy, consent or authorization with respect to any securities or in respect of the potential transaction and shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy the securities of VCKA, the Combined Company or Scilex, nor shall there be any sale of any such securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of such state or jurisdiction. No offer of securities shall be made except by means of a prospectus meeting the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release and any statements made for and during any presentation or meeting concerning the matters discussed in this press release contain forward-looking statements related to VCKA, Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. and its subsidiaries, including but not limited to Scilex, under the safe harbor provisions of Section 21E of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding the efficacy and safety profile of SP-103 for treatment of LBP in patients, the ability of SP-103 to address limitations of prescription lidocaine patches in treating acute LBP, Scilex’s expected timeline to complete this Phase 2 study and plans for subsequent phase 3 trial(s),the proposed business combination between Scilex and VCKA, including the timing of such business combination, the potential listing of the Combined Company’s common stock on Nasdaq or other major securities exchange and the anticipated stock ticker symbol for such shares, the expectation that VCKA will file a registration statement on Form S-4 with the SEC, which would include a proxy statement/prospectus, the estimated or anticipated future results and benefits of the Combined Company following the proposed business combination, including the likelihood and ability of the parties to successfully consummate the proposed business combination, future opportunities for the Combined Company, the timing of the completion of the proposed business combination, Scilex’s and the Combined Company’s proposed business strategies, the expected cash resources of the Combined Company and the expected uses thereof; Scilex’s and the Combined Company’s current and prospective product candidates, planned clinical trials and preclinical activities and potential product approvals, as well as the potential for market acceptance of any approved products and the related market opportunity; statements regarding SP-102 (SEMDEXA) or SP-103, if approved by the FDA; Scilex’s development and commercialization plans; and Sorrento’s products, technologies and prospects and Scilex’s products, technologies and prospects, including the potential for Scilex’s product candidates to be best-in-class or first-in-class therapies. Risks and uncertainties that could cause Sorrento’s and Scilex’s actual results to differ materially and adversely from those expressed in our forward-looking statements, include, but are not limited to: the inability of the parties to consummate the proposed business combination transaction for any reason or the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstances that could give rise to the termination of the BCA, including any failure to meet applicable closing conditions; changes in the structure, timing and completion of the proposed transaction between VCKA and Scilex; VCKA’s ability to continue its listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market until closing of the proposed transaction; the Combined Company’s ability to list its securities on Nasdaq or other major securities exchange after closing of the proposed transaction; the ability of the parties to achieve the benefits of the proposed transaction, including future financial and operating results of the Combined Company; the ability of the parties to realize the expected synergies from the proposed transaction; risks related to the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against the parties following the announcement of the proposed business combination; general economic, political and business conditions; risks related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic; the risk that the potential product candidates that Scilex develops may not progress through clinical development or receive required regulatory approvals within expected timelines or at all; risks relating to uncertainty regarding the regulatory pathway for Scilex’s product candidates; the risk that Scilex will be unable to successfully market or gain market acceptance of its product candidates; the risk that Scilex’s product candidates may not be beneficial to patients or successfully commercialized; the risk that Scilex has overestimated the size of the target patient population, their willingness to try new therapies and the willingness of physicians to prescribe these therapies; risks that the results of the Phase 2 trial for SP-103 may not be successful; risks that the prior results of the clinical trials of SP-102 (SEMDEXA) or SP-103 may not be replicated; regulatory and intellectual property risks; the risk that any requisite regulatory approvals to complete the transaction are not obtained, are delayed or are subject to unanticipated conditions that could adversely affect the Combined Company or the expected benefits of the proposed transaction or that the approval of VCKA’s shareholders is not obtained; the risk of failure to realize the anticipated benefits of the proposed transaction; the amount of redemption requests made by VCKA’s shareholders and other risks and uncertainties indicated from time to time and other risks set forth in Sorrento’s and VCKA’s filings with the SEC. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this release, and we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement in this press release except as may be required by law.

Contacts:

For Scilex Holding Company

Jaisim Shah
Chief Executive Officer
Scilex Holding Company
960 San Antonio Road
Palo Alto, CA 94303
Office: (650) 516-4310
Email: [email protected]

Website: www.sorrentotherapeutics.com and www.scilexholding.com

Investors and Media Contact:

Contact:
Brian Cooley
Senior Vice President
Corporate Communications and Investor Relationships
Head of Lymphatic Drug Delivery
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.sorrentotherapeutics.com

For Vickers Vantage Corp. I

Jeffrey Chi
Chief Executive Officer
85 Broad Street, 16th Floor
New York, NY 10004
Phone: (646) 974-8301
Email: [email protected]

Website: www.vickersvantage.com

Investors and Media Contact: Nicolette Ten, Senior Account Executive, SPRG
Email: [email protected]

Sorrento® and the Sorrento logo are registered trademarks of Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc.

G-MAB, DAR-T, Seprehvec, SOFUSA, COVISHIELD, COVI-MSC, and COVIMARK are trademarks of Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc.

SEMDEXA (SP-102) is a trademark owned by Semnur Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Scilex Holding Company. A proprietary name review by the FDA is planned.

ZTlido® is a registered trademark owned by Scilex Pharmaceuticals Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Scilex Holding Company.

All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

© 2022 Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

A former US National Security Council official has described an odd dinner encounter with Russian President Vladimir Putin — who smelled “almost like he had stepped out of some special preparatory bath.”

Fiona Hill, who served as an adviser on Russia under then-President Donald Trump, dished on the strongman during a recent sit-down with the BBC Sounds’ “Desert Island Discs” show.

“Now, this sounds really bizarre, but I could smell that he was freshly laundered,” she said. “He wasn’t wearing cologne, but it was almost like he had stepped out of some special preparatory bath or something, into the moment.

“He was just all in command of himself projecting this image, I thought, ‘Wow, look at this!’” Hill recalled.

“All of this is staged, every little element of this is staged — this is a performance.”

Hill also noted the Kremlin leader’s tightly controlled appearance.

“I took in the suits, one of the finely tailored suits, the way that the little vein pulses on the left-hand side of his face,” she told host Lauren Laverne.

Fiona Hill served as an adviser on Russia under then-President Donald Trump.Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images

“I noticed right away that, like the rest of us, he really could have done with glasses because he had these giant cards. I could read them all, cards telling him who was who and what he should say and things like this.”

The former national security official also recalled how the brutal Russian leader didn’t eat or drink.

“I noticed he didn’t eat or drink anything. I watched the watch on his wrist — very expensive,” she said, adding that Putin was “not much of a conversationalist” and barely even looked at her during the meal.

Fiona Hill recalled how Russian President Vladimir Putin didn’t eat or drink during the dinner.Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images

It’s unclear when exactly the dinner took place although Hill told “Desert Island Discs” it happened while she was working as a national intelligence officer, which she did from 2006 to 2009 as an analyst of Russia and Eurasia.

Hill’s observations come amid a spate of reports about Putin’s health.

Anti-Kremlin Telegram account “General SVR” claimed he recently underwent surgery to remove fluid from his abdomen.

Fiona Hill noted how the Russian president seemed to need glasses.Loren Elliott/REUTERS

It also claims that Putin’s surgery and subsequent recovery was covered up using “deepfake” technology to simulate his presence in videos of a scheduled meeting of Russia’s security council.

The outlet’s claims have not been verified.

Last week, the mysterious channel also claimed that Putin had prerecorded footage in an attempt to cover up future surgeries and was planning on using body doubles if need be.

In April, Russian investigative outlet The Project reported that the leader has been regularly visited by an oncologist and speculated that he was suffering from thyroid cancer.

“Every little element of this is staged — this is a performance,” Fiona Hill said of Russian President Vladimir Putin.Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images

The report also included a variety of other ailments, from hockey injuries to back pain from an equestrian incident.

According to the report, Putin is said to bathe in blood extracted from deer antlers, which are hacked off while they are growing and still full of fresh blood. The sickening “antler baths” are an alternative therapy in the Altai region of Russia.

Speculation about Putin’s health has continued as he’s been videotaped fidgeting, keeping his distance from his subordinates, or otherwise acting strangely in public.

Johnny Depp told a court of the moment his marriage to actress Amber Heard fell apart – because he took his own boots off when he got home.

Amber, he said, had a routine that she would get him a glass of wine and remove his footwear as soon as he got home. 

But one day she was on the phone, so he took his own boots off rather than wait.  

‘I worked quite a lot and when I came home from work I’d come in the house and she’d sit me down and give me a glass of wine and take my boots off and set them to the side,’ he told the court in Fairfax, Virginia.

‘I’ve never experienced anything like that in my life. I never experienced that and it became a regular thing, kind of routine.

Depp got emotional as he talked about how good his relationship with Amber Heard was at the beginning but how it fell apart after he took his own boots off

‘No, no, no that’s my job. You don’t do that, I do that,’ Amber allegedly told Johnny after he had removed his own footwear

Depp said under oath that his wife ‘became another person, almost’ within 18 months of the boots incident

‘One night I came home and she was on the phone, I took my boots off, suddenly Miss Heard approached with this look on her face, she just said what did you just do? What did you do?’

He asked her what she meant and she replied: ‘You took your boots off.’

‘Yes I did, he said he told her. You were busy.’

But Amber told him: ‘No, no, no that’s my job. You don’t do that, I do that. 

‘Then she said “Let me get you a glass of wine.” I did take pause of course, the fact she was visibly shaken or upset that I had broken her rules of routine.

‘Once you notice something like that you start to notice other tidbits that come out.

‘Then within a year a year and a half she had become another person, almost.’

Depp, 58, was testifying in the trial in which he is suing Heard for libel over a 2018 op-ed that she wrote for the Washington Post in which she wrote about her alleged domestic abuse.

Heard, 35, is countersuing for $100 million, claiming that he smeared her when he accused her of lying.

He said in the beginning his relationship with Heard, who he met on the set of the 2011 movie The Rum Diary, was ‘too good to be true’.

‘She was attentive, she was loving, she was smart, she was funny, she was understanding. We had many things in common, certainly blues music, literature. 

‘For that year, or year and a half it was amazing.’

‘From the beginning of our relationship for a good year and a half she was wonderful and then things just started to change or things started to reveal themselves is a better way to put it.’

He said he called her Slim and she called him Steve after the Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart characters in the movie To Have and Have Not.

He explained that he was the craggy Bogart and she was ‘this beautiful creature, this stunning creature,’ the much-younger Bacall.

He said it was during a kissing scene in The Rum Diary that he realized he had feelings for Heard, saying he ‘felt something he shouldn’t be feeling.’

She later went to his trailer and they kissed again. 

Judge Penney Azcarate who is presiding over the sensational trial in Fairfax, Virginia 

The Pirates of the Caribbean actor told the court Tuesday that he started popping pills when he was just 11 and by the time he was 15 he had ‘done all the drugs that I am aware of,’ Tuesday. 

He started on tablets his mother took for her nerves and progressed from there, he told the court.   

‘I’d bring my mum her nerve pill, I’d take one myself to escape caring so much, feeling so much – to escape the chaotic nature of what we were living through. 

‘Can’t say I’m proud of admitting that’.

He said after taking his mother’s pills he moved on to marijuana and other drugs.

He said: ‘I’ve never taken any substance for a party. I’ve taken these substances on and off to numb myself of the ghosts, the wraiths that were still with me from my youth. 

‘Essentially self medication, one of those get-me-out-of-here moments. You want to escape from your own brain, your own head’.

Depp said that by 15 he had ‘done all the drugs I was aware of’ but he didn’t continue at such a rate.

He said there were ‘many years’ he didn’t even have a drink’ and that he ‘wasn’t dropping acid every five minutes’.

And he said that his ex-wife’s claims about his drug abuse were exaggerated.

He said: ‘The characterization of my ‘substance abuse’ that’s been delivered by Miss Heard is grossly embellished and I’m sorry to say but a lot of it is just plainly false

‘It was an easy target for her to hit because once you’ve trusted somebody for a certain amount of years and you’ve told them all the secrets of your life that information can be used against you, especially if it’s taken to a point that’s teetering on impossible, teetered over impossible at times.

Depp and Heard called each other Steve and Slim after the Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall  characters in the movie To Have and Have Not

Johnny Depp said ex-wfe Amber Heard always insisted she take his boots off and pour him a glass of wine when he got home

Heard and Depp in the movie The Rum Diary where they met. Johnny said he ‘felt something he should not have felt’ during a kissing scene in the movie

‘I am not some maniac who needs to be high or loaded all the time. 

‘In fact before Australia I’d been off of alcohol for about 18 months,’ he added referring to the time when he lost part of a finger, when, he claimed, Heard threw a bottle at him.

But he admitted that he got hooked on the painkiller Roxycontin – which he called Roxies – after getting sciatica from throwing a chair through a window in Pirates of the Caribbean 4.

 ‘It’s not like you take those pills to get high, you’re taking those pills to get well or better because if you’re without the pill your body will start to go into withdrawal,’ he said.

Depp shook his head and smiled when asked if he had done opiates since detoxing, telling the jury: ‘No I can’t.

‘Once you’ve been bit you’ll be bit again.’  

Depp apologized for sending his best friend vile texts about Heard saying he wanted to see her ‘rotting corpse decomposing in the f***ing trunk of a Honda Civic’.

‘I’m ashamed of some of the references made. I’m embarrassed that at the time the heat of the moment, the heat of the pain that I was feeling went to dark places.  

He said: ‘Sometimes pain has to be dealt with with humor and sometimes dark, very dark humor.

‘I grew up watching Monty Python so it can tend to get into dark humor. It can tend to get into…words are used for emphasis and words are used to express what you’re feeling at the time. It’s just like growing up, you learn from those mistakes, you learn from those things and you move forward’.

Earlier, Depp had talked about his upbringing, saying he had been regularly abused by his mother Betty Sue Palmer, who died in 2016.

But he said he learned a lot from his parents, especially about bringing up children. 

‘I knew exactly how to raise children when my girl Vanessa (Paradis) got pregnant I knew exactly how to raise children which was to do the opposite of what they did.

Depp said he learned how to bring up children from his mother Betty Sue Palmer. ‘Justdo the opposite of what she would do’

Depp and Heard met on the set of the 2011 movie The Rum Diary, turning up on the red carpet together for its London premiere

Depp with parents Betty Sue Palmer and John Christopher Depp and then-girlfriend Vanessa Paradis when he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1999

Never raise your voice in front of the children, never. Screaming out the word no to them. I never wanted to tell my kids no. 

‘I wanted to show them there are options – you don’t have to stick the coat hanger in the electrical socket.

‘Talk to them, if you understand the repercussions of something you won’t go there…give this some thought. That could kill you so I’d ease them away from things of that nature with more of a conversation as opposed to a flat out don’t you ever do that again, and threats. 

‘I did not raise my children that way.’ 

He told of ‘verbal abuse, name calling and bullying’ by his mother, who he described as ‘very unpredictable.’.

She took any ‘opportunity to be as cruel as anyone could be,’ he said. 

Depp laughed nervously as he recalled an ashtray being flung at him that hit him in the head, being beaten with high heel shoes, telephones, ‘whatever’s handy.’

‘In our house we were never exposed to any type of safety or security, the only thing to do was stay out of the line of fire,’ he said, adding, ‘When she was going to get riled up and somebody was going to get it and generally it was me.’ 

‘Physical violence, physical abuse. That was a constant. We were all somewhat shell-shocked. She’d walked past, you’d shield yourself because you didn’t know what would happen,’ Depp said. 

He talked about how his mother gave him and his two siblings cruel names.

Johnny Depp gestures while giving testimony during the trial. He said he started popping his mother’s nerve pills when he was 11 and by the time he was 15 had tried every drug he knows of

Amber Heard and her attorney Elaine Bredehoft during the trial on Tuesday. Heard is countersuing Depp for $100 million claiming he libeled her when he said she lied in a Washington Post op-ed

‘My brother wore glasses so he was Four Eyes. His teeth were messed up in the front so he was Buck Tooth.’

He said his mother called his sister Violet although her real name is Christie.

‘My mother despised my father’s parents. Grandmother’s name was Violet.

‘So my mother said, come here Violet, get in here Violet. Christie, my sister, knew very well that was a deep cut psychologically, emotionally, but you had to take it. 

‘You just had to take the pain.’

He said he had a lazy eye, and at one stage had to wear a patch over his good eye to try to strengthen the other.

”She would call me Cock eye or One Eye, anything she could get to demean, humiliate. 

‘The psychological abuse was almost worse than the beatings,’ Depp added. ‘They were just physical pain, and the physical pain, you learned to deal with it, accept it. 

‘But the psychological and emotional abuse that’s what kind of tore us up.’

 He said his father, John Christopher Depp was a kind stoic man who never lost his temper or attacked Betty Sue, until one day when Johnny was 15 he walked out and didn’t return.  

Attorneys for Heard have argued she told the truth and that her opinion was protected as free speech under the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment

Depp arrives at the courthouse in Fairfax, Virginia, to give evidence in the trial

‘When my father left I didn’t realize,’ Depp said. ‘He left for work one morning, was packing his car and he left. 

‘Hours later my mom came home from work, about 3.30 in the afternoon. She walked in the door and stopped and walked around, she felt something. She said your daddy’s gone. He’s gone, he’s gone. 

‘She ran into their bedroom and into their closet, she opened the door and there was his rack of clothing and all his belongings were gone. She was quite upset. I took her car and drove to my father’s work and sat down in front of him at 15. 

I’d bring my mum her nerve pill, I’d take one myself to escape caring so much, feeling so much – to escape the chaotic nature of what we were living through 

‘I said, Listen, seems somebody stole all of your clothes and he said yeah, I’m done. I can’t do it any more. I can’t live it any more. You’re the man now..

‘Those words didn’t quite sit well with me. I didn’t feel I was ready to hear those words.’

Depp said his mother ‘went into a very deep, dark depression,’ after his father John walked out.

‘One afternoon I had fallen asleep and woke up and walked into the living room and saw my mother very feebly, almost a slow motion, crawl.’ 

‘I knew something was dreadfully wrong. There was drool coming out of her mouth.’ 

‘Front door busted open, my uncle and two paramedics came in and threw her on the gurney and whisked her out the house to get her out the hospital to pump her stomach.

‘She’d swallowed a multitude of pills to try to commit suicide,’ he said.

‘She was a firecracker of a woman but when she got out of hospital the depression was so deep she lived on the couch and weighed about 70 pounds and all that imagery spun into my head. I thought that was a cowardly way for my father to have left.

‘I was deeply upset by that.’