Indiana’s life sciences sector racks up annual record $257M in venture funding
The 39 companies that won venture funding represent a wide range of therapeutics, devices and health information technology.
The 39 companies that won venture funding represent a wide range of therapeutics, devices and health information technology.
Indiana received 55,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine on Friday, and another 39,000 doses on Monday, which is a fraction of the state’s needs, officials say.
Last week, state health officials said they expected to initially receive 55,575 doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine, and had already begun vaccinating front-line health care workers. But just five days later, state officials and hospitals are keeping mum about how many doses they actually received, except to say it was fewer than expected.
Less than 20% of the monoclonal antibody doses shipped by two companies, Indianapolis-based Lilly and New York-based Regeneron, have have used, officials say, even though they can reduce hospitalizations by up to 70%.
Hospitals are discharging patients several days earlier than they otherwise would, sending them home sometimes with oxygen machines, intravenous lines and powerful medicines.
Lilly said it will enroll up to 500,000 people in its latest study, with at least 5,000 people expected to receive bamlanivimab therapy. The drugmaker is partnering with health insurer UnitedHealth Group to see if the drug will help high-risk people.
CEO Jeff Simmons said the company’s high-profile downtown Indianapolis headquarters will signal a cultural transformation at the company, which for most of its six decades of existence operated as a little-noticed subsidiary of Eli Lilly and Co.
The state has offered at least $86 million in tax incentives, plus land for the project.
Two companies are awaiting emergency authorization to distribute vaccines in the United States, following Britain’s action Wednesday to become the first country in the world to approve a vaccine.
Coal is rebranding itself from a dirty, low-tech fuel into a reliable source of energy. And it might have powerful friends in the Indiana General Assembly in that effort.
Despite the change in fortunes, Ascension signaled that it is not yet out of the woods, noting that “consumer confidence and healthcare hesitation as a result of COVID-19 continue to affect Ascension markets, to varying degrees.”
The not-for-profit launched in 2013 as a way to bridge the gap between research universities and industry in life sciences. But its report card so far is decidedly mixed, and it just hired its third CEO.
The Indianapolis drugmaker said Thursday evening it was awarded an emergency use authorization for its drug baricitinib to be used in combination with Gilead Sciences’ antiviral drug remdesivir in severely ill, hospitalized patients with COVID-19.
The 21st Century Energy Policy Development Task Force, which was set up to guide lawmakers in crafting a long-term energy plan, voted 11-4 on a series of findings and non-binding recommendations.
Hospitals and nursing homes are searching high and low for doctors, nurses, therapists and support staff to relieve overworked teams, but it is difficult to find people, as all the health systems are looking at the same time.
A state energy task force is considering a sweeping array of measures that seem to favor existing large-scale utilities, many of which still burn coal, over providers of renewable energy.
Under the Affordable Care Act, health insurers are required to spend 80% to 85% of the revenue they get from premiums on medical care. If they don’t, they have to issue rebates or credits to make up the difference.
Across Indiana, the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations has been shattering records day after day, putting a strain on many hospitals and adding to the anxiety about how much longer the pandemic will continue.
Among those leaving is the investigations editor who oversaw the newspaper’s expose of USA Gymnastics that led the arrest of the team doctor who molested more than 100 girls.
Indiana health officials have identified five hospitals that will get the initial shipment of the first COVID-19 vaccine available, if and when one is approved for use.