Surprise director departures boost WellPoint shares
Outside observers cast the departures of Lenox Baker, Sheila Burke and Susan Bayh as a positive that will allow new CEO Joseph Swedish to recast the board.
Health Care & Life Sciences
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Lechleiter’s surgery to repair heart goes as planned
Eli Lilly and Co. CEO John Lechleiter underwent a scheduled surgery Monday for a heart defect, and the repair to the aorta is functioning as intended, the Indianapolis-based drugmaker said.
Three WellPoint directors step down, cite personal reasons
Lenox Baker, Sheila Burke and Susan Bayh resigned from the board effective immediately, Indianapolis-based WellPoint said Monday in a regulatory filing.
Michigan doctor named dean of IU School of Medicine
Dr. Jay Hess was picked to become the 10th dean in the school of medicine’s 110-year history and the first dean in the past five to come from outside IU.
Indiana device makers absorbing Obamacare excise tax
The state’s medical-device companies are finding that they cannot pass on the new medical-device tax created by Obamacare to their hospital customers, causing them to continue to make cuts and to look to foreign markets for more profitable growth.
Study rebuts hospitals’ argument on Medicare, rising costs
Rather than raising prices on private health insurers to make up for inadequate payments from the government, hospitals across the country have been raising prices just because they can, according to a new study.
PANEL: Life sciences will see radically different future
IBJ convened a panel of experts at its Life Sciences Power Breakfast on May 10 to talk about the industry issues of venture capital, digital health innovations and research university entrepreneurship.
Panel members included Kristin Eilenberg, CEO, Lodestone Logic, Infuse Accelerator; Philip S. Low, Purdue University professor of chemistry, founder and chief science officer at Endocyte Inc. and On Target Laboratories LLC; R. Matthew Neff, president, CHV Capital Inc.; Brian Stemme, project director; BioCrossroads; Brian S. Williams, director, Global Healthcare Strategy, PricewaterhouseCoopers International Ltd.; and Raul Zaveleta, CEO, Indigo BioSystems Inc.
The following is an unedited transcript of the discussion.
Lilly stops development on cancer drug after failed study
The drug, enzastaurin, was in the most advanced stage of testing and had been expected to generate $260 million in annual sales by 2018.
Truck insurer’s new jobs to boast gold-plated pay
The 133 full-time jobs the truck and auto insurer plans to add over the next five years will pay around $60 an hour, or nearly $125,000 a year.
Ruling keeps church ensnared in life insurance nightmare
A federal bankruptcy judge has slapped down an Anderson church that attempted to blame its bank for a failed scheme to finance church upgrades by buying life insurance policies on its elderly members.
Warner Transitional Services to close, lay off 112
Warner relies on funds from the Indiana Family and Social Administration, but the FSSA recently decided to end that funding after numerous complaints against the company went unresolved.
Governor taps ex-WellPoint CEO Braly for IEDC board
The appointment is the first high-profile post that Braly, 51, has accepted since she was ousted from the top spot at the Indianapolis-based health insurer in August.
Lilly CEO to step down temporarily due to surgery
John Lechleiter has been suffering from a dilated aorta, Eli Lilly and Co. said Monday. Current CFO Derica Rice will take his place until later this summer.
Biosciences institute aims for $300M endowment
The effort to launch the Indiana Biosciences Research Institute got $25 million from the Legislature, but the life sciences institutions backing the effort have set their funding sights much higher.
Lilly’s sales-force restructuring to affect 1,600-plus
Lilly will eliminate 1,624 positions from its U.S. sales force in July, according to a notice the company made to state officials. But some of those workers may be rehired by the firm.
Lilly taking hard look at Pfizer’s new Viagra strategy
Major drugmakers, including Indianapolis-based Eli Lilly and Co., are closely watching Pfizer Inc.’s plan to sell Viagra directly to consumers. The bold move blows up the drug industry’s distribution model.
New seed fund aims to make Indiana a hotbed for digital health startups
Infuse Accelerator hopes to make early-stage investments in 12 to 15 companies a year.
Medicaid expansion in Pence’s hands after session
The question of whether Indiana will expand Medicaid is now back in Gov. Mike Pence's hands, after lawmakers wrapped up their session without mandating he expand coverage under the federal health care law or suggesting the route he should take.
Lawmakers pass Medicaid ball back to Pence
After a four-month debate, the Legislature ended pretty much where it started on a potential expansion of Medicaid: Lawmakers are letting Gov. Mike Pence go one-on-one with President Obama to see what kind of deal he can strike.
Obamacare exchanges could zap WellPoint profits
According to one estimate, the Indianapolis-based health insurer will shed $400 million in pre-tax profits by 2017.