Anthem to cover libido pill; other insurers weighing decision
Concerns about serious side effects, including fainting, complicate discussions about whether to cover Sprout Pharmaceuticals' Addyi.
Health Care & Life Sciences
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FDA approves female sex pill, but with safety restrictions
The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday approved the first prescription drug designed to boost sexual desire in women, a milestone long sought by a pharmaceutical industry eager to replicate the blockbuster success of impotence drugs for men.
Indiana to get $1.3M slice of Amgen settlement
Biotech drugmaker Amgen will pay $71 million to settle an investigation into illegal marketing of its drugs Aranesp and Enbrel, ending an investigation by 48 states and Washington, D.C.
IU Health brass pledges to boost morale after survey cites problems
According to an internal memo, employees at Indiana University Health “lack confidence in senior leadership” and don’t think they are consistently provided adequate resources to serve patients. IU Health leaders have vowed to fix that.
Indy medical device firm plans 125-job expansion
Catheter Research Inc.—which makes single-use medical devices, such as catheters—plans a $4.8 million expansion that will relocate its headquarters to larger space on the northwest side.
Indiana health care investments simmer while national market sizzles
Hoosier entrepreneurs in health care and life sciences attracted more than $31 million from investors during the first half of the year. But too few Indiana companies have developed their technology enough to attract venture capitalists or tap stock markets.
IU eyes clinical trials to boost research success
The new head of research at the Indiana University School of Medicine thinks the institution is missing out on the more than $6 billion spent each year in the United States on clinical trials.
Lack of help irks patients after medical data breach
Some patients who had their personal information compromised by a data breach at an Indiana medical software company are having trouble signing up for two years of free credit monitoring and identity protection.
Venture-backed DNA testing firm loses round in court
Strand Diagnostics lost a key court battle on July 30 when a federal judge in Indianapolis granted summary judgment in favor of the Medicare program, which has refused to reimburse Strand for its test since 2012.
Feds detail why they want Armstrong medical records
The federal government says it wants Lance Armstrong's medical records from his 1996 cancer treatments because they could prove just how far he was willing to go to conceal performance-enhancing drug use from the public and his sponsors.
Eli Lilly wins first trial over antidepressant ‘brain zaps’
A jury found Lilly isn't liable for withdrawal symptoms experienced by a woman who quit the antidepressant Cymbalta. The verdict may give the drugmaker leverage in fending off more than 5,000 other lawsuits over the drug.
UPDATE: IU Health reaches labor settlement with nurses
Indiana University Health has agreed to revoke disciplinary actions against two nurses who tried to organize a union at IU Health’s Methodist Hospital earlier this year, the United Steelworkers announced.
Costs of data breaches, just this year, outstrip subsidies to digitize health care
With this year’s bill estimated at $37 billion and counting, perhaps the sheer cost of cleaning up after IT security breaches at health care organizations will spur the industry to find a bandage for its hemorrhaging computer systems.
Anthem-Cigna mega deal might snag on Blue Cross
Anthem Inc. has used the Blue Cross and Blue Shield brand names as a powerful tool on its way to becoming the nation’s second-largest health insurer. But those Blue brands now are a hurdle for Anthem’s $54.2 billion acquisition of Cigna Corp.
Financial planning especially tricky for those with special-needs children
Many parents of children with special needs have to choose between working to help cover added expenses or unemployment so they can tend to their child full time. Financial planning is vital for these families, parents and special-needs advocates said.
UPDATE: Feds demand Armstrong medical records from IU
The government wants to see Lance Armstrong’s medical records from his treatments for cancer as it attempts to recover millions of dollars in sponsorship money paid to his cycling teams.
Lilly accused at trial of hiding Cymbalta ‘brain zap’ risk
The drugmaker faces as many as 5,000 cases claiming it downplayed Cymbalta’s withdrawal risks, which allegedly include electrical-shock sensations, vomiting and insomnia.
Indiana medical software company hack affected 3.9M people
The company said the exposed information includes names, addresses, birthdates, Social Security numbers and health records.
After revenue rebounds, Hoosier hospitals start hiring again
Hospitals around Indiana have added 2,400 jobs since September as profits, patient visits and insurance coverage all improved.
Anthem’s Indiana profits soar as Hoosiers cut medical spending by $1 billion
Anthem turned out unheard of gains in 2014, the first year of Obamacare’s new health insurance overhaul, as Anthem’s customers numbers held steady but their spending with hospitals and doctors plummeted.