Anti-smoking dollars shrink as cigarette problem persists
Progress in reducing smoking is undeniable, but money to accelerate the decline is falling even faster.
Health Care & Life Sciences
Articles
Walgreens, insurers push expansion of virtual doctor visits
Millions of people will be able to see a doctor on their smartphones or laptops for everyday ailments once the nation's largest drugstore chain and two major insurers expand a budding push into virtual health care.
Indiana medical software company says networks hacked
A medical software company is notifying patients of the health care providers it serves—including Franciscan St. Francis Health in Indianapolis—that their private information may have been exposed when its networks were hacked.
Speculation grows over possible Humana acquisition
Humana Inc. has pulled out of a major health care conference and said it will not comment on rumors of a merger, actions that will likely fuel Wall Street speculation that the insurer is part of a developing deal. Anthem Inc. is a possible suitor.
Fate of Eli Lilly’s potential $2B blockbuster insulin hangs on side effects
Lilly’s basal insulin peglispro proved more effective than the $7 billion blockbuster Lantus at controlling diabetics’ blood sugar, but it also had greater effect on patients’ livers and hearts. Analysts are unsure of its future.
Lilly to launch Lantus biosimilar in Europe in third quarter
Indianapolis-based Eli Lilly and Co. plans to introduce its version of Sanofi’s Lantus insulin for diabetes in Europe in the third quarter, said Enrique Conterno, the president of Lilly Diabetes.
Indy Chamber starts new benefits plan for small firms
The organization has come up with a new way to help its small-business members while giving them a better deal on employee benefits.
Female libido drug nears approval with FDA panel’s backing
An experimental pill to treat low sexual desire in women moved closer to becoming the first such drug to be sold in the U.S. after regulatory advisers backed its approval.
Health insurers request modest rate hikes
While health insurers in states around the country have proposed large rate increases for the health plans they sell on the Obamacare exchanges, insurers in Indiana are asking for modest increases or even decreases. The bad news is that it appears the rest of the country is just catching up with Indiana’s already-high prices.
State readies $2M ad campaign to show off HIP replacement
The new version of the Healthy Indiana Plan, backed by Obamacare funding, has enrolled 229,000 new participants in four months without breaking stride.
Many health insurers go big with initial 2016 rate requests
Dozens of health insurers say higher-than-expected care costs and other expenses blindsided them this year, and they're going to have to hike premiums for individual policies well-beyond 10 percent for 2016.
Why Anthem could spend $34 billion to buy health insurer Humana
Wall Street analysts say a purchase of Louisville-based Humana Inc., which reportedly has put itself up for sale, would by Indianapolis-based Anthem. An Anthem-Humana marriage would be the biggest merger in the history of U.S. health insurance.
State bird flu restrictions hit students in 4-H programs
Thousands of Indiana children who raised and doted on chickens, turkeys and other poultry for 4-H projects are feeling the sting of a statewide ban on bird shows aimed at preventing the spread of a bird flu.
Great Indy Innovations
Central Indiana has been the birthplace of groundbreaking innovation felt nationwide–even worldwide.
The top-paid doctors at Indy’s hospitals
It took $394,000 to rank in the top 1 percent of U.S. earners in 2013. And more than 100 of the Indiana contingent in that exclusive club were physicians employed by one of the four major hospital systems that operate in the Indianapolis area.
Indy’s Golden Age in 1920s shows way forward
In the 1920s, Indianapolis was one of the most innovative cities in the nation. But after “the dark tragedy of the roaring twenties,” Indianapolis lost its edginess for decades and only recently has begun to regain it.
Pace-setting firms share advice on diving into change, accelerating innovation
IBJ picked the brains of Indianapolis-area firms and organizations known for liquid thinking to discover how they open the spigot on innovation.
Lilly to market euro bonds as low rates lure U.S. firms
The drugmaker plans to sell 2.1 billion euros ($2.3 billion) of securities in three parts, according to a person familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified.
Fallout from Supreme Court case on Obamacare could be ‘ugly’
A Supreme Court ruling due in a few weeks could wipe out health insurance for millions of people covered by President Barack Obama’s health care law.
VA to cancel contract with Goodwill, ending jobs for 67 workers
Goodwill Industries of Central Indiana Inc. is appealing a decision by the Richard L. Roudebush Veterans Affairs Medical Center that would put 63 janitors and their four managers out of work by Aug. 1.