Ex-Marcadia execs raise $1.7M to launch drug firm
Fritz French and Richard DiMarchi, the former leaders of Marcadia Biotech, have teamed up to launch the diabetes drug development firm Calibrium LLC.
Life Science & Biotech
Articles
Generous employer benefits now hurt some workers
Ever since World War 2, when employers started using health benefits to compete for workers, the less employees had to pay toward health insurance premiums the more attractive the benefits. But under Obamacare, this axiom will not always be true.
Deals up, dollars down in 2013 for Indiana life sciences firms
Venture capitalists and angel investors put a combined $31.9 million into 18 life sciences companies last year, with some of the largest amounts going to Nextremity Solutions, hc1.com and FAST BioMedical.
Biomet reaches $50M settlement in hip-replacement case
Indiana-based Biomet Inc. has agreed to pay a base rate of $200,000 each to hundreds of people who received artificial hips that were later replaced.
Purdue, Cook create $12M fund for life-science startups
The Foundry Investment Fund will join with other investors to provide funding for companies that use Purdue-licensed technology or expertise in human and animal health and plant sciences.
Size matters: Big hospitals with largest market shares charge highest prices
A new study of 10 cities, including Indianapolis, gives a picture of how big hospitals have been battling with big health insurers over prices—and winning.
Rival’s lawsuit could delay launch of new Lilly insulin
Paris-based Sanofi sued Eli Lilly and Co. on Thursday for patent infringement. That suit triggers an automatic 30-month delay on Lilly’s plans to launch a similar version of Sanofi’s once-a-day insulin Lantus.
Despite exchange roller coaster, WellPoint says it’s all going according to plan
Since WellPoint says it’s not losing money on the exchanges—at this point—that’s encouraging news for those who would like the Obamacare exchanges to remain a viable option.
St. Vincent hospitals not quite as rich as they seem
St. Vincent Health has been sending roughly $50 million to $70 million every year to its parent company, St. Louis-based Ascension Health, to support other hospitals in Ascension’s 93-hospital network.
Lilly said to be willing to pay $3.7B for biotech firm
A newspaper says Eli Lilly and Co. is a leading contender to acquire a Massachusetts-based biotech company with a troubled leukemia drug.
My own Obamacare math says small employers will, indeed, drop coverage
In my financial situation, I could save from 2 percent to 30 percent buying health insurance on the Obamacare exchanges. I suspect a lot of small companies and their workers will see similar results.
Hopelessly divided Congress agrees on one thing: Cutting payments to providers
Congress’ recent willingness to play hardball with providers is driving providers to cautiously embrace concepts—like pay-for-performance and keeping patients out of the hospitals—they have long resisted.
OK, I’m convinced: Hospitals actually are transforming
There are clear signs that hospitals nationally, and even here in Indianapolis, are actually starting to make good on their promises to keep patients healthier and out of the hospital.
Looks like both sides are wrong about Medicaid
New research shows that expanding Medicaid won’t save money, in spite of the claims of Obamacare supporters, but it will provide modest help to patients’ health and pocketbooks, in spite of conservative critics’ contention to the contrary.
IU professors’ invention tracks eyes to detect brain injuries
Two Indiana University School of Optometry professors are tackling diagnosis of one of the most difficult medical problems facing sports teams at every level: head injuries.
Funding drought pinches life sciences firms
Nationally, venture capital investments into life sciences firms totaled $4.9 billion during the first nine months of 2013, down 30 percent from the same period in 2008, according to data from Thomson Reuters and PricewaterhouseCoopers. In Indiana, life sciences firms raised $21 million during the first nine months of the year, far lower than any year since 2003.
Crux of Medicaid showdown is how to fight poverty
When Gov. Mike Pence tries next month to negotiate a Medicaid expansion deal in a meeting with the Obama administration, it will be a clash of the conservative and liberal approaches to fighting poverty.
State lags city with science, tech jobs
Careers in science, technology, engineering and math—typically referred to as STEM fields—have surged in growth compared to other careers in Marion and Hamilton counties. But the rest of Indiana has barely budged from the early 2000s.
No one likes Obamacare
Obamacare has officially arrived, but both conservatives and liberals are calling it awful. That means the real debate over health reform is just beginning.
For the holidays: A hopeful, health care reading list
In the Christmas spirit of hope, I’m offering a reading list of several optimistic reports about health care reform—even though many of my recent posts, and the mood of the country in general, have been decidedly downbeat.