Ten drugmakers team up to improve testing process
Pharmaceutical industry heavyweights, including Eli Lilly and Co., are teaming up to improve the way experimental drugs are tested so they can get approved, and reach patients, faster.
Health Care & Insurance
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High-deductible premiums rising, too
Since 2007, premiums for high-deductible health plans’ family coverage have grown 32 percent—compared with 30 percent among all health plans, according to survey data from the Kaiser Family Foundation.
WellPoint spends $50M to burnish brand
The Indianapolis-based health insurer expects the purchase of health insurance to look and feel much more like online retailing than ever before, where brand name, along with price and convenience, win the day.
Crop insurance losses begin to mount amid drought
Thousands of farmers are filing insurance claims this year after drought and triple-digit temperatures burned up crops across the nation's Corn Belt, and some experts are predicting record insurance losses — exacerbated by changes that reduced some growers' premiums.
Purdue health care engineering center lands another $10M
Purdue University’s Regenstrief Center for Healthcare Engineering will get another $10 million from the Indianapolis-based Regenstrief Foundation, keeping its research going through 2018.
Average premiums for employee health plans rise 4 percent
Annual premiums for job-based family health insurance went up just 4 percent on average this year, but that's no comfort with the price tag approaching $16,000 and rising more than twice as fast as wages.
WellPoint management team gets board support, CFO says
Almost two weeks after Angela Braly was forced out as WellPoint Inc. CEO, the management team she put in place has been told by the board it will stay, said Chief Financial Officer Wayne Deveydt.
Bloomington docs still feuding with Anthem
A large physician practice in Bloomington remains at an impasse with Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Indiana less than two months before their contract is set to expire.
Growing ENT market attracts Cook
Bloomington-based Cook Medical announced a new division to capitalize on the growing market for minimally invasive procedures to fix problems in ears, noses and throats, as well as other maladies of the head and neck.
FDA drug-review deal may unravel as fiscal cliff looms
A $6.4 billion accord for U.S. drug and medical-device reviews is set to unravel just three months after taking effect as lawmakers squabble over budget cutbacks.
Nyhart makes first West Coast acquisition
Indianapolis-based Nyhart Actuary & Employee Benefits has established its first office on the West Coast with its latest acquisition.
Eli Lilly aims to ramp up social media presence
The drugmaker recently drafted social media guidelines it hopes can help it expand its use of social media to more of its employees—without running afoul of regulators.
‘Knock on Wood’ campaign boosts Farm Bureau brand
The torrent of competitors’ humorous TV commercials forced Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance to roll out its own campaign. So far, its “Knock on Wood” shtick is said to have boosted brand awareness in urban markets by 12 percent, as measured by social media chatter.
Lilly’s Alimta fails to extend survival in lung cancer study
Eli Lilly and Co. said Thursday that its cancer drug Alimta didn’t extend overall survival when combined with Roche Holding AG’s Avastin in patients with a form of lung tumor.
WellPoint plans debt offerings to fund Amerigroup acquisition
Indianapolis-based WellPoint Inc., the second-biggest U.S. health insurer, is planning a four-part debt offering to help fund its $4.9 billion acquisition of Amerigroup Corp, the insurer said Wednesday.
CNO stock hits 4-year high on recapitalization strategy
Carmel-based insurer CNO Financial Group Inc. said Tuesday that it is seeking $950 million of loans and bonds to repay debt and reduce borrowing costs.
St. Vincent adds Bloomington hospital to its fold
Indianapolis-based St. Vincent Health will manage operations at Monroe Hospital in Bloomington under an agreement announced on Tuesday. Monroe gives St. Vincent a line of hospitals stretching from Indianapolis to Bedford and even farther south to Salem and Evansville.
Bounty on Braly? $1.4 billion
Investors who called strongly for the head of WellPoint Inc. CEO Angela Braly got what they wanted last week. In response, they bid up WellPoint's share price by $1.4 billion on the day after she resigned.
Two more clinical trials go against Lilly
In the midst of Eli Lilly and Co.’s surprisingly positive news about its experimental Alzheimer’s drug, the company suffered two other setbacks with former stars of its pipeline.
IU study: Health majors have best shot at jobs
An Indiana University study has found that what people studied in college had a direct effect on their chances of employment during the Great Recession.