It is our mission to secure Indiana’s position as a global leader in life sciences by advocating, connecting, promoting, and delivering tangible benefits on behalf of our diverse corporate members.

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News From Around the Industry

IHIF Celebrates 30 Years!

2024 will be a big year for so many reasons but one of the biggest is that the Indiana Health Industry Forum will be turning 30! We have a lot of special events and reasons to celebrate throughout this year and we look forward to doing it with our Members and Friends!

Thursday, March 28 - Member Benefit Webinar

10:00 - 11:00 am

Understand your member benefits and learn about programs and vendors that are part of IHIF's BIO Business Solutions benefit package.

Agenda

Welcome - Kristin Jones, IHIF

BBS Introduction and Overview - Jeff Vallerga, BIO Business Solutions

Featured Discount Programs

• VWR, part of Avantor
• ADP - Payroll, HR, and Benefits
• Brex - Travel, Expense and Corporate Credit Cards
• Chubb -Property & Casualty, Product, and Clinical Trial Liability Insurance

Open to members of IHIF and those who are curious about the program details and benefits.

NEW IHIF Member Benefit!!

Access to capital is the #1 issue we hear from our members, so we are offering you a NEW member-only service to help you access non-dilutive funding from the government. By teaming up with G2G Consulting, which has secured over $528 million in government funding since 2007, you will receive a monthly report on life sciences grants and a monthly webinar with government funding experts to ask questions and gain insights on how to obtain funding. This Government Biosciences Grant Report or GBG Report is updated and published monthly with all life sciences opportunities spanning from NIH to BARDA to DoD to USDA to NSF to ARPA-H included.

Learn More

Not an IHIF Member? Sign up here to access this benefit and more!

Bloomington plant included in $16.5B Catalent acquisition

New Jersey-based contract drugmaker Catalent Inc. is set to be acquired by Novo Holdings, headquartered in Denmark, in an all-cash deal valued at $16.5 billion. Novo Holdings said Monday that it plans to sell three of Catalent’s fill-finish sites to subsidiary Novo Nordisk, including one in Bloomington. More

Biopharma company to make $250M investment in Bloomington

Simtra BioPharma Solutions on Wednesday announced plans to invest more than $250 million to expand its sterile fill/finish manufacturing campus in Bloomington and add about 130 jobs. The New Jersey-based contract development and manufacturing organization said it will build a 150,000-square-foot building that will house three high-speed, automated fill lines.

Read More - Inside INdiana Business

Scotland Extravaganza 2024

May will once again be Scotland Extravaganza Month at IHIF as we look forward to hosting members of the Scottish Lifesciences Association (SLA) here in Indiana! During the week of May 13-17, 2024 life sciences companies from our partner organization will be here to explore market opportunities in the U.S., find business, research, and manufacturing partners, and connect with healthcare delivery experts. IHIF will be facilitating meetings, making introductions, and helping get the ball rolling for both new and returning SLA members.

Learn More

Life Science Executives,

On Demand

BiotechExec provides life science companies with the strategic business solutions needed to bring their life-changing, life-saving products to the market.

The BIO International Convention is coming up quickly in June and the partnering system opens up in early April so it’s important to get meeting invitations out as soon as the system is available. However, it’s very much the case that investors and strategics generally accept meetings with people they know before they take meetings with people they don’t know.  Since BIO is one of the largest US life sciences business events where biotechs can present, get broad visibility and establish meaningful connections, to optimize the event experience and investment in time and cost, consider adding an experienced Business Development exec from BiotechExec with their established contacts and industry relationships. 

Learn More! Contact: Steve Joseph, VP Business Development, Biotech Exec

https://biotechexec.com/

With BIO Business Solutions (BBS), IHIF members are eligible for discounts and savings on a wide variety of products and services geared towards life sciences companies and general business needs. From lab supplies, waste removal and insurance, to office supplies and credit cards, there is something here for every company. Explore your options and enjoy the benefits of being an IHIF member!

Featured Program

Please share this with someone in your company who would find this helpful

BIO Business Solutions provides cost-savings offers to eligible IHIF Members. To learn more about the programs and services available, please click here. Not an IHIF member? Join today!

IHIF Membership

Be sure to check out the new IHIF Member Directory featuring company descriptions and an alphabetical listing.

Welcome New IHIF Members!

Simplicity. Flexibility. Scalability.

We aim to help innovators move faster getting their medical devices to market. Building lean systems and processes along the way to support changing needs and markets. We want to embed ourselves in your business to support long term goals and help grow your team's skills. Directory Link

Krauter Cleanrooms is an Indianapolis based design build company specializing in cost effective modular construction. From controlled lab space to ISO and USP rated facilities. Krauter Cleanrooms is a one stop local source that delivers: Consulting / Design services, Sales / Technical / Engineering Support, Expert Installation, Partnerships with Sub-Trades and Suppliers for turn-key solutions Directory Link

Helmer Scientific provides medical-grade, temperature controlled storage and processing solutions and services for pharmacy, blood bank, laboratory and research. Directory Link

Cushman & Wakefield is a leading global real estate services firm that helps clients transform the way people work, shop and live. It has some 45,000 employees in more than 70 countries.

Our life sciences real estate experts drive customized, dynamic solutions for investors, owners, developers and occupiers within the quickly evolving life sciences sector. Directory Link

Output Medical designs FDA registered medical devices that automate urine output measurements for critically ill patients at high risk of decreased kidney function. We initially target patients with substance use dependency who present with a drug overdose in acute care settings. The current standards rely upon manual methods of urine output measurement which are inaccurate, time consuming, and cannot trend the urine output – all of which adversely affect the quality of patient care. Directory Link

Element is a global Testing Inspection and Certification (TIC) company headquartered in London. It specialises in materials testing and provision of certification schemes in building material, aerospace, transportation, health sciences, oil and gas, and fire protection. Directory Link

PragmaClin is developing digital approaches to managing Parkinson's Disease. PragmaClin aims to help patients with Parkinson's Disease monitor their condition with the use of our flagship software, PRIMS. We want a world where patients can get help faster, with more accurate results. Directory Link

Grannus is an early-stage oncology drug development company, with a unique approach to a well-validated target, the chaperone protein Hsp90, that has demonstrated efficacy in clinical studies but known limitations that have prevented previous drugs from being approved. By selectively targeting individual isoforms, or versions, of Hsp90, Grannus has overcome the limitations of the previous failed programs, and unlocked opportunity across multiple tumor types as a single therapy and in combination with other approved drugs. Directory Link

Our global team designs, manufactures and markets effective, innovative solutions that support orthopedic surgeons and clinicians in restoring mobility, alleviating pain and improving the quality of life for patients around the world. Directory Link

MBX Biosciences, Inc. is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company pioneering Precision Endocrine Peptide (PEP) therapeutic candidates to help people with endocrine disorders live fuller and healthier lives. MBX is advancing a pipeline of PEPs for clinically validated targets designed to deliver superior pharmaceutical properties and overcome key limitations of native peptide therapeutics. MBX's pipeline includes its lead product candidate MBX 2109, which has completed Phase 1 development for the treatment of hypoparathyroidism, and MBX 1416, in Phase 1 development for the treatment of post-bariatric hypoglycemia. The company is supported by leading life science investors including Frazier Life Sciences, New Enterprise Associates, Norwest Venture Partners, OrbiMed, RA Capital Management and Wellington Management. MBX is based in Carmel, Indiana. Directory Link

Isotopia USA, Inc. is a developer and manufacturer or radioactive isotopes utilized as drug substances by radiopharmaceutical companies to produce targeted cancer therapies. Directory Link

Kovina Therapeutics is a preclinical drug discovery company focused on stopping human papillomavirus (HPV) premalignant infections before cancer develops and treating HPV cancers after detection. Kovina's novel small molecule antiviral compounds bind to and inactivate a key HPV protein always expressed in early, premalignant, and cancerous pathologies. Directory Link

Citizens Energy Group is a locally owned and operated broad-based utility service company, providing natural gas, thermal energy, water, and wastewater services to about 900,000 people and thousands of businesses in the Indianapolis area.

As a member benefit, IHIF is pleased to share and highlight member company news! Please send press releases to info@ihif.org.

Amplified Sciences receives $108K Flywheel Fund investment to develop pancreatic cancer diagnostics

West Lafayette-based life sciences startup Amplified Sciences has secured more funding to further develop its pancreatic cancer diagnostic platform.

Read More

ICBI 2023 Annual Report Now Available

Read the Report

What We're Following at Home and on the Hill

• Find your legislators and keep up with IHIF's advocacy efforts - here
• Policy Forum Members: Session Updates and Bill Tracker (2024 Session)

IHIF Actions:

• 2024 Session of the Indiana General Assembly Completed
• Submitted comments to NIST on use of march in rights based on pricing
• Link to comments
• Joined industry sign-on letters to support Senate approval of R&D tax amortization reversal and TCET
• Click here to see all of the topics and issues IHIF is monitoring

IHIF is proud to be a member of the Partnership for the US Life Science Ecosystem (PULSE). This coalition recently launched to inform and educate policymakers and other stakeholders about the importance of mergers, acquisitions, partnership and other deals to help bring life science innovation to patients, while driving investment, jobs and growth in every state across the U.S. If you are interested in joining with IHIF as a member of PULSE, please send an email to contact@pulseforinnovation.org.

PULSE Op-Ed

Overreach in M&A Enforcement: The Impact on Pro-Innovation Deals That Aren’t Ever Pursued

In recent months, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Department of Justice (DOJ) have pursued an increasingly aggressive new approach towards mergers and acquisitions (M&A). Taken together, the Agencies’ recently finalized Merger Guidelines and proposed premerger notification rule under the Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) Act illustrate a dramatic shift towards greater scrutiny of even procompetitive M&A, which could have a significant impact on innovation.

Notably, this greater scrutiny of proposed transactions is just the tip of the iceberg for the life sciences ecosystem. The Agencies’ new approach to antitrust enforcement ultimately risks preventing potentially procompetitive deals intended to bring innovative medicines to patients from even being considered.

VIEW ONLINE

Report finds brain drain in AMR researchers

Researchers are leaving the field of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) as market dysfunction jeopardizes the investment needed to tackle this growing public health threat, finds a new report.

Why it matters: AMR was associated with 4.95 million deaths in 2019, more than HIV/AIDS and malaria. Without new antimicrobials, AMR could kill 10 million annually by 2050.

But: The AMR R&D workforce is limited and declining, with approximately 3,000 AMR researchers currently active in the world, compared to as many as 46,000 for cancer and 5,000 for HIV/AIDS, says the AMR Industry Alliance report released Thursday.

It’s already impacting the pipeline: In 2022, there were 2,195 clinical trials and RCT publications for cancer published—35 times the number for priority bacteria—and 20 times more patents awarded for cancer (2,388) than for antibiotics.

AMR’s market challenge: Because antimicrobials must be used sparingly, a volume-based sales model doesn’t work. Every small company behind the eight new antimicrobials approved by the Food and Drug Administration in the last decade either filed for bankruptcy, was acquired, or quit working in the antibiotics space.

What can we do? The report calls for government funding to incentivize AMR research. The PASTEUR Act would help stabilize a minimum return on investment for new antimicrobials.

What they’re saying: “The decline seen in this report adds urgency to the well-recognized need for increased investment in AMR,” says James Anderson, Board Chair of the AMR Industry Alliance. “Funding from groups such as CARB-X and the AMR Action Fund helps attract and retain scientific experts in antibiotic R&D, but the ecosystem will only be economically sustainable when governments introduce incentives such as the PASTEUR Act.”

Source; Good Day Bio 2/12/24

Not Again: Why the United States Can’t Afford to Lose Its Biopharma Industry

America’s leadership in advanced-technology industries can never be taken for granted, as evidenced by its losses in telecommunications equipment, semiconductors, televisions, solar panels, and chemicals. Policymakers must recognize what went wrong in those cases to avoid a similar industrial decline in the biopharmaceutical industry.

• Read the report.

Source: Information Technology and Innovation Forum (ITIF)

• G2G Consulting Monthly Non-Dilutive Gov't Funding Webinar - March 21 (noon) Register
• New! G2G Consulting - Women's Health Funding: Hear from ARPA-H, White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research and WHAM. Webinar March 21, 1-2 pm Register and Learn More
• LSX World Congress 2024, London, England, April 29-30 - The 10th LSX World Congress is the leading partnering, strategy and investment event in Europe, with qualified 1:1 partnering at its core. Learn More
• Save The Date: SBIR/STTR Road Tour - Virtual and Indianapolis Visit - July 16, 2024 - Register and Learn More
• MEDCON 2024 - April 24-26, Columbus, OH (co-sponsored by the FDA) - Register and Learn More

How to Tell if Your App or Software is a Medical Device

Many healthcare problems can be solved with better data, metrics, and/or communication but not all apps and software are created equally in the eyes of the FDA. Understanding whether your software meets the definitions for a medical device and planning your design accordingly, can make for a much smoother path to market. Please join us as our panel discusses the SaMD regulatory requirements, outlines the development pathway, and shares their experience getting an IT product into the hands and onto the devices of healthcare users.

Welcome – Deborah Pollack-Milgate, Partner, Barnes & Thornburg 

Moderator – Kristin Jones, President and CEO, IHIF

Panelists: 

• Gretchen Bowker, CEO, Pearl Pathways
• Chris Atkinson, Vice President, Engineering, SEP
• Matt Dressler, Funds Manager, Purdue Innovates

There is no charge to participate.

Register Now

This program is offered compliments of IHIF and Barnes & Thornburg's Life Sciences and Intellectual Property groups

Apply for the 2024 IN-Prize

Welcome to one of the world’s largest pitch competitions! Apply to pitch for up to $5M (up to $1M per studio winner) in investment during the world’s largest global cross-sector innovation conference on August 27 & 28 in Indianapolis. The 25 IN-Prize finalists will pitch before an audience of venture capitalists, angel investors, entrepreneurs, early adopters, corporate executives, universities, and partners. 

Deadline to apply: May 5, 2024 at 11:59PM ET

More information

2023 - 2024

Indiana Life Sciences

Collaboration Conference Series

Since 2006, the Center for the Business of Life Sciences (CBLS) has provided a forum for various players in healthcare and life sciences to consider, discuss, and debate key business strategy issues. In presenting the Indiana Life Sciences Collaboration Conference Series, CBLS brings together key players from industry, academia, government, and economic development communities to share ideas and expertise.

Upcoming Topics

Apr 19. 2024 - Tech: Don't be Afraid of Healthcare!

CLICK FOR MORE INFO & REGISTER NOW

Purdue Start up and Technology Expo

Thursday, April 18

9am - 6pm

Purdue Memorial Union

Register Now

Join us for the Purdue Innovates Startup and Technology Expo 2024. The free full-day event will highlight and showcase Purdue’s finest innovators and entrepreneurs including students, faculty, staff, and startups.

Celebrate Purdue’s innovative spirit with a day of conversations with entrepreneurs and innovators, pitches, an award ceremony and reception, a complimentary lunch, and more.