So if Lilly’s CEO John Lechleiter says Indiana needs to establish a world class research institute for life sciences, should resources in the state make it happen?
I’m still thinking about this, to be honest. Should Indiana play in the life science research space? Does the state have the right resources to make this successful?
You can read more of his comments at MedCity News.
Seems like a knee jerk reaction to me. But I’m just a medical device guy–not a pharma guy.
This month in The Catalyst enewsletter, we have decided to start a new feature that gives a snapshot of Life Sciences industry from Indiana and the Midwest. Since this is the first edition, I’ll start by building a little bit of a foundation, starting with life sciences in Indiana.
Indiana has a fantastic mix of life science companies, service providers, and organizations. A few of those organizations are:
All of these organizations have a vested interest in securing and growing the life science industry throughout Indiana and the Midwest. I could go into detail about each group, but I recommend you visit each organization’s web site to learn more about them.
Indiana is also home to a diverse group of life science companies and divisions — including medical device, in vitro diagnostic, pharmaceutical, orthopedics, and biotech firms. Some of these companies include:
The state also has a decent presence from the life science entrepreneurial and start-up community — thanks in large part from funding sources such as BioCrossroads and Indiana Economic Development Corporation 21st Century Fund.
Indiana is also fortunate to have many, many providers for just about any service required to support the life sciences industry. The list is just too large (but you can get a good start by reviewing the members of INpact).
Also supporting Indiana life sciences are the colleges and universities providing education for future life sciences professionals and supporting entrepreneurship. Most notably in this space, Indiana is home to Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Purdue University, and Indiana University. The list below includes some of the initiatives these schools have to support the life sciences industry’s growth:
In future snapshots, we will review other regions within the Midwest and examine some of the trends and issues within the life sciences industry.
Ruth Lilly passed away. Who is Ruth Lilly? One of the most significant philanthropists in Indianapolis and Indiana history. I’m sure many residents of central Indiana have been recipients of her gifts, and may not even know it.
Indianapolis based pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly has been in the news quite a bit recently. Maybe I just hear more about Lilly because I’m in Indiana. It’s clear to many in Indiana’s life science community that Lilly is one of a few foundational companies supporting Indiana’s life science presence. Here are some recent news postings regarding Lilly:
August 7, 2008: Lilly Sells R&D Facility to Covance – The commentary I heard about this deal was it would be very positive for both Lilly and Covance. This is supposed to help Lilly be more nimble regarding drug discovery.
July 22, 2009: Lilly Will House ImClone In New York Tech Park – The Lilly / ImClone news is evidence that New York is positioning itself to become a hub for biopharmaceutical research.
September 14, 2009: Lilly Unveils Blueprint for Speeding Innovative Medicines to Patients – Lilly unveiled a new operating model and announced a series of changes to speed medicines from its pipeline to patients. The interesting thing about this news that the local media picked up on was Lilly would be laying off 5,500 employees, many of which would be from Indy. The press release from Lilly doesn’t mention this explicitly.
October 14, 2009: Lilly Sells Tippecanoe Manufacturing Site To Evonik Industries – Instead of shutting the facility down, Lilly sold the site to Evonik, one of the world’s largest chemical companies. The employees of this facility will be offered employment with Evonik.
October 29, 2009: Lilly Opens Eco-Friendly Biotech Center in San Dieg0 – “We are moving full speed ahead toward building a biotechnology powerhouse,” said John Lechleiter, Ph.D., Lilly chairman and chief executive officer. “The science, technology and talent at our new center in San Diego will help bring novel biotech medicines to patients faster and more efficiently . . .” The biotechnology center is in close proximity to life science activity and research near the University of California and other prominent biomedical research institutes, which is consistent with Lilly’s FIPNet (fully integrated pharmaceutical network) strategy to leverage external resources and knowledge to advance its pipeline. The primary driver is biotech innovation.
October 30, 2009: Lilly CEO Calls for Repair of ‘Engine of Biopharma Innovation’ – Lechleiter offered a vision to San Diego officials for biopharmaceutical companies to “reinvent innovation” to make the most of today’s wealth of scientific knowledge to benefit patients and address unmet medical needs.
Here are some of my speculations about all the Lilly news:
Life science leaders in Indiana need to figure out how to be successful in a world without a strong Indiana presence from Lilly.
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