WED AM News: Exact Sciences sues Humana, new leader at Deltanoids

— Exact Sciences is suing the national insurer Humana for its refusal to pay for the company’s non-invasive colon cancer test.

The lawsuit, filed in a federal court in Kentucky this week, argues Humana has illegally refused to pay more than $800,000 worth of claims for the Cologuard test. The test analyzes stool samples for abnormal cells that signal colon cancer.

The FDA-approved test is already covered under Medicare, but the Madison biotech company is hoping to convince more commercial insurers to cover it.

On that end, the company said last month it hit a “major milestone” with getting Anthem BlueCross of California to cover the test for its 4.5 million enrollees, paving the way for similar agreements with more BlueCross insurers. It’s also expecting to sign five contracts by July.

But Exact Sciences argues that Humana, one of the nation’s largest insurers, should cover the Cologuard test, especially in the handful of states that have statutes mandating coverage for colon cancer screenings.

That’s because, the company argues, the Cologuard test is not “experimental or investigational.”

“Humana’s wholesale refusal to provide coverage for Cologuard is in clear violation of state and federal law, as well as Humana’s Plans, and has caused Exact to sustain substantial damages,” Exact Sciences wrote in a filing. “If Humana’s conduct is allowed to continue, it threatens irreparable harm to Exact as well as the patients who depend upon the test that Exact provides.”

See more on the lawsuit in a new WisBusiness.com story:

http://wisbusiness.com/index.iml?Article=364306

— Deltanoids Pharmaceuticals, co-founded by UW-Madison’s Hector DeLuca, is bringing a new CEO on board as it enters the third phase of drug testing.

The drug would help those with kidney disease on dialysis and targets secondary hyperparathyroidism, which causes bones to weaken through the loss of calcium.

Douglas Jermaseki, who’s spent 20 years in the industry, will replace DeLuca as CEO as the company starts a larger round of clinical trials. Jermaseki was previously senior vice president and general manager of Genzyme/Sanofi’s global renal business. That company had acquired a previous pharma company that DeLuca started.

DeLuca, who’s well known for his decades of work on Vitamin D, co-founded Deltanoids Pharmaceuticals in 1999 and will stay on as chairman and COO. The other co-founder, Margaret Clagett-Dame, will remain as executive vice president.

“As we now advance our lead program … to phase 3 clinical development and ultimately commercialization, I am pleased to be turning over the reins to Doug, who brings a 20 year track record of biopharmaceutical industry success and proven leadership in the renal space,” DeLuca said.

See the release:

http://wisbusiness.com/index.iml?Article=364286

— U-Haul data ranked Madison No. 4 in the number of people who used the truck company to come into the city rather than leave it.

U-Haul, which analyzed 1.7 million transactions across the U.S., warns its analysis doesn’t match up perfectly with population growth but still calls it a “strong gauge.” Madison Mayor Paul Soglin, meanwhile, said this ranking and others show “people are finding this to be an exciting place.”

About 52 percent of customers at Madison U-Haul locations were entering the city last year, not leaving it, the data found. The city also got 2 percent more arrivals compared to the year before, which earned it its designation in the U-Haul Top 10 U.S. Growth Cities for 2015.

See the release:

http://www.wisbusiness.com/index.iml?Article=364305

— Gov. Scott Walker and WEDC CEO Mark Hogan will address the 2016 Governor’s Conference on Economic Development tomorrow at Monona Terrace.

The conference kicks off at 5 p.m. today and ends Friday. Also speaking will be Kenneth, E. Poole, the CEO and president of the Center for Regional Economic Competitiveness, which did a study last year evaluating WEDC’s work.

Other highlights from the conference include panels on Wisconsin’s tax structure, transportation policy and immigration’s effects on the economy,

See the agenda:

http://www.weda.org/?page=2016_Gov_Agenda

— Publications International, Ltd. will close three facilities in southeast Wisconsin’s Yorkville due to its loss of a major contract.

The Illinois company told the state’s Department of Workforce Development it would shut the three facilities by June 30 and cut about 50 employees starting in April. The company attributed the closings to its “loss of the agreement to distribute goods for Phoenix International Publications.”

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