Pharmaceutical firm taps KU graduate as president

Lenexa-based CyDex Inc. announced Friday that Joseph Fix has joined the pharmaceutical company as its president and chief operating officer.

Fix will oversee the company’s business development, product development and general operations. CyDex develops pharmaceutical products using research conducted at Kansas University’s Higuchi Biosciences Center. The university and several researchers receive royalties from the company.

Fix most recently was executive vice president and chief operating officer of the nanosystems unit of Ireland-based Elan Corp. Fix received his doctoral degree in physiology from KU and has been an adjunct faculty member at the university.

Natural gas

Aquila hires new leader for Lawrence office

Lawrence’s natural gas provider has a new leader, and the utility is contemplating asking for an increase in its rates, officials with Aquila said Friday.

Chuck Loomis has been named as the new operating vice president of Aquila’s Kansas and Colorado natural gas networks, which is based at Ninth and New Hampshire streets.

Loomis said Friday one of the issues he would be dealing with is a review of the company’s natural gas rates throughout Kansas. He said Kansas City, Mo.-based Aquila likely would decide by this fall whether to ask the Kansas Corporation Commission for an increase in the rates it charges Kansas customers. Loomis said the company last received an increase in its rates in 1999.

Loomis previously was the manager of Aquila’s Nebraska gas networks. He has worked for more than 18 years in various aspects of Aquila’s natural gas distribution business. He replaces Scott Heidtbrink, who took another job with Aquila.

Lawrence

Serologicals Corp. lands top K-10 Assn. award

Serologicals Corp.’s $28 million Lawrence manufacturing facility has been named the top project of the past year by the K-10 Assn.

Serologicals’ new facility in the East Hills Business Park won the association’s annual Development Award. The association said the company, which manufactures a product used by the pharmaceutical industry, received the award for its contributions to the character and quality of the corridor, which stretches along Kansas Highway 10 between Lawrence and the greater Kansas City metropolitan area.

Once completed later this year, the plant will employ 40 people with an average salary of $47,000 per year.

Investigation

N.Y. investigation targets insurance companies

Three more insurance companies said Friday they have received subpoenas from New York State Atty. Gen. Eliot Spitzer seeking information on the way brokers are paid.

Hartford, Conn.-based Aetna Inc., Philadelphia-based Cigna Corp. and MetLife Inc., of New York, announced Friday they had received the subpoenas and intend to cooperate with Spitzer’s industrywide probe.

Spitzer has said he was investigating whether brokers that help companies buy insurance had conflicts when accepting payments from insurance companies.