CIGNA faces $100M gender discrimination class action suit (Morning Read)

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CIGNA faces class action. A gender discrimination class action lawsuit has been filed against insurer CIGNA Health Care seeking more than $100 million in damages. Bretta Karp, a CIGNA manager, filed the complaint on behalf of herself and a class of female employees. The complaint alleges that CIGNA discriminates against female workers in pay and promotions and creates “a hostile work environment where male supervisors harass and intimidate female employees.”Karp is represented by the same law firm that last year won a $253 million jury award against Novartis, later settled for $175 million. CIGNA’s only comment so far is a prepared statement that company policies “expressly prohibit discrimination in any form and we intend to fully defend against the complaint.”

Pharma job cuts. Eisai willcut 900 jobs as the Japanese pharmaceutical company prepares for the impact of generic competition for its Alzheimer’s disease drug Aricept, reports Bloomberg News.

Healthcare job cuts. Florida is considering cutting 1,600 state health care jobs to deal with the state’s budget crisis.

Military health care costs. Health care costs are a key reason that military costs are skyrocketing, according to a report from the Center for American Progress.

So that’s where drug names come from. A Forbes blog post explains how and why Pfizer changed the name of its new arthritis drug.

Dealflow: McKesson acquires U.K. health IT firm System C for $139.9 million.