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Movers & Shakers December 28, 2010

| December 28, 2010 8:00 PM

Litehouse Inc. appoints new CEO

Litehouse Inc., of Sandpoint, has announced the appointment of Jim Frank to chief executive officer.

Frank was appointed president in June 2008, and will continue in this role as well as accepting the duties of CEO.

Edward Hawkins Jr., one of the founding owners, led the company as CEO for more than a quarter of a century.

Hawkins said, "I am extremely pleased Jim has accepted this position. As my brother, Doug, and I have been transitioning out of the day-to-day business of the company, it was important to find someone who shares our values, our commitment to our employees and commitment to the communities in which we serve, while maintaining the passion to provide the highest quality products and service that Litehouse has become known for."

Hawkins said he and the company's board of directors look forward to working with Frank, and, "We are excited about the immediate impact and support he can provide for our strategic initiatives and future growth."

Before his appointment to president, Frank served as national director of sales and then vice president of sales and marketing. Frank joined Litehouse in 2006, with 26 years of experience at Albertsons, starting as a grocery clerk during high school.

Frank was produce sales manager in the Northwest, Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Utah before ending his Albertsons career as director of fresh merchandising in Boise.

Frank said, "Edward Hawkins has left a legacy in this organization of values and passion that will carry on for decades."

Idaho receives $350K in fraud settlement

Idaho has received more than $350,000 as part of a settlement with Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp., Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden said Monday.

Wasden's Medicaid fraud control unit joined with other states and the federal government in the settlement.

The settlement resolved allegations that Novartis improperly promoted Trileptal and engaged in unlawful kickback schemes to induce physicians to prescribe Trileptal, Diovan, Zelnorm, Sandostatin, Exforge and Tekturna. Trileptal is an anti-epileptic drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of partial seizures in patients who have epilepsy.

The settlement resolved a government investigation into promotional activities by Novartis, which were directed at psychiatrists and other health-care professionals, to induce physicians to prescribe Trileptal for uses not approved by the FDA, such as the treatment of bipolar disorder and neuropathic pain.

Novartis also offered and paid illegal remuneration to health-care professionals to induce them to promote and prescribe Trileptal.

The settlement resolved allegations that from Jan. 1, 2002, to Dec. 31, 2009, Novartis provided illegal remuneration, through mechanisms such as payments for speaker programs, advisory boards and gifts, including entertainment, travel and meals, to health-care professionals to induce them to promote and prescribe the drugs Diovan, Zelnorm, Sandostatin, Exforge and Tekturna.

Idaho Medicaid will receive $118,661 in restitution from the settlement, and $231,385 in other recoveries to comply with state law will be deposited into the state's general fund for appropriation by the Idaho Legislature.

In October, Idaho received $985,105 from a separate settlement with Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp. and Novartis Vaccines & Diagnostics Inc., resolving allegations that the company promoted the use of tobramycin, a cystic fibrosis drug, which is marketed under the trade name TOBI, for uses not approved by the FDA.

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