Warren/Blumenthal Investigation Revealing Diabetes Patients' Lack of Access to Lower-Priced Insulin

[BeckyDem]

Despite Promises, Eli Lilly's Less Expensive Authorized Generic "Insulin Lispro" Widely Unavailable in Pharmacies

Oversight
Reports

December 16, 2019

Report (PDF)

Washington, D.C. - United States Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, and Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) today released the findings of a months-long survey of nearly 400 pharmacies nationwide regarding the availability of pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly's authorized generic insulin, "Insulin Lispro." The investigative report, Inaccessible Insulin: The Broken Promise of Eli Lilly's Authorized Generic, concluded that Eli Lilly's lower-priced, authorized generic insulin is widely unavailable in pharmacies across the country, and that the company has not taken meaningful steps to increase insulin accessibility and affordability.

"This report shows that pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly has not lived up to its promise to provide a lower-priced insulin to patients who need it," said Senator Warren. "With rising prescription drug costs squeezing families in every part of the country, Congress must bring drug prices down for consumers, hold drug companies accountable for needless price hikes, and encourage more competition in the prescription drug market."

"Our report shows that Eli Lilly has failed to deliver on its promise to put a more-affordable insulin product on the shelves," said Senator Blumenthal. "Instead of giving patients access to its generic alternative, this pharmaceutical behemoth is still charging astronomical prices for a drug people require daily and cannot live without. Congress needs to step up and take action on skyrocketing drug prices."

For many of the more than 30 million Americans living with diabetes, insulin is an essential medicine that helps the body process glucose derived from food. Without glucose (and the insulin necessary to process it), the human body cannot function properly. Three pharmaceutical companies -- Sanofi, Nordisk, and Eli Lilly -- produce over 80% of the global insulin supply and have taken advantage of limited market competition by steadily increasing insulin prices, even though experts estimate drug manufacturers could profitably produce insulin for $7 to $11 per patient per month. Little generic competition exists in the insulin market, further contributing to increased prices.

https://www.warren.senate.gov/oversight/reports/senators-warren-and-blumenthal-release-investigation-revealing-diabetes-patients-lack-of-access-to-lower-priced-insulin

[turbinetree]

1. So Eli Lilly and the others...........................are basically killing people.............

[BeckyDem]

3. Criminals.

[I_UndergroundPanther]

5. Murderous rich psychopaths,too many of these awful people

Control too much. When do we busy into the CEOs office with cameras and demand they stop financially abusing diabetics?

[dalton99a]

2. Kick

[Ninga]

4. Kick this important news!

[blm]

6. This isn't a primary campaign story.

IMO, it is a GD posting.

Good to see the issue is still under scrutiny.

[BeckyDem]

7. I suppose you're right but I put up announcements from the ACLU, often looking for

support from lawmakers, and it just sinks. So I put this one here instead.

[blm]

8. I understand.

It can get headshaking.

[BeckyDem]

9. Yep.