The average price of insulin tripled between 2002 and 2013 and almost doubled between 2012 and 2016, according to the American Diabetes Association.
Three companies produce 99 percent of the insulin in all the wide world: Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk and Sanofi. Yesterday, two leaders of the House Energy and Commerce Committee -- both Democrats -- asked these companies to explain what they'd done to lower insulin prices since the committee last brought it up with them, in early 2019.
“The Committee is troubled that despite your company’s expressions of shared concern, insulin prices in the United States remain unacceptably high,” wrote Chairman Frank Pallone Jr. (D-N.J.) and oversight subcommittee Chairwoman Diana DeGette (D-Colo.). They pointed out that very little has changed since insulin was first developed a century ago and that everyone but Americans pays less.
The letter's effect is likely to be zilch. Just take a look at the drugmakers' responses to the 2019 letter. Eli Lilly said insured patients who paid more than $35 a month should call the Lilly Diabetes Solution Center. That was the most substantive of the three. Novo Nordisk looked forward "to ongoing dialogue with the Committee on policy solutions that support patients," while Sanofi said it was “committed to helping patients get the treatment that they are prescribed.” The committee's 2021 letter pointed out that the price of one of Sanofi's insulin products had risen 82 percent since 2012.
Meanwhile, Walmart has said it's planning to launch a new, much less expensive brand of insulin. From the evidence, undercutting prices will be a breeze.
https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/568548-house-democrats-press-insulin-manufacturers-for-lower-prices
Image: "Health" by 401(K) 2013 is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
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