If you take insulin, you may have noticed a steep rise in insulin costs lately, and insulin users are starting to strike back.

There has been some uproar lately specifically surrounding three insulin manufacturers: Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk, and Sanofi.

A Law Suit Over Increased Prices

A lawsuit has recently been filed against these three companies after speculation was made that there was a “scheme to drive up insulin prices.”

Diabetes patients in the United States have thus filed a lawsuit against these companies as of January 30, 2017, in Massachusetts.

The lawsuit claims that these particular companies have raised their benchmark prices by more than 150% over the past five years. Some of the patients involved in the lawsuit claim they pay nearly $900 per month for their insulin prescriptions!

That’s a ton of money, and one is starting to question if that spike in price was necessary at all.

The Damage of Increased Insulin Prices

Unfortunately, the increase in prices is impacting many people who have diabetes. There have been reports of patients underdosing their insulin and purchasing expired insulin products to get enough medication to treat their diabetes.

Many patients are also visiting their physician sharing the news that they can no longer afford their insulin.

This is a massive issue as insulin is a lifesaving medication for people living with diabetes and is not something someone with diabetes can be without.

What Happens Now?

Since the lawsuit was filed just a few short days ago, the three insulin manufacturers have denied the charges, and some have not made any comments due to this being an ongoing litigation.

For now, it’s a waiting game and hoping that something can be done to bring down the cost of insulin.

Medical insurance companies cover the cost of insulin for some lucky folks out there, but not everyone is so fortunate. Those who are uninsured, have high deductibles, or who have Medicare Part D plans are suffering from paying the astronomical costs of these benchmark prices with their own money. It’s starting to become a huge burden for some.

There is lots of talk going on as to what the next steps are, and many people are also anxiously awaiting to see what the new United Stated administration will do regarding pharmaceutical pricing.

[expand title=”References“]
Medscape. URL Link. Accessed February 2, 2017.
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