By Aneesa Grant, The Portland Medium
Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley has joined colleagues in Congress to introduce a bicameral bill that would cap the price of insulin at no more than $20 per vial, in a bid to substantially reduce the cost of the drug for more than seven million people who use insulin across the United States. The Insulin for All Act of 2023 would help the 1.3 million Americans who were forced to ration insulin last year and the millions of others who face exorbitant medical expenses, including heart attacks, stroke, blindness, kidney failure, foot disease, amputations, and even death.
The legislation has been led by Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Representative Cori Bush (D-MO-01) and cosponsored by a host of other lawmakers, including Senators Edward J. Markey (D-MA) and Representatives Jamaal Bowman (D-NY-16), Yvette Clarke (D-NY-09), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY-14), Jesús G. “Chuy” García (D-IL-04), Sylvia Garcia (D-TX-29), Al Green (D-TX-09), Pramila Jayapal (D-WA-07), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Ayanna Pressley (D-MA-07), and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI-12).
Insulin prices have been rising steadily for the past few decades, and the situation has only worsened in recent years. Researchers estimate that a vial of insulin costs just $8 to manufacture, yet the price has gone up by over 1,000 percent since 1996. Sanofi’s Lantus costs $292 per vial, Novo Nordisk’s Novolog is listed at $289, and Eli Lilly’s Lyumjev can be purchased for $275. With more than seven million Americans relying on insulin, these prices are simply unsustainable, and lawmakers are taking action to fix the problem.
The high cost of insulin has far-reaching consequences for patients who depend on it. People with diabetes face nearly $17,000 per year in medical expenses, over half of which are directly related to their diabetes. Many people are forced to choose between paying for their insulin or other essentials like rent, food, and utilities. These choices can lead to dire health consequences, including heart attacks, stroke, blindness, kidney failure, foot disease, amputations, and even death.
Although Eli Lilly and Company recently announced a 70 percent price cut for Humalog, the company has not yet moved to reduce the price of other insulin products. Novo Nordisk and Sanofi – which along with Eli Lilly make up 90 percent of the insulin market in the U.S. – have not made any commitment to lower their prices at all.
Senator Merkley has been a longtime advocate for reducing the cost of prescription drugs and has been fighting to end price gouging for insulin and other prescription drugs by leading letters to the Department of Health and Human Services, putting forth resolutions, and introducing the End Price Gouging for Medications Act.
“Big Pharma continues to rake in record profits by gouging patients on insulin prices,” said Merkley. “Unaffordable high prices are forcing patients to ration their insulin, leading to dire health consequences. It’s tragic, it’s unacceptable, and it’s time to end this rip-off. No one should have to go bankrupt just to afford the daily medication they need to stay healthy. It’s time to put people above profits, and tell the big drug companies that their days extorting Americans who need insulin to survive are over.”
The Insulin for All Act of 2023 has also garnered the support of more than 70 major organizations, including T1International, The Insulin Initiative, The Diabetes Link, Mutual Aid Diabetes, Social Security Works, Public Citizen, Center for Popular Democracy, People’s Action, American Federation of Teachers, American Medical Student Association, Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, National Domestic Workers Alliance, United Mine Workers of America, Center for Medicare Advocacy, Doctors for America, Indivisible, and MoveOn.
