Americans without health insurance spend an average of $98 for Eli Lilly’s generic insulin. This is a significant amount for many. The firm has reduced the amount to about $25 this year.
Some pharmacies charged even more. The highest amount paid was $335. The insulin market is dominated by three companies mainly, Novo Nordisk, Sanofi, and Lilly.
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This year, all these firms had plans to reduce the prices of their insulin. It was a much-awaited move. Efforts by the US President are significant in the process.
The American Diabetes Association estimates that 8.4 million of the 37 million Americans who have diabetes take insulin.
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According to a representative of the National Community Pharmacists Association, the inflated prices were caused by agreements with pharmacy benefit managers and the middlemen bargaining for discounts with drug makers.
“Less than a quarter of CVS pharmacies stocked the generic insulin, whereas 74% of Walgreens pharmacies did, along with 82% of Rite Aid and Walmart drug stores. Almost half – 43% – of all stores surveyed said they did not carry the drug. “This is a deeply troubling finding, revealing that the pharmacies offering the most affordable Insulin Lispro were the least likely to have it in stock,” informs the report.