The price of insulin in America has been a hot issue in America for years, and with discussions of potential drug price caps in the spotlight by President Biden this week, a nonprofit hopes to meet the need for affordable insulin in the country.
Civica Rx, a nonprofit organization from Lehi, Utah, announced Thursday that it will produce and sell generic insulin for $ 30 a bottle.
The drug, which many diabetics only need to stay alive, has become a poster for the debate over rising drug prices in America.
One vial of the drug, which a diabetic may need two or three a month, can cost from $ 100 to $ 300 a month, and the price has risen rapidly in recent years.
Recent price increases have begun talks to limit prices, with many states adopting bills in recent years that would limit out-of-pocket spending for insured Americans.
Civica Rx launches generic insulin for only $ 30 in an attempt to make drugs more affordable for uninsured Americans
President Joe Biden was in favor of a federal $ 35 a month cap on insulin prices and noted the high prices Americans face during his speech on the state of the Union on Tuesday.
“One in ten Americans has diabetes,” Biden said before telling the story of a Virginia teenager he met whose family had trouble affording insulin.
“Drug companies will still do very well [with a price cap]. And while we’re at it, let Medicare negotiate lower prices for prescription drugs, as VA already does.
President Biden (pictured) is in favor of limiting insulin prices to $ 35 a month and has included it on his BBB agenda. The issue has strong bipartisan support at the state and federal levels
The federal constraint is now part of Biden’s signature on the Return Better (BBB) agenda, and Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock, a Democrat from Georgia, has also introduced a separate bill proposing a price cap.
The BBB is unlikely to pass a law, as the bill is currently stuck in the Senate with virtually no chance of winning the 60 votes needed to bypass the filibuster.
According to the Ministry of Health and Human Services, Americans pay ten times more for a bottle of insulin than people in developed countries.
High prices have been blamed for many preventable deaths and for some Americans who are involved in the dangerous practice of “insulin rationing”, in which a person will take lower doses than he needs every day – or even miss a few days – in an attempt to make each vial last longer.
“It’s just absurd – ridiculous – Americans with diabetes sometimes pay more than $ 600 just for a 40-day supply of insulin,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, also a Democrat, earlier this year.
Some Republicans, such as John F. Kennedy of Louisiana, have also voiced support for lowering insulin prices.
HHS study finds that Americans pay an average of ten times more for insulin than their peers in other fully developed countries (photo file)
Both the red and blue states, such as Maine, New York, Utah and West Virginia, have also passed bills on insulin ceilings in recent months.
However, many of these ceilings apply only to Americans with health insurance, as they pass on the high cost of the drug from the insurer’s client.
Someone without health insurance – about 28 million people – will still have to pay out of pocket.
The generic insulin produced by Civica will have a sticker price of $ 30, which will make it more affordable for the uninsured, which may not be taken into account in price ceilings.
Martin Van Trieste (pictured), Civica’s chief executive, called current US insulin prices “historically high and unbearable.”
“Diabetes is perhaps the most expensive chronic disease in America, and it’s heartbreaking that millions of people are limiting their worries and putting their lives at risk because they can no longer afford insulin,” said Dan Lillenquist, president of Civica, in a statement.
“Through mission-led partnerships, we choose to create a new market reality where no one is forced to distribute essential medicines for diabetes.”
The company will produce three different insulin products, all with a suggested retail price of $ 30.
“More than 8 million Americans rely on insulin to make a living, but many cannot afford to take it because of the historically high and unbearable cost of insulin,” said Martin Van Trieste, Civica’s chief executive.
“We know that in order to really address the challenges of the price of insulin and access that so many Americans face, we need a process – from production to setting a transparent price – that ultimately reduces the cost of medicine for those who live. with diabetes. “