TULSA, Okla. — One of the largest drug manufacturers of insulin is drastically decreasing the out-of-pocket costs for the medicine. And while it may be a step in the right direction, many say more needs to be done to help those with diabetes afford the medicine and medical equipment.
Eli Lilly announced it will cap the out-of-pocket cost of insulin at $35 a month. Plus, later this year it will lower the prices for several other products including Humalog and Humulin by 70%. Megan Quickle was diagnosed with type one diabetes when she was two years old.
“It effects everything about my life. And so, I wear an insulin pump. I wear a continuous glucose monitor. Until I had a CGM I pricked my fingers 12-15 times a day,” says Quickle.
Quickle says after living with diabetes for 35 years, it’s a part of her life, but still not something anyone can ever get fully used to, especially when it comes to the price. She says the price decrease and $35 cap announcement from Eli Lilly is a step in the right direction.
However, she says it doesn’t help everyone.
“This is absolutely a start, yes,” says Quickle. “But it needs to come from a national level that insulin has to have a cap on it. No matter which one. Long acting, short acting, a pen, a vial, whatever that may be. It needs to be across the board.”
Quickle says this is a step in the right direction but there is still a lot of work to be done.
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