Senator Collins Applauds Partnership to Make Low-Cost Insulin Available to All Americans
JDRF and Civica are leading a project to make biosimilar insulin available for no more than $30/vial or $55/box of five pens, regardless of insurance status, by 2024
Washington, D.C.—U.S. Senator Susan Collins, the founder and co-chair of the Senate Diabetes Caucus and a member of the Senate Health Committee, released the following statement upon the announcement of the production of low-cost biosimilar insulin for U.S. patients.
This low-cost insulin, which will have a recommended price of no more than $30 per vial and no more than $55 per box of five pen cartridges, is being produced through a partnership between JDRF, a Type 1 diabetes advocacy organization, and Civica, a non-profit organization. The project will manufacture and distribute low-cost biosimilar insulin options for three of the most-prescribed insulins: glargine (Lantus®), lispro (Humalog®), and aspart (Novolog®). Civica anticipates that the insulins will be available in 2024.
“This announcement is good news for the millions of Americans who rely on insulin as part of their daily treatment, especially those with Type 1 diabetes who need it for survival,” said Senator Collins. “As the founder and co-chair of the Senate Diabetes Caucus, I work very closely with Senator Jeanne Shaheen to advance policies that will improve the lives of those with diabetes, and one of our highest priorities is to combat the skyrocketing price of insulin. To that end, we are working to reintroduce a revised bill that would help reduce the list price of insulin and put a cap on out-of-pocket expenses.”
Currently, insulin can cost between $175 and $300 per vial and up to $1,000 per month. Studies have shown that these inflated costs can cause up to one-quarter of people with diabetes to skip or ration their insulin, potentially leading to medical emergencies, severe complications, or death.
Increasing the affordability of insulin is one of Senator Collins’ top priorities. In May 2018, she chaired a hearing on the skyrocketing price of insulin and the impacts that these increases have on patient access. In July 2019, Senators Collins and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) introduced a bill to roll back more than a decade of insulin prices hikes, and they have consistently pressed to hold insulin manufacturers, insurers, and PBMs accountable for the skyrocketing cost of life-saving insulin.
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