Insulin manufacturers and prescription drug managers often blame each other for these higher prices. Mike DeAngelis, executive director of corporate communications for CVS Health, said the manufacturers alone set the list price for their products.
Representatives for Eli Lilly and Sanofi did not respond to a request for comment. A representative for Novo Nordisk declined to comment on the lawsuit. But the company provided some “background information” saying the net prices for it insulin products have fallen in each of the past five years “in large part to the significant rebates and discounts manufacturers pay to ensure access for patients.
A team of Canadian scientists discovered insulin a century ago. They sold the patent to the University of Toronto for just $1 hoping to avoid a monopoly that could cause high prices. But eventually, the market came to be dominated by just three companies. Today, Wren says he has good health insurance and doesn't have to ration his supply of insulin. He said he skirts the law each month by providing people insulin from someone else's prescription “all so that they don't have to ration."