CLEVELAND, Ohio — Cleveland officials on Monday filed a federal lawsuit against a slew of companies over the recent drastic spike in insulin prices.
“Diabetics need insulin to stay alive,” city spokeswoman Marie Zickefoose said in a statement. “The defendants exploit this reality to guarantee their price-fixing scheme, making insulin unaffordable to individuals and resulting in exorbitant costs for prescription benefit sponsors like the City of Cleveland.”in recent months.
“Recently, we announced we are cutting insulin prices by 70% and capping monthly out-of-pocket costs at $35 or less, reinforcing our commitment to closing gaps in the U.S. healthcare system and expanding access to affordable insulin,” Munk said. The lawsuit accuses the companies of orchestrating a scheme to “exponentially” increase the price of insulin at the expense of Cleveland and employees under the city’s insurance plan.
No major changes have been made to insulin in years, yet the cost keeps increasing, according to the lawsuit.