Written by: Anna Floreen
There is an overwhelming concern from the diabetes community about the rising cost of insulin nationwide. I myself have been an insulin dependent type 1 since 1989. A white paper bag from the fridge at my local pharmacy was part of my family's monthly budget for decades. The cost wasn't exorbitant and we fit it into our monthly routine of prescription pick-ups.
Fast forward years later, and we hear more and more about how families are forced to decide between a mortgage payment and insulin. Both safety and security needs, especially this time of year. We don't want to play blame games, and insulin companies recognize this detrimental decision for patients, so they have started to share information about their role in addressing this increasing challenge. Many patints are familiar as well that patient assistance programs are available, too. It may take some digging on websites and a few extra steps in paperwork, but insulin we can't live without and I was able to reduce my current co-pay by half.
Below are the links from both Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk about their plan to pay it forward.
https://investor.lilly.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=1003887
http://www.businessinsider.com/insulin-maker-novo-nordisk-commits-to-single-digit-price-increase-cap-2016-12