Eli Lilly to Cap Out-Of-Pocket Insulin Costs at $35

Eli Lilly and Company (Lilly) announced plans to cap out-of-pocket costs for its most commonly prescribed insulins on March 1, 2023. Individuals with commercial insurance using Lilly insulin will have out-of-pockets capped at $35 per month, while those without insurance can go to InsulinAffordability.com and download a savings card allowing them to also receive Lilly insulins for $35 per month.

According to a company press release, Lilly will set the price of its non-branded insulin, Insulin Lispro Injection 100 units/mL, to $25 a vial. The company will also reduce the price of Humalog (insulin lispro injection) 100 units/mL and Humulin (insulin human injection) 100 units/mL by 70%. Additionally, the company also announced that it will launch Rezvoglar (insulin glargine-aglr injection), a basal insulin that is biosimilar to Lantus (insulin glargine injection), for $92 per five pack of KwikPens; this is a 78% discount relative to the Lantus brand.

"While the current healthcare system provides access to insulin for most people with diabetes, it still does not provide affordable insulin for everyone and that needs to change," said David A. Ricks, chair and CEO, Eli Lilly and Company, in the release. "The aggressive price cuts we're announcing today should make a real difference for Americans with diabetes. Because these price cuts will take time for the insurance and pharmacy system to implement, we are taking the additional step to immediately cap out-of-pocket costs for patients who use Lilly insulin and are not covered by the recent Medicare Part D cap."

The Inflation Reduction Act, which passed in August 2022, capped insulin costs at $35 per month for patients with Medicare D. At one point the bill contained provisions to cap insulin prices for other patients, but this provision was struck down prior to its passage (1).

Source: Eli Lilly and Company

1. H.R.5376, US House of Representatives, 117th Congress (Washington, DC), Sept. 27, 2021.