Nearly 500,000 adults in Kentucky are living with diabetes and becoming increasingly burdened by the cost of insulin.
Angela Lautner, head of KOI#insulin4all, an advocacy group representing diabetics in Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana, says costs of the two main insulin brands have increased more than 1,000 percent since the late 1990s.
“Humalog and Novolog were approximately $25 when introduced to the market originally--$25 per vial. Now, Humalog’s list price is $274.70 per vial.”
Lautner says diabetics have died from rationing their insulin while others are sharing diabetic supplies. In addition to lowering the price, Lautner and other advocates want insulin manufacturers to be transparent about how much it costs to make insulin and how much they earn from the drug.
Diabetics are asking Kentucky state lawmakers in 2019 to pass a drug price transparency bill. A legislative task force has been examining some of the issues around the affordability of insulin.
