SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
"People are dead because Eli Lily refused to lower the cost of insulin all along, instead price gouging us and raising prices year after year for no reason other than greed." (Photo: 2C2KPhotography/flickr/cc)
'Imagine Having Ability to Do This All Along, and Choosing Not to': Eli Lilly Cuts Cost of Insulin Amid Covid-19 Outbreak
"Good of them to help diabetics who will die without insulin while their lives at risk from coronavirus. Unlike all those other times when their lives are simply at risk from harmless diabetes."
Apr 09, 2020
Rep. Ilhan Omar on Wednesday was among skeptics of pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly's move to reduce the price of insulin during the coronavirus outbreak who pointed out that the company's refusal to do so in the past has cost thousands of people their lives despite the ease with which it apparently could have cut prices.
"Imagine having the ability to do this all along, and choosing not to while people died," Omar tweeted Wednesday evening.
Eli Lilly announced Tuesday it will cap the co-pay cost of the drug at $35 for the duration of the coronavirus, or COVID-19, crisis, the company's senior vice president Mike Mason said in a statement.
"Too many people in the U.S. have lost their jobs because of the COVID-19 crisis, and we want to make sure no one goes without their Lilly insulin," said Mason.
The deal will not apply to those on "government insurance such as Medicaid, Medicare, Medicare Part D, or any State Patient or Pharmaceutical Assistance Program, according to CNBC.
The price change comes after sustained criticism of Eli Lilly and other pharmaceutical companies which have kept the price for insulin, a life-saving drug for people suffering from diabetes, at artificially inflated prices that have left many patients unable to afford the medication.
As The Hill reported:
Insulin prices spiked nearly 100 percent between 2012 and 2016, often costing thousands of dollars even for insured people with high-deductible plans, leading to sharp criticism from politicians including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) of Lilly and its fellow insulin manufacturers Sanofi and Novo Nordisk.
Stories of preventable deaths from diabetics rationing or an inability to purchase the medicine have been a constant feature of media healthcare coverage over the past few years, leading critics of Eli Lilly to point out the company's decision to keep prices high in the past was not easily swept under the table by Tuesday's announcement.
"A family member showed me her monthly bill for insulin, more than $2,000. To live," tweeted reporter Joyce Philippe. "This should have been the standard from jump."
Colby College professor Laura Seay said on Twitter that the company's attempts to spin finally doing the right thing into a publicity move wouldn't wash its hands of the deaths from keeping the price of the medication high for so long.
"People are dead because Eli Lily refused to lower the cost of insulin all along, instead price gouging us and raising prices year after year for no reason other than greed," said Seay. "They don't get a PR coup for doing the right thing now."
The disconnect between the Eli Lilly decision to change the price now as opposed to before struck Irish journalist Carl Kinsella as ironic and a strange way to prioritize affordability of care.
"Good of them to help diabetics who will die without insulin while their lives at risk from coronavirus," Kinsella said. "Unlike all those other times when their lives are simply at risk from harmless diabetes."
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. If you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Rep. Ilhan Omar on Wednesday was among skeptics of pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly's move to reduce the price of insulin during the coronavirus outbreak who pointed out that the company's refusal to do so in the past has cost thousands of people their lives despite the ease with which it apparently could have cut prices.
"Imagine having the ability to do this all along, and choosing not to while people died," Omar tweeted Wednesday evening.
Eli Lilly announced Tuesday it will cap the co-pay cost of the drug at $35 for the duration of the coronavirus, or COVID-19, crisis, the company's senior vice president Mike Mason said in a statement.
"Too many people in the U.S. have lost their jobs because of the COVID-19 crisis, and we want to make sure no one goes without their Lilly insulin," said Mason.
The deal will not apply to those on "government insurance such as Medicaid, Medicare, Medicare Part D, or any State Patient or Pharmaceutical Assistance Program, according to CNBC.
The price change comes after sustained criticism of Eli Lilly and other pharmaceutical companies which have kept the price for insulin, a life-saving drug for people suffering from diabetes, at artificially inflated prices that have left many patients unable to afford the medication.
As The Hill reported:
Insulin prices spiked nearly 100 percent between 2012 and 2016, often costing thousands of dollars even for insured people with high-deductible plans, leading to sharp criticism from politicians including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) of Lilly and its fellow insulin manufacturers Sanofi and Novo Nordisk.
Stories of preventable deaths from diabetics rationing or an inability to purchase the medicine have been a constant feature of media healthcare coverage over the past few years, leading critics of Eli Lilly to point out the company's decision to keep prices high in the past was not easily swept under the table by Tuesday's announcement.
"A family member showed me her monthly bill for insulin, more than $2,000. To live," tweeted reporter Joyce Philippe. "This should have been the standard from jump."
Colby College professor Laura Seay said on Twitter that the company's attempts to spin finally doing the right thing into a publicity move wouldn't wash its hands of the deaths from keeping the price of the medication high for so long.
"People are dead because Eli Lily refused to lower the cost of insulin all along, instead price gouging us and raising prices year after year for no reason other than greed," said Seay. "They don't get a PR coup for doing the right thing now."
The disconnect between the Eli Lilly decision to change the price now as opposed to before struck Irish journalist Carl Kinsella as ironic and a strange way to prioritize affordability of care.
"Good of them to help diabetics who will die without insulin while their lives at risk from coronavirus," Kinsella said. "Unlike all those other times when their lives are simply at risk from harmless diabetes."
Rep. Ilhan Omar on Wednesday was among skeptics of pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly's move to reduce the price of insulin during the coronavirus outbreak who pointed out that the company's refusal to do so in the past has cost thousands of people their lives despite the ease with which it apparently could have cut prices.
"Imagine having the ability to do this all along, and choosing not to while people died," Omar tweeted Wednesday evening.
Eli Lilly announced Tuesday it will cap the co-pay cost of the drug at $35 for the duration of the coronavirus, or COVID-19, crisis, the company's senior vice president Mike Mason said in a statement.
"Too many people in the U.S. have lost their jobs because of the COVID-19 crisis, and we want to make sure no one goes without their Lilly insulin," said Mason.
The deal will not apply to those on "government insurance such as Medicaid, Medicare, Medicare Part D, or any State Patient or Pharmaceutical Assistance Program, according to CNBC.
The price change comes after sustained criticism of Eli Lilly and other pharmaceutical companies which have kept the price for insulin, a life-saving drug for people suffering from diabetes, at artificially inflated prices that have left many patients unable to afford the medication.
As The Hill reported:
Insulin prices spiked nearly 100 percent between 2012 and 2016, often costing thousands of dollars even for insured people with high-deductible plans, leading to sharp criticism from politicians including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) of Lilly and its fellow insulin manufacturers Sanofi and Novo Nordisk.
Stories of preventable deaths from diabetics rationing or an inability to purchase the medicine have been a constant feature of media healthcare coverage over the past few years, leading critics of Eli Lilly to point out the company's decision to keep prices high in the past was not easily swept under the table by Tuesday's announcement.
"A family member showed me her monthly bill for insulin, more than $2,000. To live," tweeted reporter Joyce Philippe. "This should have been the standard from jump."
Colby College professor Laura Seay said on Twitter that the company's attempts to spin finally doing the right thing into a publicity move wouldn't wash its hands of the deaths from keeping the price of the medication high for so long.
"People are dead because Eli Lily refused to lower the cost of insulin all along, instead price gouging us and raising prices year after year for no reason other than greed," said Seay. "They don't get a PR coup for doing the right thing now."
The disconnect between the Eli Lilly decision to change the price now as opposed to before struck Irish journalist Carl Kinsella as ironic and a strange way to prioritize affordability of care.
"Good of them to help diabetics who will die without insulin while their lives at risk from coronavirus," Kinsella said. "Unlike all those other times when their lives are simply at risk from harmless diabetes."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.
To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good.
News & Opinion
Trending
Common Dreams, Inc. Founded 1997. Registered 501(c3) Non-Profit
Privacy Policy