All Minnesotans with or without insurance can now buy Eli Lilly’s insulin products for $35 a month for the next five years.
Attorney General Keith Ellison announced Wednesday, Feb. 7, he reached a settlement with the insulin manufacturer in a 2018 lawsuit. The lawsuit alleged Eli Lilly and two other manufacturers deceptively priced their insulin products, requiring uninsured and underinsured Minnesotans to pay astronomically high out-of-pocket costs based on the list price of the drugs.
According to the AG's office, at the time the suit was filed, a five-pack of Humalog insulin pens cost more than $600. A 2020 report found the price of some insulin products increased by more than 1,100% in the last two decades.
Minnesotans can visit MNinsulin35.org to learn how to get Eli Lilly insulin products for $35 per month.
As part of the settlement, Eli Lilly will also donate enough free insulin to satisfy the needs of 15 clinics serving the neediest Minnesotans for the same period of five years.
In the months ahead, the Attorney General’s Office reported it will work with local, state and community partners to raise public awareness of the low-cost option. The news release also stated it will identify high-need areas across the state to ensure clinics eligible to enroll in the network of free insulin meet the needs of as many Minnesotans as possible.
The attorney general’s litigation against the other two defendants, Sanofi-Aventis and Novo Nordisk, continues.
In the last year, the attorneys general of California, Illinois, Arizona, and Utah have all filed lawsuits against insulin manufacturers and in some cases against pharmacy benefit managers as well. Local governments in other states have filed similar lawsuits.