At What Cost: Insulin prices have raised significantly over the years, making it difficult for type 1 diabetics to get life saving medicine

Insulin prices have risen 600% in the last 20 years, interfering with type 1 diabetics’ access to the medicine they need to survive.

While insulin prices have historically been high — according to sophomore and type 1 diabetic Morgan Anderson — recent outrage on Twitter has brought these raised prices to light, after an account posing to be a popular insulin manufacturer made a false claim that insulin was now free. Though the claim was proven false, diabetics like Anderson have believed that insulin prices should be reduced.

Having access to insulin is “life or death,” according to East parent and type 1 diabetic Michael Bryant. Type 1 diabetes affects the pancreas’s ability to produce insulin, so people suffering from it have to inject it subcutaneously to control blood glucose levels. Without insulin, blood sugar gets so high that it causes other problems within the body, including organ failure or death.

With the increase in price, diabetics like Bryant don’t have any choice but to pay.

“I’ve thought about the worst case scenario before,” Bryant said. “How long can I survive without insulin? Six months to a year. And that’s it. So if somebody raises the price on you, then you don’t have an option but to pay it.”

Insulin prices in the United States are five to 10 times higher than other developed countries. Only three companies — Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk and Sanofi — produce insulin that is most ideal for type 1 diabetics, allowing them to control much of the market, according to Time Magazine. 

A vial of insulin is estimated to cost $6 to make, according to t1international.com, and without insurance it can cost up to $300 for one vial — which lasts for two weeks. A new, cheaper insulin product to help combat these raised prices is set to hit the market in 2024. 

While cheaper insulin options are available at stores like Walmart, this specific type of insulin isn’t ideal for treating type 1 diabetes — according to East parent and type 1 diabetic Andrea Cudney. 

Cudney believes that insulin should be more affordable. In the past when she didn’t have insurance, Cudney struggled to find affordable insulin prices. Because of this, she hopes there’s a solution out there to reduce prices. 

“I think that a solution is to look at either the length of patents [on insulin] currently and put a stop to these manufacturers from raising the costs,” Cudney said. “Or look at possibly getting the patents released so that generic insulins can be purchased for those that don’t have insurance.”

Cudney is now thankful to have insurance that helps insulin costs, but even with insurance, getting access to insulin is difficult, according to Bryant. 

“I felt like dealing with insurance companies was as hard as dealing with diabetes itself,” Bryant  said. “It feels like your life is in the balance. How do you know that somebody actually cares if you stay alive while you’re trying to get your medical supplies when you’re dealing with someone you’ve never talked to every single time you call?”

Anderson agrees that insulin should cost less. She recognizes that insulin companies need to make a profit, but she still finds it frustrating that these companies profit off of a drug that people need to survive. 

“It’s really unfair to people because there’s nothing you can do to prevent type 1 diabetes,” Anderson said. “Having to pay these super high prices for something that everyone else’s body already produces isn’t right.”

Bryant recognizes the many improvements that have been made to treat type 1 diabetes over the years, such as insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitoring devices. He hopes that new advancements, like a medicine to help reduce the number of islet cells lost, will help decrease the amount of insulin needed.

When these prices will drop is unclear, but all three diabetics agree that insulin prices should be reduced due to the necessity of the drug. 

“You don’t really have an option with these insulin prices,” Bryant said. “It’s not like an allergy medicine where I can just stop taking it. If you stopped taking allergy medicine, you just have to deal with the side effects of having allergies but as a diabetic, if you stop taking insulin, you die.”