Lilly to sell cheaper insulin

Eli Lilly is offering a half-price version of a top-selling insulin to ease the financial strain for some patients, but an advocacy group says much bigger changes are needed.

What it means

The drugmaker said Monday it will introduce a version of the diabetes treatment Humalog that will be called Insulin Lispro and come with an initial price 50 percent lower than Humalog’s current rate of about $275 per vial.

Insulin is a hormone made by the pancreas that helps the body use glucose for energy. When a patient’s body doesn’t make enough insulin, they have to take it by injection or through a pump.

Why it matters

The average insulin price nearly tripled from 2002 through 2013, according to the American Diabetes Association. Since then, prices have continued to rise, often by 10 percent or more a year, and some patients have resorted to rationing their insulin.

Lilly and other drugmakers have been targeted by protesters and taken heat over soaring prices for some of their products. They’ve become frequent targets of President Donald Trump, and drug company leaders have been called before Congress and grilled about their prices.

Ben Wakana, president of the advocacy group Patients for Affordable Drugs, said in an email that the lower prices were still too high, and Lilly’s move will help “only a fraction” of the patients who need it.

What’s next

The company said it is working to make the insulin available as quickly as possible.

JORGE RIBAS / WASHINGTON POST Laura Marston holds up a vial of Humalog, a type of insulin she takes, at her home in Washington.