EliLillycaps costs of insulin at $35 per month, and all we can say is, “it’s about damn time”. Then Jane and Kristin go over other Wisconsin headlines, including Gableman’s growing price tag and Protesiewitz’s potential recusal. And we’re willing to bet the Irish Catholics in Milwaukee are grateful for a “cool” archbishop who “gets it”.
Some insulin could be getting a major price cut. Over 7 million Americans depend on insulin and for more than a million, it’s life-saving.
However, one study found that a quarter of insulin users have had to ration or skip taking it because of cost. The average cost of producing one insulin dose is less than $10 — but companies reportedly sell it for upwards of $200. The price of the medication has also jumped 600% over the last 20 years. There are three major companies that control the insulin market in the US: Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk, and Sanofi. They essentially get to set the prices they want.
Now, Eli Lilly has decided to cut some of their prices as soon as this year. How much of a cut? $35 a month maximum for out-of-pocket costs. This year, the Indianapolis-based pharma company is cutting its price on Humalog — its most commonly prescribed insulin product — by 70%. Its non-brand insulin, Lispro, will be $25 a vial at the beginning of May.
But before everyone hails Eli Lilly a hero, the price cuts only apply to some of the company’s older products. Eli Lilly said it wants to help Americans navigate the US’s “complex health care system.” The move also comes amid growing pressure from lawmakers and activists to make insulin more accessible.
And, who could forget, the viral tweet from November written by Sean Morrow, who paid $8 for a blue checkmark in order to impersonate Eli Lilly and announce that “insulin is free now.” The real pharma company had to issue a correction (which another fake Eli Lilly account spoofed) and saw billions evaporate from its market cap.
Reminder: The researchers who first discovered the medication said “insulin belongs to the world” and sold it for $1.
Milwaukee-area Catholics, especially the Irish ones, can breathe a sigh of relief. The Milwaukee Archbishop has said corned beef is fair game this St. Patrick’s Day. The patron saint of Ireland’s feast day falls on a Friday this year. During the season of Lent, Catholics are to abstain from eating meat on Fridays as an act of penance. But, saving the day, Milwaukee Archbishop Jerome Listecki announced Tuesday that he had granted the dispensation from abstaining from meat for St. Patrick’s Day, March 17. It’s also not the first time he has been understanding when it came to the church’s dietary restrictions on certain holidays. Listecki previously granted a dispensation that allowed area Catholics to eat meat when St. Patrick’s Day last fell on a Friday, in 2017. This really solidifies that Milwaukee totally has a “cool” archbishop.
