The price of insulin has risen about 300% in the last decade, prompting some who suffer from diabetes to ration their doses. Community organizers at a Thursday news conference at Mecklenburg County Health Department called on state and federal lawmakers to regulate the cost of insulin.
"Our experience is that a lot of people think that folks who need life-saving medications, one way or another can always get them," said Pat McCoy of Action-NC. "But the evidence again is, where insulin is concerned, that is often not the case."
Eli Lilly, one of the three manufacturers of insulin in the U.S., sells vials of its popular insulin drug Humalog for about $275 each. Earlier this year, the company responded to public pressure by releasing a generic version of Humalog at half-price.
Critics said the move wasn’t enough to give consumers options and lower the average price of the drug.