Humalog's list price may have gone up, but Lilly says it got paid less per sale in 2018 versus 2014
As scrutiny into insulin pricing in the United States intensifies, Lilly is laying out the groundwork for its defense ahead of a third Congressional hearing on soaring drug prices next month in which the middlemen — pharmacy benefit managers — will do their utmost to exonerate themselves in the role they play in prescription drug pricing.
Drug pricing is a contentious issue that has provoked widespread furor and elicited bipartisan support. While patients and lawmakers decry outrageous prices, drugmakers and PBMs are pointing fingers at each other: The drugmakers say list prices are rising to combat the bigger rebates/discounts the all-powerful middlemen negotiate, while PBMs argue that ultimately the power to set list prices lies with the drugmakers. The losers are the final end-users — the patients whose out-of-pocket costs are closely intertwined with list prices.
Unlock this article instantly by becoming a free subscriber.
You’ll get access to free articles each month, plus you can customize what newsletters get delivered to your inbox each week, including breaking news.