In Face Of Public Outrage, Novo Nordisk Follows In Competitors’ Footsteps And Offers Discounts For Insulin
Drugmakers have come under intense fire following news of more deaths of patients rationing their insulin. Novo Nordisk is the latest company to try to address the high costs of their drug. The company will start a new cash discount program that will allow many American patients to buy a month’s supply for $99 starting next year.
Reuters:
Novo Nordisk To Cut Insulin Prices In The U.S.
Novo Nordisk will offer cheaper insulin to U.S. diabetics, the Danish drugmaker said on Friday, in response to criticism over the high price of the medication and after similar moves by rivals Sanofi and Eli Lilly. President Donald Trump has made high prescription drug prices a top issue in the 2016 presidential campaign and said that drug companies were "getting away with murder". (9/6)
Stat:
Novo Nordisk Offers Programs To Lower Insulin Costs As Pressure Over Pricing Mounts
“It’s an important step for some patients and may provide a lot of savings, but it doesn’t fix a long-standing problem, which is that insulin is very expensive,” she explained. “I think it’s a temporary fix in that it will not suddenly make it more affordable for everyone. Those with insurance will have to do some math to compare the benefits. … But in general, it’s better than asking them to pay full list price.” (Silverman, 9/6)
Bloomberg:
Novo Nordisk To Sell Discount Insulin After Criticism Over Price
Novo also said it would introduce a new “authorized generic” version of NovoLog and NovoLog Mix drugs that would sell at half the price of the brand version. A box of the authorized generic version of NovoLog FlexPen, which contains 5 pens, will cost $279.41, compared to $558.83 for the brand name, Novo said. (Langreth, 9/6)
