Hey y'all!
We're currently at 286 signatures! I am literally in shock. I never thought we would get this far. With every share and signature we're building a bigger, stronger army. I couldn't have made it this far without each and every one of you. You are all truly helping me make a change and I cannot thank you all enough for that.
I wanted to give a little lesson on exactly what diabetes and Insulin are and why it's so expensive. Not many understand just truly how unjustified the cost of insulin and when you figure out why, you'll be in even more awe.
So what is diabetes? Diabetes is a chronic condition in which the pancreas is no longer able to make Insulin or when the body cannot use the Insulin it produces effectively. Insulin allows our body to break down carbohydrates into sugar and move this sugar from our blood to our cells. When your body does not make Insulin or can't use it properly, the sugar remains in your blood, making it too acidic for survival.
There are two types of diabetes - Type 1 and Type 2.
- Type 1: Type 1 diabetes is when your body does not make Insulin. Your immune system attacks and destroys the cells in your pancreas that make Insulin. Type 1 diabetics MUST take insulin every day to survive and cannot be cured.
- Type 2: Type 2 diabetes is when your body does not make enough Insulin or doesn't use it well. Type 2 diabetes is treated through healthy eating, regular exercise, weight loss, diabetes medications in pill form, and blood sugar monitoring. Successfully managing these things, one can "cure" type 2 diabetes.
Now that we have our basis covered, let's talk about why Insulin is so expensive if it takes only $2.75 to manufacture 1 vial/pen.
- Vulnerable Population - Big Pharma, Pharmacy Benefit Managers (such as ExpressScripts and CVS) and other middlemen know that diabetics are a vulnerable population who are willing to pay high costs to have access to a lifesaving drug
- Virtual Monopoly - There are 3 main Insulin manufacturers. When one raises the costs, the other two raise their costs. They have limited competition and no regulation in effect to cap or control prices.
- Patent Evergreening - Newer formulations of Insulin have prolonged the patent life and extended the monopoly on these products to the present day. Pharmaceutical companies have resorted to filing and securing multiple patents on the same drug. 70 patents have been filed for Lantus since the drug was first introduced, which can technically provide more than 30 additional years of monopoly protection. Lawsuits filed by the manufacturers to prevent new competition alleging patent violation and possible “pay-for-delay” schemes in which competitors are paid money to delay market entry
- Pharmacy Benefit Managers have an extensive control over market share and gain from the high price of Insulin. They negotiate the price of Insulin with the retail pharmacy as well as rebates and coupons. PBM's receive payment from the patient's copay as well as pharmaceutical companies from rebates/coupons. The higher the cost of Insulin, the higher the rebate/coupon, the more money PBM's receive
I hope this gives each of you a deeper understanding of exactly how unjust, inhumane, and unbelievable the government, big Pharma, and manufacturers are. There are currently 18 states that have implemented some type of monthly copayment cap for Insulin. Let's keep fighting to get Iowa to be 19!