Sanofi reverse the price increase for the life saving drug Lantus!
Sanofi reverse the price increase for the life saving drug Lantus!
The Issue
CVS Caremark, a pharmacy benefit manager (PBM), will no longer cover the insulin brand Lantus in favor of a new biosimilar version, Basaglar. Biosimilars are considered the generic versions of "biologic" drugs that are based on natural sources.
The company also announced a program last week to further keep diabetes costs down, following a similar move in August by competitor Express Scripts.
Diabetes is an epidemic in the United States, affecting nearly 10% of the population or about 29 million people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Of those, more than 8 million people are undiagnosed.
Type 1 diabetes — often still called juvenile diabetes — can occur when people are children or adults. Type 2 diabetes is becoming more common with the increase in obesity and sedentary behavior.
Prices for Humalog and many insulin brands have increased from about $300 to $500 between January 2013 to October 2016, according to drug discount search company GoodRx. Lantus increased about 60% — from $240 to $380 — in the same time period, GoodRx says.
"It’s definitely unfortunate prices are going up so much and impacting the people who need it to stay alive," says Henry Anhalt, an Englewood, N.J., pediatric endocrinologist. "But I think a big part of the problem is how much (insurers) cover and how much they fight you."
The amount of insulin a diabetes patient needs every day depends on what they are going to eat, how much they will exercise and their stress level, says Anhalt, chief medical officer of the T1D Exchange, which is researching ways to better manage diabetes and runs an online community for people with type 1 diabetes.
Changes in the formularies — the lists of drugs covered by insurers and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) — make many patients anxious, says Anhalt,
Courtesy USA TODAY,
Also Read comparison of US vs. Europe Drug comparison
The Issue
CVS Caremark, a pharmacy benefit manager (PBM), will no longer cover the insulin brand Lantus in favor of a new biosimilar version, Basaglar. Biosimilars are considered the generic versions of "biologic" drugs that are based on natural sources.
The company also announced a program last week to further keep diabetes costs down, following a similar move in August by competitor Express Scripts.
Diabetes is an epidemic in the United States, affecting nearly 10% of the population or about 29 million people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Of those, more than 8 million people are undiagnosed.
Type 1 diabetes — often still called juvenile diabetes — can occur when people are children or adults. Type 2 diabetes is becoming more common with the increase in obesity and sedentary behavior.
Prices for Humalog and many insulin brands have increased from about $300 to $500 between January 2013 to October 2016, according to drug discount search company GoodRx. Lantus increased about 60% — from $240 to $380 — in the same time period, GoodRx says.
"It’s definitely unfortunate prices are going up so much and impacting the people who need it to stay alive," says Henry Anhalt, an Englewood, N.J., pediatric endocrinologist. "But I think a big part of the problem is how much (insurers) cover and how much they fight you."
The amount of insulin a diabetes patient needs every day depends on what they are going to eat, how much they will exercise and their stress level, says Anhalt, chief medical officer of the T1D Exchange, which is researching ways to better manage diabetes and runs an online community for people with type 1 diabetes.
Changes in the formularies — the lists of drugs covered by insurers and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) — make many patients anxious, says Anhalt,
Courtesy USA TODAY,
Also Read comparison of US vs. Europe Drug comparison
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Petition created on January 4, 2017