Lilly Goes on Defense, Says Insulin Price Has Dropped Eight Percent

Eli Lilly, under pressure from many quarters over the price of its medicines, released a report over the weekend saying the net price of its insulin has fallen more than eight percent over the past five years.

Lilly says that after rebates and discounts, the price of its Humalog insulin fell from $147 per patient per month to $135 between 2014 and 2018. Overall, the net price of all Lilly treatments has fallen from 59 percent of list price in 2014 to 46 percent by 2018, the company claims.

The company says it released the addendum to its annual report to “promote greater transparency and better inform discussions regarding insulin pricing”—for the first time providing both the average U.S. list price and net price for Humalog U-100.

Lilly is introducing a generic equivalent to Humalog that will list at 50 percent lower than the brand name. The company said that Insulin Lispro, its lower-cost version of the blockbuster diabetes treatment, will be sold at $137.35 for a single vial and $265.20 for a pack of five pens.