Insulin cost now capped at $35 for five years

CASPER - Wyoming's attorney general, through a settlement with a French multinational pharmaceutical and healthcare company, has guaranteed that Wyoming residents not enrolled in government healthcare programs can buy insulin products for $35 each month for the next five years. 

The settlement announced by Attorney General Bridget Hill on Friday morning with Sanofi-Aventis U.S. will be put into effect within 90 days of Sept. 27. 

The cost of insulin has soared over the last decade and the exorbitant prices raised concerns at the Wyoming Attorney General's office. 

"Concerns arose regarding whether insulin manufacturers deceptively priced their insulin products, requiring citizens to pay inordinately high prices for insulin. This settlement is a result of those concerns," a press release from the office stated. 

The settlement announced on Friday requires Sanofi to provide insulin products at $35 per month for customers paying with cash. The price matches that paid by about 4 million U.S. seniors as part of President Joe Biden's Inflation Reduction Act, which capped the monthly cost for seniors on Medicare in January. 

Customers will need to register for a savings card on a Sanofi website in order to get the $35 price. 

"Once Sanofi's affordability program is in place for Wyoming, the Attorney General's Office will release additional information about how Wyoming citizens can purchase a month's supply of Sanofi insulin for just $35," the release states. 

The insulin products include Admelog, Lantus, Toujeo, Apidra and any biosimilar of those products that Sanofi markets in America. 

Sanofi also agreed to implement an enrollment message program to assist pharmacists and patients to determine eligibility for its low-cost insulin. The program will alert patients about the low-cost alternative at pharmacy counters in Wyoming when patients are filling prescriptions. 

Sanofi will continue its Patient Connection Program that provides free insulin to Wyoming residents in financial need. 

"This settlement is a good start to helping combat the problems surrounding insulin prices," Attorney General Hill said. "Consumers utilizing insulin have directly felt the impacts of skyrocketing insulin prices for years." 

Hill stated the price for a five pack of Apidra in an injection pen was more than $625 in 2018. 

The settlement will lower the price to only $35 for cash customers. 

"I believe this settlement will greatly help Wyoming families needing insulin so they can better live their lives without fear of being able to afford a critical component of their care," she said. 

Hill added that her office will continue to scrutinize the causes of the rising cost of insulin and raise public awareness - including to pharmacies - of the low-cost option afforded by this settlement.