Hello, this is Jackson, South Dakota. Jordan, Utah. I've been diabetic for about 17 years.

Working as a nurse in critical care, I've taken care of a lot of patients who were admitted

to the facility because they couldn't afford their insulin.

I remember the cost of insulin when I first became diabetic, being about $75 to $90 a

vial. Now is over $300 a vial without insurance.

They would ration how much insulin they would use and then they would end up in the hospital

because of it.

In 1923, the patent for insulin was sold for $1. But since then, the price has increased

to hundreds of dollars in the US. Last week, pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly announced

it's cutting its insulin costs by 70 percent. According to the Eli Lilly website, this

change to out of pocket costs is quote effective immediately. Here's CEO David Rick speaking

to CNN's Don Lemon.

What we could wait for Congress to act or the healthcare system in general to apply

that standard, we're just applying it ourselves. Lilly's going to buy down all of our customers

out of pocket cost to $35 at the pharmacy counter automatically.

The Eli Lilly decision would cap its insulin prices at $35 a month and out of pocket spending.

Most diabetes patients need 2-3 vials per month, which can cost up to hundreds of dollars.

For some people in the US who are insulin dependent, this means they've had to ration

their insulin or drive to Canada or Mexico to purchase the drug just to be able to afford

it. After the break we get into these costs, why insulin prices in the US have skyrocketed

and how much Eli Lilly's decision will affect people across the country. I'm Jen White.

You're listening to the 1A podcast where we get to the heart of the story. We'll be back

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