‘We Either Buy Insulin or We Die’

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/13/opinion/insulin-price-costs.html

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By Robin Cressman, Nicole Smith-Holt, Laura Pavlakovich and Paulius Podziunas

Video by Laura Juncadella

Insulin has become so unaffordable that Type 1 diabetics are pushed to take risks, like rationing and buying from strangers online. The video Op-Ed above reveals the lengths to which they go to get a nearly century-old drug and how Americans are dying from a perfectly manageable autoimmune disease. Patent laws and existing regulations allow the top three manufacturers to continuously increase prices without consequences.

Colorado has recently capped insulin co-payments, and Congress is actively investigating why the price of insulin is so high. Eli Lilly, one of the top three insulin makers, has also announced a half-price alternative to its top-selling product. But this is not enough: Insulin must be affordable and accessible to prevent more unnecessary deaths.

Robin Cressman is a Type 1 diabetic and created Liberate Insulin. Nicole Smith-Holt (@NSmithholt12) lost her son, Alec Smith, to insulin rationing in 2017 and is an activist with T1International. Laura Pavlakovich is also diabetic and founded You’re Just My Type (@yourejustmytype1), a diabetes nonprofit. Paulius Podziunas is a Type 1 diabetic.