Is Insulin free now?

Such equal accessibility can also be questioned when we look at insulin’s pricing. On November 10th, 2022, a fake account of the Eli Lilly and Company posted on their Twitter (now X) ‘We are excited to announce insulin is free now.’ receiving thousands of likes and global attention. This tweet was subsequently deleted by twitter and Eli Lilly and Co. directly issued a statement denying the claim that insulin was free.

When the first vials, like those in the box from the Diabetes Vereniging, were produced in the United States they were sold for 1 dollar, while in 2023 a vial of insulin went over the counter for 275 dollars. Partly due to this tweet the public managed to force Eli Lilly and Co. to put a cap on the insulin price at 35 dollars, which is still remarkably high in comparison with the production price of 2 to 4 dollarsVisualizing the Cost of Insulin in the United States (2004-2024) [Internet]. [cited 2024 Nov 8]. Available from www.visualcapitalist.com.

These tweets symbolize important ethical questions as regards to the trend of pharmaceutical companies overcharging their customers for their products and “common” therapies. Unfortunately, affordable therapy for everyone still feels out of reach today.