Washington, Mar 16 (EFE).- The pharmaceutical company Sanofi announced this Thursday that it will reduce the price of its most prescribed insulin product in the US by up to 78%, joining two other main producers of the drug that announced similar measures in the last weeks
In a statement, the company also said it will impose a maximum price of $35 a month on insulin for people with private health insurance.
Sanofi’s decision comes after the pharmaceutical companies Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk announced similar measures, under pressure from the government of President Joe Biden for companies to reduce the price of insulin, a drug that is much more expensive in the United States. United than in other countries.
In a statement, President Biden addressed the drugmaker’s announcement today, noting that it is the “latest company to recognize that charging hundreds of dollars for insulin that costs ten dollars to produce is wrong.”
The president also took the opportunity to ask Congress to pass legislation that allows all Americans to obtain insulin at $35 a month.
The Inflation Reduction Act, approved by Congress last year, establishes that those over 65 years of age who benefit from the public health coverage program “Medicare” will pay a maximum of 35 dollars a month for insulin.
According to the American Diabetes Association, people diagnosed with diabetes incur on average twice the medical costs of those who do not have the disease.
Specifically, diabetics in the US spend an average of $16,752 per year on healthcare, of which $9,601 is directly related to diabetes-related outlays.
In the United States, about 30 million people have diabetes, of whom 7 million need insulin daily, according to the American Diabetes Association.
