Florida Attorney General targets insulin, diabetes-related drug prices in new lawsuit
Full briefing: Florida AG James Uthmeier targets insulin prices in lawsuit
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier held a news conference to announce a lawsuit filed against three big drug manufacturers, pharmacy benefits managers and rebate aggregators. The lawsuit targets high insulin and diabetes-related drug prices.
TAMPA, Fla. - Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier is targeting insulin and diabetes-related drug prices in a new lawsuit against three big manufacturers.
Insulin, diabetes-related drugs lawsuit
What we know:
He made the announcement during a news conference in Tampa on Tuesday, saying the lawsuit is against three manufacturers that supply more than 90% of the world's insulin — Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk and Sanofi.
The lawsuit is also against three pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) that process about 80% of U.S. prescriptions — CVS Caremark, Express Scripts and Optum Rx. The rebate aggregators they created are also included — Zinc, Ascent and Emisar.
Uthmeier accused the manufacturers and PBMs of price-fixing, anti-competitive behavior and deceptive trade practices when it comes to insulin and other diabetes-related drugs such as GLP-1's.
The Florida attorney general was joined by State Rep. Danny Alvarez and former State Rep. Jackie Toledo as well as independent pharmacists at Blue Palms on Fletcher Avenue in Tampa.
Florida attorney general statements
What they're saying:
"Insulin is not a discretionary drug for a lot of people," Uthmeier said during the news conference. "Here in the United States a lot of people — 2.3 million Florida adults, one in 10 — have diagnosed diabetes, and insulin can be for many people, the difference between life and death."
"People should not have to live in fear over the price of a life and death drug, when you have big corporations that are focused on making billions rather than serving the citizens of our great state," he continued.
The other side:
None of the companies involved in the lawsuit have responded to the lawsuit.
Florida's next steps
What's next:
Uthmeier did say other lawsuits can be expected to come in the weeks and months ahead.
For now, Uthmeier said the lawsuit brings two counts under Florida's Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act, including one for insulin and other drugs related to diabetes. There's also a count under Florida's Antitrust Act.
He said his office is asking the court for a permanent injunction, restitution, disgorgement, damages and civil penalties.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered during a news conference held by Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier at Blue Palms in Tampa.