Joining a growing movement, state Attorney General Jeff Landry said Tuesday the state has filed a lawsuit aimed at trimming the costs of insulin needed by more than half a million Louisiana residents with diabetes.
Those named in the action include insulin manufacturers Sanofi LLC and Novo Nordisk Inc., both New Jersey firms.
Others are Caremark Health LLC; CVS Health Corp; Express Scripts and Optumrx Inc.
Landry, a Republican who is running for governor, told reporters manufacturers are either colluding with pharmaecutical firms or being complicit when they act as a middle man to increase prices.
He told reporters the cost of insulin has skyrocketed in recent years solely to boost profits.
The lawsuit says drugs that were priced at $20 in the 1990’s now go for between $300 and $700 even though insulins cost less than $2 to produce.
“Raising prices lockstep, defendants have extracted illegal profits from the state and its citizens,” according to the 45-page petition filed in the 19th Judicial District Court in Baton Rouge.
The lawsuit is aimed at getting a cap placed on insulin costs.
A spokesperson for Sanofi said in an email that, without commenting on specifics of the lawsuit, prices “have always complied with the law and the company is committed to helping patients access the medicine they need at the lowest possible price.”
“Sanofi believes that no one should struggle to pay for their insulin, regardless of their insurance status or income income level, which is why we have a suite of innovative and patient-centric savings programs to help people reduce their prescription medicine costs,” according to the statement.
Attorneys general in Kansas, Mississippi, Arkansas, Minnesota and Kentucky have filed similar lawsuits, according to news accounts.
President Joe Biden called for a $35 monthly cap on insulin costs his State of the Union address.
One of the firms named in the lawsuit, Novo Nordisk, is set to cut costs of several insulin drugs by up to 75% and Eli Lily Co. said earlier this month it would trim costs by 70%, according to The Wall Street Journal.
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