The Insulin Affordability Conversation

No insulin manufactured by Lilly is patent protected.

• The University of Toronto paid the discoverers of insulin $1 for the original patent in 1923. Lilly then paid the university a 5 percent royalty for every vial of animal-source insulin sold until 1967.

• Like other medical innovations, Lilly’s insulins have been patented – but none is today. In fact, Humalog U100, our most commonly used insulin, lost patent protection in 2014.

No, while Lilly began large-scale production of animal-source insulin in 1923, many advancements have been made since then to bring significant improvements to the way diabetes is treated.

Insulin was discovered nearly 100 years ago, but it’s not the insulin of today. While Lilly began large-scale production of animal-source insulin in 1923, many advancements have been made since then to bring significant improvements to the way diabetes is treated.

The original insulin was made from livestock pancreases. For someone with type 1 diabetes, this extended life expectancy into their early 40s. But today’s modern biotech insulins have extended lives another 20 years—into the late 60s.

That’s good, but still 10 years less than the average American. So Lilly scientists are developing non-insulin drugs and therapies that, if successful, could put diabetes in remission or even cure it for some. At Lilly, we’re not just treating diabetes, we’re trying to stop it.

1982: The first biosynthetic human insulin – similar to the natural insulin made by the body – was a significant advance in the treatment of diabetes and ended concerns about whether there would be enough animal insulin to treat the growing epidemic.

1996: The first rapid-acting insulin analog brought more convenience, post-meal blood glucose control, and lower risk of hypoglycemia for people living with diabetes.

Today: Lilly offers 21 different insulin treatment options for the millions of people living with diabetes. However, only about half the people living with diabetes and using insulin are able to fully control their condition. That's why we continue to push the boundaries of science to bring better treatments to people with diabetes. In recent years, Lilly has invested over $4 billion on diabetes research and development.



Download the above infographic: History of Lilly Insulin Timeline

Manufacturing insulin requires deep technical expertise and a significant, ongoing financial commitment.

• At Lilly, approximately 5,000 highly skilled personnel, such as engineers and other scientists, oversee our insulin manufacturing process around the world, 365 days a year.

• Our manufacturing facilities in Indianapolis alone are approximately 1 million square feet – the equivalent of 18 football fields.

• It takes several months, start to finish, to create the insulin that people use today.

• Lilly has invested more than $1.2 billion since 2012 to expand our insulin manufacturing facilities and ensure that they are state-of-the-art.

If you have questions on how much you might pay for your Lilly insulin, please visit lillypricinginfo.com.

For more than a year, Lilly has capped out-of-pocket costs for our insulins at $95 per month. This cap applies to people with commercial insurance and the uninsured, and applies to an entire month's prescription - not just one vial or one pen.

Today, only 1 out of 20 people taking Lilly's most commonly prescribed insulin pays more than $95 a month.



Download the information here: Insulin Access and Affordability by the Numbers

Patients' specific out-of-pocket costs vary significantly depending on numerous factors, most notably the type and terms of their insurance coverage. Changes in the U.S. health care system have led to greater consumer cost-sharing and a growing number of patients exposed to a medicine’s full retail price. This has left many Americans struggling to pay for their medicine. 

Find more information here: Insulin Access and Affordability

• The Lilly Diabetes Solution Center opened on August 1, 2018. This, combined with our other solutions, is helping up to 20,000 people per month pay significantly less for their Lilly insulin. Approximately 95 percent of people using our rapid-acting insulin pay less than $95 a month.

• In the past five years, Lilly has donated more than 5.4 million insulin vials and pens to charitable organizations for people in need across the U.S.

Download a copy of the above information: Lilly Insulin: Did You Know?