An investigative report co-signed by three senators has found that uninsured Americans are still paying far an excessive amount of for insulin lispro, despite the maker’s guarantees that the worth could be slashed.

Insulin lispro is basically a generic version of Lilly’s Humalog, considered one of the best-selling insulins within the country, a fast-acting or rapid insulin that is usually used before meals or to quickly correct high blood sugar. Insulin lispro is chemically an identical to Humalog, and is manufactured by the identical company, however it is sold under a distinct name under a cheaper price.

In early March, Lilly rocked the diabetes world when it announced that it would cut back insulin prices in america. It was widely seen as an unexpected and dramatic victory for the activists which have spent years bringing attention to the insulin affordability crisis. The opposite two big insulin manufacturers, Novo Nordisk and Sanofi, soon followed suit, announcing price cuts of their very own (most because of take effect in 2024).

As a part of its broad price cuts, Lilly promised that it would cut back the list price of insulin lispro to only $25 per vial. In theory, anyone without insurance should pay exactly that sticker price. But the brand new report, which was prepared by the offices of United States Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), found that uninsured Americans found far higher prices for insulin lispro.

The investigation (PDF) surveyed over 300 pharmacies and located that vials of insulin lispro were priced at a mean of $97.51, nearly quadruple the $25 that Lilly trumpeted in press releases, media engagements, and at Capitol Hill. Certain individual pharmacies had the medication priced as high as $300 per vial.

Insulin lispro was also simply unavailable in much of the country. While 79 percent of pharmacies surveyed stocked Humalog, only 43 percent had insulin lispro. Unfortunately, the national pharmacies that almost all ceaselessly had insulin lispro in stock — including Walmart, Walgreens, and Rite Aid — also charged a number of the highest prices for the drug, often well over $150 per vial.

The report also describes how patients “must unravel a confusing thicket of coupons, competing generic drugs, and misleading information” to accumulate insulin lispro. Many patients are unaware that a inexpensive generic alternative exists, and pharmacists don’t typically take the initiative to tell them, or to let patients find out about Lilly’s affordability programs, which might be difficult to navigate.

In a letter (PDF) to Sen. Warren, the nonprofit insulin affordability advocacy group T1International detailed similar results from its own investigation. Volunteer patient advocates across the country called pharmacies and located that the typical price quoted was $107.31. The organization also found that many pharmacists were unaware that insulin lispro could possibly be substituted for Humalog and not using a separate prescription, creating an unnecessary extra layer of fuss and red tape.

Greater than 20 states have now capped insulin copays, but almost none of those legislative efforts have addressed the plight of Americans without insurance, who ceaselessly get stuck paying egregiously high prices for insulin. Some advocates have even suggested that copay caps actually do more harm than good by hiding “the actual price of insulin from privileged patients with private insurance,” thereby diluting support for laws that might meaningfully help those without insurance.

The senators concluded their report by calling for federal policy changes designed specifically to deal with the fee that uninsured Americans with diabetes pay for his or her insulin. Though Americans of all political stripes are inclined to support limits on insulin prices, past efforts on the federal level have tended to crumble in Washington, DC.

In a press release, Warnock said, “Manufacturers and insurers have taken steps to make insulin cheaper, but this will not be enough to make sure nobody has to sacrifice their rent or their groceries to afford the insulin they should live.”