WORLD NEWS FLASH
UNITED STATES
INDIANAPOLIS, March 1, 2023 /PRNewswire – Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) has announced price reductions of 70% for its most commonly prescribed insulins and an expansion of its Insulin Value Program that caps patient out-of-pocket costs at $35 or less per month. Lilly is taking these actions to make it easier to access Lilly insulin and help Americans who may have difficulty navigating a complex healthcare system that may keep them from getting affordable insulin.
As of March 1, Lilly is reducing the list price of insulins by:
- Cutting the list price of its non-branded insulin, Insulin Lispro Injection 100 units/mL, to $25 a vial. Effective May 1, 2023, it will be the lowest list-priced mealtime insulin available, and less than the price of a Humalog® vial in 1999.
- Cutting the list price of Humalog® (insulin lispro injection) 100 units/mL1, Lilly’s most commonly prescribed insulin, and Humulin® (insulin human) injection 100 units/mL2 by 70%, effective in Q4 2023.
- Launching RezvoglarTM (insulin glargine-aglr) injection, a basal insulin that is biosimilar to, and interchangeable with, Lantus® (insulin glargine) injection, for $92 per five pack of KwikPens®, a 78% discount to Lantus, effective April 1, 2023.
“While the current healthcare system provides access to insulin for most people with diabetes, it still does not provide affordable insulin for everyone and that needs to change,” said David A. Ricks, Lilly’s Chair and CEO. “The aggressive price cuts we’re announcing today should make a real difference for Americans with diabetes. Because these price cuts will take time for the insurance and pharmacy system to implement, we are taking the additional step to immediately cap out-of-pocket costs for patients who use Lilly insulin and are not covered by the recent Medicare Part D cap.”
In addition to reducing the list price of its insulins, Lilly is making it easier for more people with diabetes to get Lilly insulins:
- Effective immediately, Lilly will automatically cap out-of-pocket costs at $35 at participating retail pharmacies for people with commercial insurance using Lilly insulin.3
- People who don’t have insurance can continue to go to InsulinAffordability.com and immediately download the Lilly Insulin Value Program savings card to receive Lilly insulins for $35 per month.
“We are driving for change in repricing older insulins, but we know that 7 out of 10 Americans don’t use Lilly insulin. We are calling on policymakers, employers and others to join us in making insulin more affordable,” continued Ricks. “For the past century, Lilly has focused on inventing new and improved insulins and other medicines that address the impact of diabetes and improve patient outcomes. Our work to discover new and better treatments is far from over. We won’t stop until all people with diabetes are in control of their disease and can get the insulin they need.”
This announcement builds on years of efforts by Lilly to close the gaps in the U.S. healthcare system that keep some people with diabetes from accessing affordable insulin. In recent years, Lilly has introduced multiple insulin affordability solutions that have made a real impact, including launching low-list-price, non-branded insulins in 2019, implementing the Lilly Insulin Value Program in 2020 and committing all of our insulins to the Medicare Part D Senior Savings Model in 2021. Because of these efforts, the average out-of-pocket cost for Lilly insulins has dropped to $21.80 over the last five years.
In the coming weeks, Lilly will launch a nationwide public awareness campaign to help ensure all Lilly insulin users understand how to access the company’s industry-leading affordability solutions. For more information, go to Lilly.com/insulin.
Among those praising the news is President Biden, who released this statement: “Today (March 1), Eli Lilly, the largest manufacturer of insulin in the United States, announced that they are lowering their prices, capping what patients pay out of pocket for the drug maker’s insulin products at $35.
“For far too long, American families have been crushed by drug costs many times higher than what people in other countries are charged for the same prescriptions. Insulin costs less than $10 to make, but Americans are sometimes forced to pay over $300 for it. It’s flat wrong.
“Last year, I signed a law to cap insulin at $35 for seniors and I called on pharma companies to bring prices down for everyone on their own. Today, Eli Lilly did that.
“It’s a big deal, and it’s time for other manufacturers to follow.”
There is no word as to what other drugmakers will do concerning the price of their insulin.
WORLD
SUPPORT REQUESTED FOR SYRIA
Top UN officials on Feb. 28 called on the Security Council’s strong support for Syria following a series of earthquakes, which worsened an already dire situation in the wake of 12 years of brutal civil war.
The UN Emergency Coordinator and the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Syria called for robust support for ongoing emergency efforts and a “bold” plan for paving a political path towards lasting recovery and reconciliation.
Briefing the 15-member body on the severity of humanitarian needs, Rasha Muhrez, Response Director at the international non-governmental organization Save the Children, said new, creative approaches are needed to meet the scale of current challenges.
“We are now in a race against time,” she warned. “Families are forced to make impossible choices and may even take a perilous journey across the Mediterranean.”
“Without a change in approach, just to rebuild what was lost, Syrians would need to wait another lifetime,” she said.
“Children need safe homes to live in, not tents; their parents need jobs that pay a decent wage and allow them to provide for their families.”
The earthquake response should be a moment to come together and put politics aside, she said, emphasizing that “the children of Syria are counting on us all.”
Briefing on the current situation, UN relief chief Martin Griffiths described the earthquakes’ aftermath in Syria and Türkiye, which killed at least 50,000 and left many more injured, tens of thousands of people missing, and hundreds of thousands homeless.
Reflecting on the scale and gravity of needs across Syria, he said the 2023 response plan will require $4.8 billion, the largest humanitarian appeal currently active.
The worst-affected area was hit again by strong aftershocks just on Feb. 27, he added. Even before this latest tragedy, some 15.3 million people, or 70 percent of the country’s population, needed humanitarian assistance stemming from the ongoing conflict.
“Many people are afraid to return to their homes,” he said, recalling a visit to quake-affected areas, where hundreds of buildings are still at high risk of collapsing, with thousands more that may need to be demolished.
Four to five families were packed into tents, and the risk of disease is growing, amid pre-existing cholera outbreaks, he said. At the same time, food prices are skyrocketing, and women and children face increased harassment, violence, and risk of exploitation.
Welcoming the Syrian Government’s role in opening borders for aid deliveries to the northwest region, he said that since Feb. 9, the UN has sent more than 423 trucks carrying critical supplies for more than one million women, men, and children. Many more deliveries are planned in the weeks ahead, he added.
Meanwhile, he said his Office released $40 million from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), and the UN humanitarian affairs office (OCHA) is mobilizing to help partners to expand operations.
A flash appeal calls for $397.6 million to meet the most critical needs over the next three months, he said, adding that the forthcoming donor conference in Brussels will be a “pivotal moment for our response” in both Syria and Türkiye.
“We know what needs to be done to provide affected people with dignified living conditions and stave off a worsening crisis,” he said. “Those in this room can help make this a reality, but we must rise to the occasion. The people of Syria need us more than ever.”
ASIA
FEARS OF BIRD FLU IN CAMBODIA
Cambodian authorities reported two cases of avian flu, including an 11-year-old girl who died of the virus, the UN health agency said on Feb. 26.
These are the first cases of avian influenza, known as H5N1, reported in Cambodia since a widespread outbreak in 2014, the World Health Organization (WHO) said. The infection, which largely affects animals, has a 50 percent mortality rate in humans.
“The global H5N1 situation is worrying given the wide spread of the virus in birds around the world,” said Sylvie Briand, Director for Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness and Prevention at the UN health agency. “We are in close communication with the Cambodian authorities to understand more about the outbreak.”
Since the virus continues to be detected in poultry populations, further human cases can be expected, WHO said. Almost all H5N1 infection cases in people have been associated with close contact with infected live or dead birds or contaminated environments.
“WHO takes the risk from this virus seriously and urged heightened vigilance in all countries,” she said.
From 2003 to Feb. 25, 2023, a total of 873 human cases of H5N1 and 458 deaths have been reported globally in 21 countries.
However, based on the current information, WHO advises against applying any travel or trade restrictions. To date, evidence shows that the virus does not infect humans easily and person-to-person transmission appears to be unusual.
In Cambodia, a joint animal-human health investigation is already underway in Prey Veng province, where the case was reported. It aims at identifying the source and mode of transmission.
Meanwhile, a high-level government response is working to contain any further spread of the virus, and an outbreak investigation is aimed at determining the exposure of the two reported cases to the virus, WHO said.
Cambodian health authorities had notified WHO on Feb. 23 of the first case and death. A young girl had contracted the avian flu and had died on Feb. 22. By Friday, they had reported the second case, noting that one of the girl’s family members had tested positive with the virus but was asymptomatic.
EUROPE
WATER COMPANY FORCED TO PAY
Thames Water has been fined £2million after raw sewage polluted two Oxfordshire streams, killing almost 150 fish. The sewage also flooded a nearby garden.
Judge Peter Ross, at Oxford Crown Court on Dec. 21, ruled the incident in 2015 as a high-end, category three harm offense.
Numerous failures in the management of a sewage pumping station operated by the company led to sewage created by two villages emptying into two brooks leading to the River Evenlode, a tributary of the River Thames, for up to 24 hours.
Judge Ross found Thames Water were “reckless” in polluting Idbury and Littlestock brooks at Milton-under-Wychwood, near Chipping Norton, on August 8 and 9 2015.
Environment Agency officers were quickly on site, discovering the entire local population of almost 150 bullhead fish had been killed by the toxic waste along a 50-metre stretch of water.
A member of the public reported dead fish in Idbury brook to the Environment Agency. A backlog of raw sewage was forced into the water from a sewer pipe that couldn’t hold it. Sewage also escaped from a manhole and onto a residential front garden.
The court heard Thames Water disregarded more than 800 high-priority alarms needing attention within four hours in the six weeks before the incident. Another 300 alarms were not properly investigated, all of which would have pointed out failures with the pumping station. One alarm was deliberately deactivated during a night shift.
Investigations by the Environment Agency revealed Thames Water was aware the pumping station failed several times in the 12 months up to and including the incident in August 2015.
Robert Davis, who led the investigation for the Environment Agency, said: “This incident was foreseeable and avoidable. Thames Water didn’t recognize the increased risk to the environment, ignoring or failing to respond adequately to more than 1,000 alarms.
“These streams are normally a haven for kingfishers, grey herons, brown trout and other fish and invertebrates. Sewage poured into the water for 24 hours, having a terrible impact, killing fish and other water life.
“We hope this prosecution sends a loud and clear message that the Environment Agency will not accept poor operation, management and maintenance of sewage pumping stations. Where we have evidence of offending and serious pollution incidents like here, we will take appropriate action to bring polluters to justice.”
Judge Ross said Thames Water was ‘reckless’ by taking an unacceptable level of risk with the environment. It allowed the sewage pumping station to operate with no automatically available standby pump for around 10 months in the year prior to the pollution.
Environment Agency officers discovered other information and data highlighting repeated problems with the pumping station in the year before the pollution, which Thames Water failed to report to the Environment Agency.
Judge Ross ordered Thames Water to pay full costs of £79,991.57. The company pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to two charges of breaching environmental law.
