Political Quotes

“On March 1 of this year, drug manufacturer Eli Lilly announced its plan to institute a $35 cap on out-of-pocket insulin costs. Two weeks later, Novo Nordisk announced plans to cut its insulin prices by up to 75 percent. Just 2 days after that, Sanofi announced their decision to cut the U.S. price of its most prescribed insulin by 78 percent and cap costs at $35 for those with private insurance. Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk, and Sanofi make up roughly 90 percent of the insulin market in the United States, a market that for decades has been characterized by skyrocketing costs and unbelievable price gouging. Some might say that these price-capping announcements are examples of corporate responsibility. Let me correct the record: I say it is about damn time. I say this action is a hollow, decades-too-late example of big pharmaceutical companies attempting to shirk regulation as they face the most realistic possibility ever of being held accountable for price gouging Americans. I say it is not enough because for a century, pharmaceutical companies have been exploiting and profiting off Americans who depend on insulin and other lifesaving medications to survive. In 1923, the inventors of insulin sold the patent for just $1. They felt it was unethical to profit from a discovery that would save so many lives. How ironic.…”