Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has sued the three companies that supply most of the world's insulin and the three largest pharmacy benefit managers, alleging they inflated prices paid by Florida patients. The lawsuit, announced in a statement from Uthmeier's office on Sept. 22, names Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk, and Sanofi, along with CVS Caremark, Express Scripts, and OptumRx. The claims are allegations, and no court has ruled on them.
The state says about 2.3 million Florida adults, roughly 1 in 10, have diagnosed diabetes. Not all of them use insulin, but the complaint centers on a cost problem that can reach households across the state. People who are uninsured, still in a deductible, or paying coinsurance, a percentage of the price, are often charged based on the list price.
