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Drugmakers Discount Insulin, and Lawmakers Ask What Took So Long

  • Sanofi to charge monthly fee for commonly used insulins
  • Grassley says it shouldn’t have taken scrutiny to lower prices
Sanofi Lantus brand insulin pens are arranged for a photograph in the Brooklyn borough of New York, U.S., on Friday, April 5, 2019. Makers of top-selling insulin products will continue to bear the brunt of Congress' drug-pricing efforts in 2019 as diabetes remains a source of frustration to policy makers in both parties.
Sanofi Lantus brand insulin pens are arranged for a photograph in the Brooklyn borough of New York, U.S., on Friday, April 5, 2019. Makers of top-selling insulin products will continue to bear the brunt of Congress' drug-pricing efforts in 2019 as diabetes remains a source of frustration to policy makers in both parties.Photographer: Alex Flynn/Bloomberg
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Decisions by two of the world’s biggest insulin producers to offer bigger discounts on drugs used by millions of diabetics are raising questions from Congress about whether the companies could have done so sooner.

On Wednesday, French drugmaker Sanofi said it would increase discounts on insulin for some patients. The move follows recent efforts by Cigna Corp., which runs a major drug plan, and Eli Lilly & Co., another major insulin producer, to lower patients’ out-of-pocket costs for the drugs.