The only “Big Three” insulin maker in the database, Eli Lilly, gave $2.9 million to the American Diabetes Association in 2015, according to disclosures from the company and its foundation. Sanofi and Novo Nordisk are the other two major insulin makers, but neither was in the S&P 500 and therefore not included in the database. Over the past 20 years, Eli Lilly has repeatedly raised prices on its best-selling insulins, Humalog and Humulin, even though the medicines have been around for decades. The drugmaker faced protests – by people demanding to know the cost of manufacturing a vial of insulin – at its Indianapolis headquarters last fall.
The ADA launched a campaign decrying “skyrocketing” insulin in late 2016 but did not call out any drugmaker in its literature. When legislators in Nevada passed a bill last year requiring insulin makers to disclose their profits to the public, the ADA did not take a public stance.
The American Diabetes Association said it doesn’t confront individual companies because it is seeking action from “all entities in the supply chain” – manufacturers, wholesalers, pharmacy benefit managers and insurers.
“As a public health organization, the ADA’s commitment and focus is on the needs of the more than 30 million people with diabetes,” said Dr. William Cefalu, its chief scientific and medical officer. “The ADA requires support from a diverse set of partners to achieve this objective.”