Please note!

This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.

Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

FACT BRIEF

Have diabetes medications experienced high inflation in recent years?

Wednesday, November 3, 2021

By Lisa Freedland

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YES

The price of diabetes medications and supplies has been on the rise, increasing by 58% between 2014 and 2019, according to affordable health care advocate GoodRx. When insulin is included, the spike grows to 76%.

This is an ongoing trend. Research from the American Diabetes Association found that "the average price of insulin almost tripled between 2002 and 2013."

Insulin prices in the U.S. are an outlier globally: insulin prices are more than eight times higher in the U.S. than in 32 high-income nations combined, according to a RAND Corporation study.

Lawmakers in at least 36 states have introduced bills to stop the rise in insulin prices, but are met with pushback from manufacturers. In April 2021, a bill that would allow the government to negotiate lower drug prices was reintroduced. It passed the House but stalled in the Senate.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

GoodRx GoodRx List Price Index Reveals Rising Cost of Diabetes Treatments

Diabetes Care Insulin Access and Affordability Working Group: Conclusions and Recommendations

RAND Insulin Prices Are Dramatically Higher in the United States Than in Other Countries

NBC News States are trying to cap the price of insulin. Pharmaceutical companies are pushing back.

Center for American Progress H.R. 3 Could Save Patients Thousands of Dollars on Prescription Drugs

ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR

Gigafact

Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

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About fact briefs published on Gigafact

Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.