Lilly said the donation of the KwikPens will help expand health care access and improve the quality of care for people with diabetes across the U.S.
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Less than one week after unveiling additional reduced cost insulin options to patients, Eli Lilly said it will now donate a minimum of 200,000 KwikPens to three relief organizations – Americares, Direct Relief and Dispensary of Hope – to stock insulin at nearly 200 U.S. free clinics through 2022.
The KwikPen donations will directly support lower-income people living with diabetes who qualify for free clinic services, the Indianapolis-based company announced. Additionally, Eli Lilly said it will provide $2 million to fund grants that relief agencies will distribute to a wide range of eligible free clinics. The grants will fund programs intended to help people with diabetes understand and access resources that can help them obtain medicine and supplies, medical care, insurance coverage and more.
Insulin donations include KwikPens of Humalog (insulin lispro injection 100 units/mL), Humalog Mix75/25 (insulin lispro protamine and insulin lispro injectable suspension), and Basaglar (insulin glargine injection 100 units/mL). Shipments to relief agencies have already started, giving lower-income people another option for accessing insulin, the company said.
Lilly said the donation of the KwikPens will help expand health care access and improve the quality of care for people with diabetes across the U.S. The company said it also hopes the donation will help “eliminate some of the frustration that comes with navigating the various resources available.”
This isn’t the first time Eli Lilly has donated insulin products to free healthcare clinics across the United States. In 2018, the company donated insulin vials to stock approximately 150 clinics across the country and last year, the company donated 120,000 vials of insulin.
“This donation of KwikPens will help many people across the U.S. get the treatment they need,” Mike Mason, president of Lilly Diabetes said in a statement. “With the help of the relief agencies, Lilly insulin will now be available in many free clinics that are equipped to properly store it. These clinics help people find comprehensive care such as medicine, devices, and physician support, and are very important to people who live with diabetes and use these services. We will continue to evaluate the needs of these communities and enhance our insulin donations as necessary.”
Mason said that Lilly is “committed to offering the broadest suite of solutions for people who need help affording their insulin,” but added that “real change” to the health insurance reimbursement system is needed to benefit patients. He said insurance should ensure that no one with diabetes should be forced to ration or skip insulin doses due to financial concerns.
Lilly’s latest donations to supply the free clinics are part of a broader set of solutions for lower-cost insulin the company has been addressing, particularly as it faces criticism for increasing the price of the life-saving medication. Earlier this month, the company announced lower-priced versions of Humalog Mix75/25 KwikPen) and Humalog Junior KwikPen. Both insulin products will be priced 50% cheaper compared to the branded versions and will be available by mid-April, the company said. Last year the company introduced the authorized-generic version of Humalog marked at a price tag 50% cheaper than the branded drug.
Other insulin-making companies have also introduced cheaper options. Novo Nordisk announced a lower-priced option for insulin products and last year, Sanofi expanded its Insulins Valyou Savings Program that would lower the price of some of its insulin treatment to $99 a month for patients who subscribe to the program.
