Beyond one city, beyond one drug

September 14, 2019 at 8:00pm advocates gathered in Indianapolis, Ind. across the street from the headquarters of Eli Lilly and Co., one of the three largest insulin manufacturers in the world. The nonpartisan vigil they came to attend was organized to mourn the loss of and honor the lives of people who died from insulin rationing.

According to JAMA Internal Medicine one of every four patients with type 1 diabetes has had to ration insulin because of its cost. The percentage is even higher for young adults. It was not always this expensive. Since the 1990’s, BMJ Global Health cites, the cost of insulin has increased over 1,200%, yet the cost of production for one vial of analog insulin is between $3.69 and $6.16.

The event’s primary organizer was T1International, a non-profit organization run by people with type 1 diabetes advocating for access to insulin and supplies around the world. T1International’s first U.S.A. #insulin4all Chapters launched in 2018 to work with lawmakers to pass meaningful legislation and raise awareness of the pricing crisis. T1International takes no funding from pharmaceutical or diabetes device companies in order to avoid conflicts of interest and to ensure independent advocacy.

Leading up to the vigil, chants and signs focused on insulin access. At 8:00pm the vigil started with silence. The speakers included Janelle Lutgen (mother of Jesse Lutgen), Mindi Patterson (sister-in-law of Meaghan Carter), Antrionette Worsham (mother of Antavia Worsham), Erin Weaver (mother of Josh Wilkerson), Joanne Koepp (mother of Micah Fischer), Cindy Scherer Boyd (mother of Jesimya Scherer-Radcliff), Nicole Hood (mother of Allen Rivas), Jazmine Baldwin (sister of Jada Louis) and Nicole Smith-Holt, (mother of Alec Smith). Each speaker shared briefly from the tragic details of their family member who died because they could not afford insulin. The Rev. Jerry Davis from Indiana’s Crossroads AME Church provided closing remarks.

This vigil went beyond individual fear and frustration. The people present, who came from at least three different countries, don’t want others to die. It isn’t just personal. It was an expression of concern for public health in this country and an acknowledgement that insulin is not alone in its exorbitant pricing. I attended to stand in solidarity with people striving to improve access to insulin and to all essential medicines. This is not a fringe issue. It goes far beyond a single Big Pharma presence in a single city for a single disease.

Eli Lilly had a historical role in selling insulin to patients. It was not an innocent or perfect role, nonetheless it was significant. It was helpful. Eli Lilly, Sanofi and Novo Nordisk can now choose to be on the right side of history by controlling pricing through their own initiative, or they can delay inevitable change and be responsible for the dangerous and unnecessary rationing.

Learn more about T1International at www.t1international.com. Learn more about People of Faith for Access to Medicines/Faith in Healthcare at https://faithinhealthcare.org/fhc.

Katy Giebenhain is a member of the Gettysburg Area DFA Healthcare Task Force.