INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita has filed a lawsuit against Indiana-based Eli Lilly, accusing the drug company of "participating in a scheme with other insulin manufacturers," which inflated insulin prices over the past decade despite low manufacturing costs.
In a press release from the AG's office on Monday, this lawsuit is in conjunction with the state's previous lawsuit against other insulin manufacturers and pharmacy benefit managers, which addresses deceptive marketing practices and seeks structural changes to promote lower consumer prices.
“Pharmaceutical companies should not take advantage of Hoosiers or any other American—this includes Lilly, regardless of its Indiana roots,” Attorney General Rokita said in the release. “For two years, I attempted to resolve this matter with them amicably and without litigation—an effort not required by the state and one not afforded to Lilly’s out-of-state competitors. Lilly, which maintains by far the largest market share for insulin, rejected this outreach and consumed two years of time. Not to worry—we intend to have Indiana added to the ongoing multistate litigation, where we will share in the results of evidence already uncovered and any settlement or judgment.”
WRTV reached out to Eli Lilly, and a Lilly spokesperson shared this statement:
“It is unfortunate that the Indiana AG would decide to spend state resources on such a wasteful lawsuit and sue an Indiana company that has led the way in making insulin more affordable for Americans. Similar cases by other plaintiffs have either been dismissed, dropped or settled for no money after years of costly litigation.
Lilly is confident in the strength of our legal position and we are proud of our strong record of insulin affordability solutions that have made a real impact for Hoosiers and all Americans. Lilly was the first company to cap what patients pay at $35 per month for all our insulins, we cut insulin prices by 70%, and in 2024 the average monthly out-of-pocket cost for Lilly insulin was less than $15. Years before any AG filed an insulin pricing lawsuit, Lilly collaborated with the federal government to pave the way for lower Medicare insulin prices. In addition, since 2020, Lilly has committed more than $50 billion in U.S. manufacturing investment, including $13.5 billion in Indiana, to create high-wage, advanced manufacturing, engineering and science jobs for American families.”
Nearly 700,000 Hoosiers have been diagnosed with diabetes, and millions more are considered pre-diabetic, according to the release for the AG's office.
The full lawsuit can be found here.
