Drugmaker Eli Lilly caps the cost of insulin at $35 a month, bringing relief for diabetics across Michiana

ST. JOSEPH COUNTY, Ind. - Indiana based drugmaker, Eli Lily, has capped the price of insulin at 35 dollars out of pocket a month.

This is huge news for the nearly 7 million Americans who use insulin daily to treat their diabetes.

The announcement comes amid growing federal and user pressure to lower the price of the life saving drug.

"outrageous… 300 dollars a vile at one time", said one shopper who’s wife has had diabetes for the past 20 years. He thanked Medicare for her insulin pump that is free for them, but acknowledged many are not so lucky,

"we have many friends in the diabetic community.. that are not that old and don’t have Medicare, and the price of insulin has certainly impacted their lives. And they’ve had to scrimp and sometimes go with out, and that’s certainly impacted their health."

A Local pharmacist told ABC57 he has seen patients pay up to 800 dollars out of pocket, when the drug costs just ten dollars to make.

He says these prices are out of control, and have left some opting out of taking it due to the high copay costs, causing other health issues.

"We need control, and in this country we need control, and that is one of the things that needs to be controlled is insulin, I mean in the past when I started selling drugs and being a pharmacist, we sold insulin for just 13 dollars,” said Pharmacist Ray Kadi, the owner of University Commons Pharmacy.

Eli Lily will also sell a generic vile for just 25 dollars, and is challenging other pharmaceutical companies to follow suit.

"they’ll have to make their own decisions, but were calling today on our partners in the insurance industry, government policy makers, employers, who set the policy for their own insurance to match this new effort to reduce the costs,” David Ricks, the company CEO at a press conference Wednesday Morning.