(Reuters) -French drugmaker Sanofi said on Friday it would offer a month’s supply of any of its insulin products for $35 to all patients in the U.S. with a valid prescription, regardless of insurance status.
The program, originally meant for uninsured diabetes patients, would now include those with commercial insurance or Medicare, the drugmaker said.
Global drugmakers have ramped up efforts, such as direct-to-consumer programs, to lower U.S. drug prices as President Donald Trump presses them to align the cost of their medicines with what other comparable high-income countries pay.
“Our announcement builds on an idea first championed by President Trump to lower costs for American patients at the pharmacy counter,” said Adam Gluck, head of U.S. Corporate Affairs, Sanofi.
Patients will be able to purchase any combination, type, and quantity of Sanofi insulins with a valid prescription for the fixed monthly price of $35, starting January 1.
Sanofi is one of the three largest insulin makers with Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly.
Lilly and Novo also have similar programs through which they offer insulin products for $35 a month for U.S. patients regardless of whether the patients have insurance.
An estimated 8.4 million people with diabetes in the United States rely on insulin to survive, according to the American Diabetes Association.
(Reporting by Mariam Sunny in Bengaluru; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar and Sriraj Kalluvila)
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