Utah seeks diabetes patient experiences to support insulin pricing lawsuit

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah's Division of Consumer Protection is looking for people who may have been impacted by alleged artificially inflated insulin prices so they can support a lawsuit against major insulin manufacturers.

The state filed the lawsuit in 2023 against several major drug companies and pharmacy benefit managers, "alleging that they had engaged in practices together to jack up insulin prices by 1000% or more in some cases," according to Daniel Larsen, the director of Utah's Division of Consumer Protection.

Larsen said 200,000 Utahns live with diabetes, and over the previous 10 years, some people had faced tough decisions when trying to figure out how to pay for insulin.

"It's a life-saving drug," Larsen stated. "We also know that these increased prices have really forced them in some circumstances to make really bad choices for their health and welfare — things like rationing insulin. It's really unhealthy for folks, and they're only having to make that choice because these companies have colluded essentially to increase the price so much."

That is why the state wants people to step forward and strengthen its case.

"It's also tied in parts of the law to the actual amount of damages that we're able to recover and the restitution that we hope to recover for Utah families who have faced this issue," Larsen explained.

On top of recouping costs for patients, the state hopes the lawsuit will also put a stop to what it described as predatory pricing practices in Utah.

To learn more about the lawsuit and submit your story, visit the Division of Consumer Protection website. Submissions will be treated as official complaints and reviewed by investigators to support the lawsuit.