California's attorney general filed suit against three pharmacy benefit managers and three drugmakers Jan. 12 with the accusation of "aggressively hiking" the price of insulin.
The lawsuit alleges that Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk and Sanofi, as well as CVS Caremark, Express Scripts and OptumRx, overcharged diabetes patients in the state who require insulin.
The three pharmaceutical companies supply more than 90 percent of the world's insulin, and the three PBMs "administer pharmacy benefits for roughly 80% of prescription claims managed," according to a news release from the attorney general's office.
With the suit, Attorney General Rob Bonta seeks a $2,500 civil penalty from the companies for every violation of the Business and Professions Code outlined in the suit.