Civica, a nonprofit generic pharmaceutical company, plans to manufacture and distribute three insulins to make them available to people with diabetes at significantly lower prices than those currently on the market.
The company will produce glargine, lispro and aspart, the generic versions of Lantus, Humalog and Novolog, respectively, and plans to recommend consumer prices be capped at $30 per vial and $55 for a box of five pen cartridges, according to a March 3 news release.
Civica will co-develop the drugs with GeneSys Biologics, complete clinical trials and file FDA approval applications. The company expects glargine, the first insulin it plans to produce, will be available in early 2024, pending FDA approval.
Civica is collaborating with numerous partners on the effort, including Blue Cross Blue Shield Association and 12 independent BCBS companies, Salt Lake City-based Intermountain Healthcare, and Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente.
"Diabetes is arguably America's most expensive chronic condition, and it is heartbreaking that millions of people are rationing their care and putting their lives at risk because they can no longer afford insulin," said Dan Liljenquist, board chair of Civica. "Through mission-driven partnerships, we are choosing to create a new market reality where no one is forced to ration essential diabetes medications."