NEW JERSEY (KYW Newsradio) — Bucks County is suing insulin manufacturers and companies that negotiate its price for insurers, alleging an “illegal price-fixing scheme.”
The lawsuit, filed Thursday in New Jersey’s U.S. District Court, says the county has paid excessively high prices for insulin and other diabetes drugs for the more than 2,000 employees it offers health insurance to.
“Manufacturers and middle men have rigged America’s drug pricing system, making insulin incredibly expensive for families covered by our county health plan,” said Bucks County Solicitor Amy Fitzpatrick.
Fitzpatrick says those manufacturers and Pharmacy Benefits Managers dominate their respective markets, allowing them to scheme together to raise prices.
“These manufacturers have engaged in lockstep price increases, often within days or hours of each other, which is not how a fair, competitive market works.”
The manufacturers targeted are Eli Lilly and Company, Novo Nordisk and Sanofi. The Pharmacy Benefits Managers are CVS Caremark, Express Scripts and OptumRx.
With the suit, Bucks County joined a growing number of municipalities nationwide suing big pharmaceutical companies over a multitude of drug prices. Last year, the same six manufacturers and Pharmacy Benefits Managers were targeted in a similar lawsuit brought by Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner.
“These efforts are about more than just this one drug. This is about standing up for doing what’s right, standing up for people who can’t stand up for themselves,” said Bucks County Commissioner Chair Bob Harvie.
For Harvie, the lawsuit is personal because his daughter has Type 1 diabetes.
“The bracelet I wear every day was given to me by her soon after she was diagnosed, and it is a reminder for me of the struggle she goes through,” he said.