Eli Lilly To Look For Ways To Cut Insulin Costs After Walmart Debut: CNBC

  • Eli Lilly And Co LLY CEO David Ricks said he welcomes new competition from Walmart Inc WMT even as the retailer undercuts the company's insulin prices.
  • Walmart announced Tuesday is launching its first-ever private label insulin analog, available exclusively at its stores.
  • "Any efforts to smash through that and deliver better value to patients, I'm for," Ricks said in an interview on CNBC's "Squawk on the Street."
  • Ricks said the company's leaders "welcome anyone who wants to lower the price of insulin" — including the big-box retailer.
  • "We always look at new solutions ourselves, and this is an interesting development, and we'll look at further options," he said. 
  • Ricks said Eli Lilly continues to seek ways to reduce costs for people with diabetes. 
  • He pointed to two related efforts: The launch of a half-price, generic version of insulin, called insulin lispro, in early 2019 and the cap on out-of-pocket cost for insulin to $35 per month.
  • Eli Lilly's generic version costs nearly twice the price of Walmart's at $137.35 per vial.
  • Price Action: LLY shares are up 0.24% at $228.78 during the market session on the last check Tuesday.
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Posted In: BiotechNewsHealth CareGeneralBriefsCNBCinsulin
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