Prominent lawmakers launch insulin investigation ahead of drug pricing hearing

The leaders of the powerful Senate Finance Committee have launched a bipartisan investigation into rising insulin prices. “We are concerned that the substantial increases in the price of insulin over the past several years will continue their upward drive and pose increasingly severe hardships not only on patients that require access to the drug in order to stay alive but also on the taxpayer,” Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) wrote in letters to Eli Lilly, Sanofi, and Novo Nordisk. The three manufacturers control the bulk of the global insulin market. The letters come ahead of a highly anticipated hearing tomorrow on high drug costs. Seven industry execs — including Sanofi’s CEO — will testify.