Attorney General Gentner Drummond has requested outside counsel to investigate insulin manufacturers and pharmacy benefit managers for potential wrongdoing that led to higher insulin prices.
“I will not allow price-gouging and greed to put in harm’s way innocent Oklahomans who are dependent on insulin to survive,” Drummond said. “I will fight to hold accountable anyone who has hiked insulin prices illegally and prioritized profits over patients.”
This comes after a New Year's Day rule that put a price cap on insulin from three major manufacturers, requiring the medication be $35 or less.
Insulin, a hormone that helps convert food into energy, controls blood sugar levels in diabetes patients. Approximately 373,824 people in Oklahoma, or 12.4% of the adult population, have been diagnosed with diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association.
Other states have filed litigation over the price of insulin.
In 2021, Gov. Kevin Stitt signed House Bill 1019that caps what insurance companies that cover insulin could charge.
The cap set a 30-day supply at $30 and a 90-day supply at $90.
Last session, lawmakers passed House Bill 1843 to move enforcement of laws governing pharmacy benefit managers into the Attorney General’s Office from the insurance commissioner. Stitt vetoed the legislation, but lawmakers overrode it.
