Minnesota v. Sanofi-Aventis U.S. LLC
Date Filed: October 16, 2018Status: Pending
District Court: District Court of New Jersey – No. 18-cv-14999
Nature of Suit: Antitrust; Drug Pricing
Defendant Type: Pharma
Plaintiff Type: State
Minnesota’s attorney general filed a suit accusing Sanofi, Eli Lilly, and Novo Nordisk, the three largest manufacturers of insulin, of price gouging. The lawsuit, filed in New Jersey district court, alleges that the drugmakers fraudulently set an artificially high sticker or “list” price for the diabetes drug, and then negotiate lower “net” prices by paying rebates and discounts to pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). This practice harms people who don’t have insurance or have high deductible health plans, as they must pay the higher sticker price out of pocket. The complaint contends that the defendants have tripled insulin’s list price over the past 16 years and cites the example of Sanofi’s insulin price, which increased from $99.35 in 2010 to $269.54 in 2018.