Attorney General Keith Ellison secures $35 Novo Nordisk insulin for Minnesotans
For five years, insulin manufacturer Novo Nordisk agrees to cap out-of-pocket cost of its insulin treatments at $35 per month, and provide free insulin to the neediest Minnesotans
Resolution of 2018 lawsuit against three largest insulin manufacturers means every Minnesotan will have access to insulin for no more than $35 a month
January 27, 2025 (SAINT PAUL) — Attorney General Keith Ellison today announced a settlement with Novo Nordisk that guarantees that all Minnesotans, with or without insurance, can buy Novo Nordisk’s insulin products for $35 per month for the next five years. The settlement resolves the Attorney General’s 2018 lawsuit alleging that Novo Nordisk deceptively priced its insulin, a lifesaving drug used to treat diabetes, requiring uninsured and underinsured Minnesotans to pay astronomically high out-of-pocket costs based on the Wholesale Acquisition Cost, or list price, of the drugs.
In 2024, Attorney General Ellison reached similar settlements with Eli Lilly and Sanofi, the other two defendants in the 2018 lawsuit. Today’s settlement with Novo Nordisk means all Minnesotans can purchase insulin from the three biggest insulin manufacturers for just $35 per month. To learn more, Minnesotans are encouraged to visit MNInsulin35.org, a website set up by the Attorney General’s Office to share information about how to purchase insulin for just $35, or obtain it for free depending on one’s income.
Today’s settlement requires Novo Nordisk to provide insulin products—including Novolog, Tresiba, Fiasp, and Novolin, at any formulation and via any delivery method—at $35 per monthly prescription (3 vials or 2 packs of pens) for customers paying with cash. Even Minnesotans with insurance can choose to not use their insurance and pay no more than $35 per month.
Like Eli Lilly and Sanofi, Novo Nordisk has agreed to implement a texting system to assist pharmacists and patients to determine eligibility for low-cost insulin, and alert patients about this low-cost alternative at pharmacy counters throughout the state. Finally, Novo Nordisk has committed to continuing its Patient Assistance Program that provides free insulin to Minnesotans with an annual household income of less than or equal to 400% of the Federal Poverty Level—$124,800 for a family of four.
“Our litigation has had a huge impact on insulin prices,” Attorney General Ellison said. “In 2018, when our lawsuit was filed, it could cost hundreds of dollars for Minnesotans to fill their insulin prescription. As of today, it will cost just $35. My mission as Attorney General is to help Minnesotans afford their lives, and lowering the cost of an expensive, life-saving drug like insulin does exactly that.”
In the months ahead, the Attorney General’s Office intends to work with local, state, and community partners to raise public awareness of the low-cost option afforded by this settlement. The Office has already created a website, MNInsulin35.com, to help consumers navigate the options opened to them by the insulin settlements. With the resolution of the lawsuit against Novo Nordisk, Minnesotans may now obtain free or low-cost insulin from any of the three largest insulin manufacturers in the country to help consumers navigate the options opened to them by the insulin settlements. With the resolution of the lawsuit against Novo Nordisk, Minnesotans may now obtain free or low-cost insulin from any of the three largest insulin manufacturers in the country.
“With this final insulin settlement, we have guaranteed that Minnesotans can not only obtain and afford their insulin, but they can choose between manufacturers and insulin products to ensure they get what they need,” Attorney General Ellison added. “While our insulin lawsuits have been resolved, the work my Office to make life more affordable for folks across our state remains ongoing.”
Background
Over the last decade, insulin manufacturers and pharmacy benefits managers have faced rising scrutiny over the climbing cost of insulin from both state attorneys general and Congress. In 2022, President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act capped out-of-pocket costs of insulin to seniors on Medicare to $35 per monthly prescription, a price which Minnesota’s settlement with Novo Nordisk now provides to all Minnesotans.
In addition to bringing lawsuits against Sanofi, Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk today, the Attorney General’s Office has worked to defend other legislative efforts to combat high drugs prices, including defending the Alec Smith Insulin Act from attack by the pharmaceutical industry, and price gouging laws intended to stop generic drug manufacturers from holding consumers hostage with high prices. Attorney General Ellison once again thanks his state partners and countless Minnesotans without whose help today’s settlement would not be possible.
The Attorney General’s Office encourages consumers with complaints about their insulin to contact the Office online or by phone at (651) 296-3353 or (800) 657-3787, or at (800) 627-3529 (Minnesota Relay).
