Protesters rally in front of Eli Lilly on T1 Global Day of Action. Credit: Lee Klafczynski for Mirror Indy 
Craig Miller left a petition at the door asking Eli Lilly Research Labs to lower the cost of insulin. Credit: Lee Klafczynski for Mirror Indy 
Craig Miller, who lives with type 1 diabetes, drops a petition at the door of Eli Lilly. Credit: Lee Klafczynski for Mirror Indy 
Protesters stand in front of an image of insulin on the Eli Lilly building. Credit: Lee Klafczynski for Mirror Indy 
Patient advocates participate in a rally. Credit: Lee Klafczynski for Mirror Indy 
Zahra Adni participates in the rally. Credit: Lee Klafczynski for Mirror Indy 
Patient advocates and others hold signs at Monument Circle Saturday. Credit: Lee Klafczynski for Mirror Indy 
Patient advocates march past Eli Lilly. Credit: Lee Klafczynski for Mirror Indy 
Patient advocates participate in a rally at Monument Circle. Credit: Lee Klafczynski for Mirror Indy
Diabetes patients and their families demanded that pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly further lower the price of insulin at a rally Saturday, March 16, on Monument Circle.
Indianapolis was one of 10 cities participating in a global day of action for insulin access, hosted by diabetes advocacy organization T1International. The group called on drug companies to make insulin and testing supplies cost no more than 5% of a person’s income. Without daily injections of insulin, which is an essential hormone that regulates blood sugar, people living with Type 1 diabetes and other conditions could die.
In Indianapolis, about a dozen advocates marched to Eli Lilly’s headquarters and left a petition containing more than 3,000 signatures on the door.
Eli Lilly announced in 2023 it would cap the out-of-pocket cost of all types of insulin at $35 per month. The company said people with commercial insurance are automatically covered, and those who are uninsured can download a savings card to use at pharmacies.
“Lilly’s simple $35 co-pay program for all our insulins is helping more than 100,000 people save $20 million each month,” a spokesperson for the company said in an email to Mirror Indy. “(It) does not require any applications, waiting period, identifying information or income thresholds.”
That’s little solace to Desi Rybolt, an eastsider who lost her brother to insulin rationing in 2019. She said he died after he couldn’t pay for his prescription without insurance and did not seek emergency medical care because of high costs.
“Nobody should be struggling to afford (insulin),” Rybolt told Mirror Indy. “It’s just greed.”
Shaina Kasper, T1International’s policy and advocacy director, said many people are unaware of Lilly’s program or find that it doesn’t apply to them.
“We’re still hearing of patients all the time at the pharmacy counter who are unable to use those coupons,” Kasper said.
Fouzia Kherat, an Algerian immigrant from the west side with chronic pancreatitis, said she has rationed her supply of insulin before. Doctors removed her pancreas in 2010.
Her daughter, Zahra Adni, spoke at the rally over the weekend.
“It’s heartbreaking, knowing the sacrifices that my mom made and the fact that she has to keep making sacrifices to maintain her health,” Adni told Mirror Indy.
Mirror Indy reporter Mary Claire Molloy covers health. Reach her at maryclaire.molloy@mirrorindy.org. Follow her on X @mcmolloy7
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