The death of a son urges a mother to call for lower insulin prices, a drug used to control the blood sugar level of diabetics.
A Son's Struggle With Insulin Prices Led To His Death
The currently high prices of the drug led a son to his death, prompting a mother and many others to celebrate Mother's Day rallying for lower prices.
"He was a mama's boy," says Nicole Smith Holt, who lost his son Alec to diabetes in 2017.
"He never let a Mother's Day go by without spending time with me."
Alec was diagnosed when he was 25 years old. Upon turning 26, he was no longer under his parents' insurance, which forced him to ration his insulin. He hid this fact from his parents, refusing to ask for financial help. He eventually succumbed to diabetic ketoacidosis, lasting only 27 days without insurance.
His story is only one of many others with the same fate, inspiring many doctors, patients, and supporters to go to the streets to rally for lower insulin prices.
Rally At State Capitol Calls On Lawmakers For Lower Insulin Prices
The protesters gathered on the Minnesota Capitol steps to call on lawmakers to decrease the price of insulin. They also urged pharmaceutical companies to be more transparent in the cost of the drugs and how much profit they make.
Nicole noted that the same insulin formula was being sold in the 1990s for $25. Today, she claims that the price has since gone over $275 without any advancement and changes in the formula.
Is Trump's American Patients First Plan Enough?
The rally was held only one day after President Donald Trump addressed the cost of prescription drugs with the American Patients First plan, with the aim of speeding up the process of approval of over-the-counter medications. The plan also urges pharmaceutical companies to be transparent, which is in line with the protesters' goal.
However, Senator Amy Klobuchar claims that these are not enough.
"He didn't propose making it easier to get generics on the market like I would do more aggressively," she said.
"He didn't propose bringing in less expensive drugs from other countries like Canada."
She added that people have to stand up like they did when the EpiPen's price increased by 100 percent. The people's outcry caused the price to decrease to an acceptable degree.
However, it is likely that the rally would not lead to an immediate result. She further advised people dealing with the high prices of insulin seek help now before it becomes too late.
