Free Insulin Now Flowing to Minnesota Clinics

Free insulin is now arriving at clinics across Minnesota thanks to a settlement Attorney General Keith Ellison negotiated with Eli Lilly. In addition to guaranteeing that all Minnesotans, with or without insurance, can buy Eli Lilly’s insulin products for $35 per month for the next five years, the settlement also requires Eli Lilly to provide free insulin sufficient to meet the needs of up to 15 Minnesota clinics. Six more clinics in Minnesota are yet to be selected to provide Minnesotans with free insulin.

The settlement with Eli Lilly resolves a 2018 lawsuit the Attorney General’s Office filed regarding the prices Minnesotans pay for their insulin, a life-saving drug used to treat diabetes. Attorney General Ellison reached a similar settlement guaranteeing $35 per month insulin with Sanofi on July 23, 2024.

Working with Direct Relief, a nonprofit humanitarian organization whose mission is to improve the lives of people in poverty or emergency situations, nine Minnesota clinics have signed up for free insulin donations. Free insulin began arriving in Minnesota this week. This program that is intended for low-income Minnesotans, and the specific eligibility criteria to receive free insulin from these clinics, is determined by the clinics and applicable charitable organization.

“If you need insulin to survive, you should be able to get that insulin. Period,” Attorney General Ellison said. “I am pleased and grateful that Minnesota clinics and Direct Relief have stepped up to coordinate distribution of this life-saving medication to people who might not otherwise be able to pay for it. I will continue to do everything in my power to help Minnesotans afford their lives, and that includes affording the medicine that keeps them alive.”

The Minnesota clinics approved so far for distribution of free insulin are:

“There are still opportunities for six more clinics to receive free Eli Lilly insulin for their patients,” Attorney General Ellison continued. “If you’re a clinic already doing the hard work of making sure people are healthy in your community, talk to us, let’s work together to expand free insulin access to Minnesotans across the state.”

Clinics interested in participating in the free insulin distribution ensured by the settlement with Eli Lilly should contact the Attorney General’s Office at insulin@ag.state.mn.us.

The Office has created a website, www.MNInsulin35.com, to help consumers navigate the options opened to them by the insulin settlements, including the $35/mo. options from Eli Lilly and Sanofi, as well as the free insulin options guaranteed by the settlements.

The Attorney General’s Office encourages consumers with complaints about their insulin to contact the Office online. The Attorney General’s Office can also be reached by phone at (651) 296-3353 or (800) 657-3787, or at (800) 627-3529