SACRAMENTO\u00a0\u2014\u00a0Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday announced a plan to offer $11 insulin pens through the state\u2019s pharmaceutical venture.<\/p>\n
Beginning Jan. 1, consumers can purchase a five-pack of pens for a suggested price of $55, according to the governor\u2019s office. The packs will be available to California pharmacies for $45.<\/p>\n
California is the first state in the nation to sell its own brand of generic prescription drugs as Newsom and other state leaders seek ways to drive down rising healthcare costs. <\/a> <\/p>\n Insulin users without health insurance today can pay $400 for a small vial.<\/p>\n Newsom, in a statement Thursday, said that Californians shouldn\u2019t \u201cration insulin or go into debt to stay alive.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCalifornia didn\u2019t wait for the pharmaceutical industry to do the right thing \u2014 we took matters into our own hands,\u201d Newsom said.<\/p>\n Officials hope the drug will lower costs across the board, not just for the consumers ultimately picking up the drug. Major drug companies have also cut prices on insulin, but critics contend those cost savings are passed on to other consumers. <\/p>\n Earlier this week, Newsom signed legislation, Senate Bill 40, capping insulin<\/a> co-pays at $35 for the first time in California.<\/p>\n \u201cThis law ensures no family will be forced to choose between buying insulin and putting food on the table in California again,\u201d the bill\u2019s author, Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), said in a statement.<\/p>\n Newsom, who vowed to be the \u201chealthcare governor\u201d during his campaign, in 2020 unveiled a proposal<\/a> for California to make its own line of generic drugs. <\/p>\n