MT. JULIET, Tenn. (WTVF) — Diabetics, their families, and friends have been begging drug companies to lower the cost of insulin.
On Wednesday, they received the news that Eli Lilly will cap insulin costs at $35 dollars a month for insured and uninsured people.
But for the family of Landon Johnson, the news comes too late.
In 2019 he was forced to ration his insulin after being dropped from TennCare.
"For a month's supply, it was generally almost $1,100 to $1,200, depending on what pharmacy that he got it from," said his mother, Penny Wright.
Trying to keep up with the price of his medicine often meant being stuck in limbo.
"You know he had to make a choice. Do I buy my insulin this month or do I eat? And a lot of times he would just sit there and cry over it and say, 'Mom, what do I do?'" Wright said.
As a mother, Wright said it's heartbreaking to know the words her son spoke years ago became a reality.
"I feel like I'm going to die before I'm 30, man. I really do," Johnson told NewsChannel 5 back in 2019.
The 24-year-old, Type 1 diabetic died of diabetic ketoacidosis two years ago after his body didn't have enough insulin.
"We never want to cut time short with our loved ones. I think he had more to do in life. I think he had; he would've had more time to be a voice for others because that's exactly what he wanted to do," Wright said.
Despite her tremendous loss, Wright said the news that Eli Lilly will cap out-of-pocket costs of its insulin at $35 a month for both insured and uninsured people brought a smile to her face.
"It might be too late for my son and others, but if it can save one life — and this is my son's words — 'if it can save one life, momma, that's all I want.' That's all I want," she said.
