Central Florida nonprofit welcomes insulin price slash for diabetics.

ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. — Diabetes patients and advocates in Florida — and across the country — will soon have access to cheaper insulin.

Pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly announced this week it was slashing prices and limiting out-of-pocket costs for patients using its insulin drugs.

Officials at a Central Florida nonprofit celebrated the move, but cautioned it is just one step forward in the fight to make diabetes care more affordable.

“It’s a significant step for sure, and it’ll save a lot of lives, but I think it’s a step in the grand scheme of things,” said Sara Daniels, an employee at the nonprofit Touched by Type 1.

Eli Lilly announced reductions in price for its insulin medications, including one that will be reduce by 70% by the end of the year. The company also said it would work with pharmacies to cap out-of-pocket costs for patients to $35 a month.

Touched by Type 1 was founded 22 years ago by Elizabeth Forrest, a Type 1 diabetic, who was diagnosed at the age of 10.

“There’s no choice — I have to take insulin or I wouldn’t be sitting here," she said. "And so, to see a drug like this, where the cost just goes up, we have no choice in the matter, we’re customers for life unfortunately."

However, Forrest said Eli Lilly’s announcement this week was a major step forward for millions of diabetics around the country.

“It’s a huge game changer, and it’s lifesaving for so many people,” she said.

At her nonprofit — which sends care packages with information, product samples, and resources to newly diagnosed diabetics — Forrest says they field constant questions about insulin prices.

“The cost of insulin is always a topic of conversation,” she said.

Often costing hundreds of dollars, depending on the prescription type, insurance provider and manufacturer, Forrest says patients can be forced into tough decisions about how to pay for it.

Now, she and others hope some of those tough decisions are eliminated.

“I absolutely think this will save lives,” Forrest said.