California announces plans to make its own $30 insulin

California Governor Gavin Newsom announced that the state has funded a $50 million 10-year initiative to contract with nonprofit drugmaker Civica Rx to begin making its own low-cost insulin.

The state plans to sell insulin for no more than $30 per 10-milliliter vial for both insured and uninsured patients, Newsom said in a press conference Saturday. Under the initiative, a box of five pre-filled pen cartridges would cost no more than $55.

The product is not expected on store shelves until at least next year.

For years, advocates have pushed to make insulin more affordable. About 8.4 million people in the US with diabetes rely on insulin, per the American Diabetes Association.

Last year, a report published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine said, 1 in 6 Americans with diabetes who use insulin ration their supply due to the cost of the drug.