•  
  •  
 

Abstract

Rising insulin prices entail rising economic and social costs that are shouldered by all Americans. While three insulin manufacturers cling to their control of the insulin market, consumers are unable to exercise meaningful choices between competitors to drive prices down. When market forces fail, the solution is federal regulation of the insulin market. The failure of typical forces like competition in this market necessitates federal regulation to curb the monopolistic powers of insulin manufacturers. This Comment explores the history and importance of insulin and the current ramifications of exorbitant insulin prices. This Comment then examines different categories of economic regulation and scrutinizes legislation that state governments have begun enacting to regulate insulin prices. Ultimately, this Comment argues that the federal government should implement a combination of price cap regulation and nationalization of insulin formula patents to increase competition and decrease insulin prices, thereby reducing the economic and social burdens borne by Americans.

Share

COinS
 
 

To view the content in your browser, please download Adobe Reader or, alternately,
you may Download the file to your hard drive.

NOTE: The latest versions of Adobe Reader do not support viewing PDF files within Firefox on Mac OS and if you are using a modern (Intel) Mac, there is no official plugin for viewing PDF files within the browser window.