Get to work — Eli Lilly CEO says insulin tweet flap probably signals need to bring down cost “Were obviously not the only insulin company. But the tropes go on,” he said.

Beth Mole – Nov 18, 2022 1:53 pm UTC EnlargeGetty | SOPA Images reader comments 69 with 0 posters participating Share this story Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Reddit

In his first public remarks since a false tweet inflamed outrage over the cost of insulin in the US, Eli Lilly CEO David Ricks defended his company’s pricingbut also conceded it could be lower.

“It probably highlights that we have more work to do to bring down the cost of insulin for more people, Ricks said of the Twitter fury.

Further ReadingMusks Twitter chaos tosses outrageous insulin pricing into the spotlightHe made his comments at an event held by Stat News this week. Eli Lilly did not respond to Ars’ request for more information about what work the company will do to lower prices.

Ricks’ comments were made just a few days after a false tweet from a fake-but-blue-checked account posing as Eli Lilly tweeted: “We are excited to announce insulin is free now.”

The tweet quickly amassed thousands of likes and hundreds of retweets as Eli Lilly tried to get Twitter to remove it. According to a report from The Washington Post, there was panic within Eli Lilly as staff tried to contact Twitter employees but didn’t get a response for hours. Ricks acknowledged this week that the company struggled to get the tweet removed and found the situation “disappointing.” Advertisement

“It misled people and we wanted to get that corrected quickly. It probably didnt happen quickly enough to our liking,” he said. “And it demonstrates some of the challenges on that platform.”

With the false tweet up for many hoursand other spoof Eli Lilly accounts piling onthe real company took things into its own hands, tweeting from its verified account: “We apologize to those who have been served a misleading message from a fake Lilly account. Our official Twitter account is @LillyPad.” But it did little to dampen the outcry, with Twitter users responding: “Apologize to diabetics for price gouging,” and “Why don’t you make affordable insulin instead of apologizing?”

The Twitter wrath stems from longstanding frustration with US drug pricing, which is uniquely high, particularly for insulin, which is a cheap drug to make. Many patients with diabetes in the US can easily see bills in the hundreds of dollars for a few vials a month, and a recent study found that 1.3 million Americans ration their insulin. Page: 1 2 Next → reader comments 69 with 0 posters participating Share this story Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Reddit Beth Mole Beth is Ars Technicas health reporter. Shes interested in biomedical research, infectious disease, health policy and law, and has a Ph.D. in microbiology. Email beth.mole@arstechnica.com // Twitter @BethMarieMole Advertisement Channel Ars Technica ← Previous story Related Stories Today on Ars