California plans to produce its own insulin for the state’s residents, with a lower cost, according to the state’s governor, Gavin Newsom. The plan, which is meant to combat rising medical care costs throughout the country, is just the most recent measure in Newsom’s plan to make California a progressive haven.
The state has already allocated $100 million to the plan, which will allow them to manufacture the life-saving medication for a cheaper cost.
Newsom campaigned on a similar plan, and even signed an executive order for California to make their own prescription drugs on his first day in office.
“California is now taking matters into our own hands,” Newsom said in a video posted to his Twitter. “Because in California, we know people should not go into debt to receive life-saving medication.”
Newsom explained that $50 million will go towards a manufacturing facility that will create “new, high-paying jobs and a stronger supply chain” for insulin. The other $50 million will go towards the cost of developing the drug.
For those with diabetes, insulin is a necessity and has been in the news lately for its increasing prices. In his video, Newsom said Californians with diabetes spend anywhere from “$300 to $500 per month” on the insulin they need.
Concerns about the price of insulin have even reached the federal level, with a likely vote in the Senate coming next month on a bipartisan measure to limit the patient cost of the drug to $35 a month.
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