Diabetics cannot file in the recent Sanofi Lantus antitrust settlement. That settlement covers direct purchasers such as wholesalers, not patients. Lantus is Sanofi's long-acting insulin glargine prescribed for diabetes.
This distinction matters before you share personal data or pay a filing service. A different consumer case addresses insulin pricing for patients. The sections below explain the limits and your practical options.
Official resources:
- Read the official notice from Sanofi — Use this primary source to verify the official announcement.
- Read the official notice from Bloomberglaw — Use this primary source to verify the official announcement.
Table of Contents
- What did the lawsuit allege?
- Why can't diabetics file in that settlement?
- Is there a separate claim for patients?
- What records should you keep?
- What does Lantus cost now?
What did the lawsuit allege?
Direct-purchaser wholesalers filed a federal antitrust class action in Massachusetts in December 2016. DrugPatentWatch lists the case as In re Lantus Direct Purchaser Antitrust Litigation, No. 1:16-cv-12652 docket summary. The suit alleged Sanofi stretched its insulin-glargine monopoly and kept prices high. The Hagens Berman case page says plaintiffs focused on SoloSTAR injector-pen patents listed in the FDA Orange Book. That listing triggered a 30-month stay that delayed rival insulin-glargine approvals.
Fish and Richardson reports the First Circuit held in February 2020 that U.S. Patent No. 8,556,864 covered a pen drive mechanism, not insulin glargine itself. Hagens Berman reports that on Mar. 24, 2026 Judge Leo Sorokin denied Sanofi summary judgment entirely case update. The same order granted purchasers partial summary judgment that the SoloSTAR listings were improper. That ruling set up a January trial on remaining antitrust issues.
Why can't diabetics file in that settlement?
Wholesalers buy directly from the maker. Patients buy through pharmacies and health plans. Federal antitrust law often treats those groups separately, and this case was filed only for the first group. Bloomberg Law reported on Oct. 29, 2026 that Sanofi and the direct purchasers told the court on Oct.
27-28 they reached a tentative deal settlement report. The parties jointly sought to stay proceedings ahead of the January trial. Financial terms were not disclosed. Do not send medical records to a site promising payment from this wholesaler deal. Hagens Berman and Bloomberg Law describe the settled case as a direct-purchaser case. A patient claim filed into it would be rejected.
Is there a separate claim for patients?
Yes, a separate consumer case is active. Hagens Berman's active-status page describes In re Insulin Pricing Litigation over Lantus, Apidra, Toujeo and other insulins. It says people who paid coinsurance or full price after 2019 may have rights. That theory differs from the wholesaler case.
It concerns what patients paid at the counter, not Orange Book listings alone. Eligibility turns on your payment type, drug, date, and state. No patient settlement payment is available from the wholesaler deal. Track the consumer pricing case separately and avoid mixing the two deadlines and forms.
What records should you keep?
Save proof now while pharmacies and insurers still have it. Good records make any later consumer filing faster and stronger.
Keep records by year and keep the pharmacy name on each page. Ask your pharmacy for a printout if old receipts are missing. Do not pay anyone to "hold your place" in a patient case.
- Pharmacy receipts showing Lantus, date filled, and amount you paid
- Insurance statements showing coinsurance, deductible, or cash price
- Prescription history showing dose, refills, and switches to another insulin
What does Lantus cost now?
Sanofi announced on Mar. 16, 2023 that it would cut the U.S. list price of Lantus by 78% press release. The same announcement capped out-of-pocket Lantus costs at $35 per month for commercially insured patients.
Both changes took effect Jan. 1, 2024. List price is not the same as your copay. Your cost still depends on coverage, deductible, and pharmacy. Keep your 2024 and later pharmacy receipts even if your copay is now $35.