Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – June 2, 2026 – Grabar Law Office has filed a lawsuit on behalf of The Trustees of Princeton University in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey against insulin manufacturers Eli Lilly and Company, Novo Nordisk Inc., and Sanofi-Aventis U.S. LLC, as well as pharmacy benefit manager (“PBM”) defendants CVS Caremark, Express Scripts, and OptumRx and their affiliated entities.
The complaint alleges that Defendants participated in an unlawful insulin pricing scheme that artificially inflated the prices of insulin and other diabetes medications, causing Princeton University to pay substantially more for prescription drug benefits provided to its employees and their dependents.
According to the complaint, Princeton University is a New Jersey-based private institution of higher education that self-funds the vast majority of its employee healthcare costs. As a result, Princeton directly bears the financial impact of increases in the cost of insulin and other diabetes medications purchased through its employee health plans.
The lawsuit alleges that insulin manufacturers and PBMs worked together to create and maintain a system in which manufacturers dramatically increased insulin list prices while paying substantial rebates and other payments to PBMs in exchange for favorable formulary placement. The complaint alleges that these arrangements allowed both groups of defendants to profit while institutional payors, including Princeton University, were forced to pay inflated prices.
“The complaint alleges that defendants engineered a system that rewarded ever-increasing insulin prices rather than competition and affordability,” said Joshua H. Grabar of Grabar Law Office. “Princeton University, like many self-funded employers, ultimately paid the price for these alleged practices.”
The lawsuit further alleges that the challenged conduct affected not only insulin products but other diabetes medications and that the resulting overcharges diverted substantial resources away from Princeton University’s educational and research mission.
The complaint asserts claims under the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), the Sherman Antitrust Act, the New Jersey Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, the New Jersey Antitrust Act, the New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act, and New Jersey common law.
Grabar Law Office has been actively involved in investigating insulin pricing practices and represents institutional payors seeking to recover losses allegedly caused by insulin pricing misconduct.
A copy of the complaint is available from Grabar Law Office upon request.
