A pharmaceutical corporation that charges hundreds of dollars for a vial of insulin has issued an apology after a fake Twitter account that obtained a blue-check “verified” label claimed that the medication was free. The event was one of a string of impersonations that led Twitter to suspend access to its recently relaunched premium service, which is offered to all users for US$8 ($11.93) a month.
“We are happy to inform you that insulin is now free”
, according to a phony account established under the Twitter Blue system and impersonating the pharmaceutical business Eli Lilly & Co.
According to Investor’s Business Daily, the tweet caused a significant percentage point decline in the price of Eli Lilly’s stock. The corporation apologized and reiterated its Twitter address, saying,
“We apologies to anybody who have been served a deceptive message from a phony Lilly account.”
A spokesperson for Eli Lilly also told The Washington Post on Thursday that the company is “in communication with Twitter to address the issue” but gave no further updates.
In the past, Eli Lilly came under fire for the high cost of its insulin after it was revealed that some Americans were hoarding the medication because they could not afford more. The price of a five-pack of the company’s insulin “Kwikpens” is still listed as $US530.40 ($791.28), while the price of a branded 10ml vial is listed as $US274.70 ($409.81).
On Eli Lilly’s official Twitter account, a message that has been pinned still advertises its “insulin affordability choices.”
Did Twitter Blue tweet just cost Eli Lilly $LLY billions?
Yes. pic.twitter.com/w4RtJwgCVK
— Rafael Shimunov is on Mastodon (@rafaelshimunov) November 11, 2022
Since billionaire Elon Musk assumed control of the service two weeks ago, uncertainty has become the norm, and the disappearance of Twitter Blue is the most recent head-spinning change. Prior to that, the blue check was given to verified journalists, celebrities, corporations, government agencies, and other verified users of the platform in order to stop impersonation. Now, anyone with a phone and a credit card may purchase one.
