More than 1 million Americans ration their insulin as the drug's cost skyrockets

About 1.3 million Americans rationed their prescribed doses of insulin last year to save money, a pattern one doctor said threatens the health — and even the lives — of people with diabetes. 

Many people are taking less than the recommended amount of insulin as the cost of the life-saving drug has soared in recent years, university researchers said in a new study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. A survey revealed that more than 16% of diabetes patients who take insulin either skipped their prescribed doses, took less than needed or delayed buying more. 

"Insulin rationing is frequently harmful, and sometimes deadly," Adam Gaffney of Harvard Medical School, who co-authored the study, said in a statement.