U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, R-16th, has introduced legislation that could help diabetics and their families attain affordable insulin.

The Market Access for Generic Insulin Competition, or MAGIC Act, would pave the way for the approval and production of true, affordable generic insulin for American diabetics, according to a news release from Kelly's office.

“The average annual cost of insulin for a type 1 diabetic has increased 600 percent over the last two decades,” said Kelly, who is diabetic. “Millions of Americans are struggling to afford a drug they depend on to live, and many are dangerously resorting to rationing their prescriptions.”

He said the MAGIC Act, if enacted, would remove the federal law and regulatory barriers at the FDA that are preventing the production and sale of generic insulin by creating a clear and permanent approval pathway.

Kelly's news release said only three companies manufacture insulin, which was invented in 1921.

He said in 2017 the FDA released a list of synthetic peptide drugs eligible for generic approval. Insulin, a complex peptide, was not on the list.

Kelly wrote the FDA chief a letter asking why insulin was not included on the list, and has not yet received a response, the news release said.

The release did not specify when Kelly plans to introduce the bill.