![]() It can get a bit confusing, because those two names are technically the scientific names of the particular insulins.įor this new offering, Walmart is simply buying Novolog insulin before it is packaged under that regulated product label, and instead labeling it as “ReliOn Novolog” to be sold exclusively at Walmart and its affiliate stores like Sam’s Club. This is also not the same as the “ authorized generics” that both Lilly and Novo launched in 2019 as half-priced versions of their main insulins - Lilly’s version of Humalog is known as insulin lispro, while Novo’s version of Novolog is named insulin aspart. But the reality is there are no true generic insulins available - defined as chemically identical to brand-name products and with the same efficacy, but sold at much cheaper prices. The term “generic” has been loosely applied to copycat versions of name brand insulins sold at lower prices, or to older, less reliable forms of human insulin. Not exactly, though many in the Diabetes Community may describe it as such. New ReliOn Novolog brings a better, faster-acting bolus insulin as an option at Walmart for the first time.Īs always, it’s important to talk with your healthcare team about whether this or any insulin might be best for you. It’s the latter that most know and use these days: Humalog or Novolog rapid-acting, and longer-acting basal (background) insulin including Lantus, Levemir, Tresiba, or Toujeo. Those formulations have been around since the early 1980s, but they work much differently and are seen as much less reliable than the analog insulins that first started appearing in the later 1990s. Until now, the only so-called “ Walmart insulin” you could get for a lower price (roughly $25 to $35 per vial) was the older, human versions of insulin - R (or Regular) insulin, N (which is Novolin, aka NPH insulin) and a 70/30 mix of the two other types. Walmart has sold its private label of ReliOn insulin since 2000, with Novo’s insulin being the co-branding partner for most of those years, except for 2010 to 2012 when Eli Lilly nabbed the contract for its insulins to be co-branded as ReliOn. Think of it like the same water (or insulin) coming out of the same tap at the manufacturer’s facility, but going into a different bottle or pen with a slightly revised label. So, skeptics who say, “the quality will be what you pay for” are simply incorrect it’s the exact same insulin. ![]() This Walmart version called “ReliOn Novolog” is the same drug as regularly-branded Novolog, just with a different name on the product. Novolog has been around since 2000, following Eli Lilly’s Humalog that was the first new rapid-acting analog insulin 4 years earlier. Made by Danish pharma giant Novo Nordisk, it’s one of the most common insulins in use, administered via syringe and vial, insulin pen or through an insulin pump. Novolog is a rapid-acting insulin analog approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for both children and adults with type 1 and type 2 diabetes to use for mealtime doses and high blood sugar corrections. While this move by Walmart certainly doesn’t solve the insulin pricing crisis in America and it won’t help everyone (especially those who can’t use Novolog for whatever reason), it is a big step that can help a lot of people who desperately need a path to affordable insulin.ĭiabetesMine talked to spokesfolk from both Walmart and Novo Nordisk to get the full details that PWDs need to know. Cheryl Pegus, executive vice president of Walmart Health & Wellness, said in a statement. With ReliOn NovoLog insulin, we’re adding a high quality medication for diabetes to the already affordable ReliOn line of products and continuing our commitment to improve access and lowering cost of care,” Dr. We also know this is a condition that disproportionately impacts underserved populations. “We know many people with diabetes struggle to manage the financial burden of this condition, and we are focused on helping by providing affordable solutions. This will allow many people with diabetes (PWDs) to get this life-critical medication without insurance, an important factor given the number of uninsured and underinsured, and those struggling with high-deductible insurance plans. Significantly, this version of Novolog insulin will cost between 58 and 75 percent less than the current cash list price at most retail pharmacies. This is the first time Walmart’s offered a newer analog version of insulin - modified for quicker and more effective action - in its low-cost medication lineup. ![]() On June 29, Walmart announced it would be adding this rapid-acting insulin to the much older human insulins that it’s sold under the ReliOn brand for more than two decades.
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