Walmart Revolutionizes Insulin Access & Affordability for Patients With Diabetes With the Launch of the First and Only Private Brand Analog Insulin

Walmart’s exclusive ReliOn™ NovoLog® vials and FlexPens® will save customers 58% to 75% off the cash price of branded insulin products.

BENTONVILLE, Ark., June 29, 2021 — Walmart announced the launch of the first-ever private brand analog insulin, which will revolutionize the access and affordability to diabetes care by offering customers a significant price savings without compromising quality. Available exclusively through Walmart’s private ReliOn brand, the new offering includes analog insulin vials ($72.88) and FlexPen® ($85.88). These products will save customers¹ between 58% to 75% off the cash price of branded analog insulin products, which translates to a savings of up to $101 per branded vial or $251 per package of branded FlexPens®.

The new private label ReliOn™ NovoLog® Insulin (insulin aspart) injection, manufactured by Novo Nordisk, is available in Walmart pharmacies this week, and Sam’s Club pharmacies in mid-July across the United States. ReliOn™ NovoLog® is a rapid-acting insulin analog used to control high blood sugar in adults and children with diabetes. Customers will need a prescription in order to purchase the products and should always consult with their doctor regarding their diabetes management.

“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. We also know this is a condition that disproportionately impacts underserved populations. 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,” said Dr. Cheryl Pegus, executive vice president, Walmart Health & Wellness.

Walmart is a destination for affordable diabetes resources, including blood glucose monitors, lancets and other diabetes management essentials in the ReliOn portfolio. Notably, the retailer’s suite of affordable diabetes products offers customers choices when it comes to their diabetes management; however, every patient is unique and may respond differently to treatment, so the ultimate treatment decision should be based on their health care provider’s recommendation.

“Diabetes often comes with high medical costs, estimated around $9,601 per person per year. We welcome all affordable solutions that make diabetes management more accessible to millions of Americans living with diabetes. We encourage everyone to ask their health care provider questions to better understand what the right and affordable treatment is for their unique medical needs,” said Tracey D. Brown, chief executive officer of the American Diabetes Association.

The ReliOn NovoLog® analog insulin offering adds to Walmart’s history of introducing innovative solutions that increase access to quality, affordable health care resources, including the industry-leading $4 generic prescription program launched more than a decade ago. For additional information about Walmart’s affordable diabetes resources, visit Walmart.com/diabetes.

^{1 The out-of-pocket costs patient pay for insulin depends on a variety of factors. These savings have been calculated based on patients purchasing these insulins without prescription drug insurance.}

About Walmart
Walmart Inc. (NYSE: WMT) helps people around the world save money and live better – anytime and anywhere – in retail stores, online, and through their mobile devices. Each week, approximately 220 million customers and members visit approximately 10,500 stores and clubs under 48 banners in 24 countries and eCommerce websites. With fiscal year 2021 revenue of $559 billion, Walmart employs 2.2 million associates worldwide. Walmart continues to be a leader in sustainability, corporate philanthropy and employment opportunity. Additional information about Walmart can be found by visiting corporate.walmart.com, on Facebook at facebook.com/walmart and on Twitter at twitter. com/walmart.

Indications and Usage

What is NovoLog® (insulin aspart) injection?

• NovoLog® is a man-made insulin used to control high blood sugar in adults and children with diabetes mellitus. 

Important Safety Information

Do not share your NovoLog® FlexPen®, NovoLog® FlexTouch®, PenFill® cartridge or PenFill® cartridge compatible insulin delivery device with other people, even if the needle has been changed. You may give other people a serious infection, or get a serious infection from them.

Who should not take NovoLog®?

Do not take NovoLog® if:

• your blood sugar is too low (hypoglycemia) or you are allergic to NovoLog® or any of its ingredients.  

Before taking NovoLog®, tell your health care provider about all your medical conditions including, if you are:

• pregnant, plan to become pregnant, or are breastfeeding. 
• taking new prescription or over-the-counter medicines, including supplements.  

Talk to your health care provider about how to manage low blood sugar.

How should I take NovoLog®?

What should I avoid while taking NovoLog®?

• Do not drive or operate heavy machinery, until you know how NovoLog® affects you. 
• Do not drink alcohol or use medicines that contain alcohol. 

What are the possible side effects of NovoLog®?

Serious side effects can lead to death, including:

Low blood sugar. Some signs and symptoms include:

• anxiety, irritability, mood changes, dizziness, sweating, confusion, and headache.  

Your insulin dose may need to change because of:

• weight gain or loss, increased stress, illness, or change in diet or level of physical activity.

Other common side effects may include:

• low potassium in your blood, injection site reactions, itching, rash, serious whole body allergic reactions, skin thickening or pits at the injection site, weight gain, and swelling of your hands and feet.  

Get emergency medical help if you have:

• trouble breathing, shortness of breath, fast heartbeat, swelling of your face, tongue, or throat, sweating, extreme drowsiness, dizziness, or confusion. 

Please see Prescribing Information for NovoLog at https://www.novo-pi.com/novolog.pdf

^{ReliOn NovoLog® is a registered trademark of Novo Nordisk A/S. Novo Nordisk is a registered trademark of Novo Nordisk A/S. © 2021 Novo Nordisk All rights reserved. June 2021}

Walmart Reinforces Commitment to Affordable Diabetes Care With Private Label Insulin Option During Diabetes Awareness Month

By

Michael Burke, Brand Pharmacy Merchandising, Walmart Health & Wellness

Approximately 14% of Walmart shoppers have diabetes, and we know insulin affordability is a major concern. We know that the financial burden of the disease can impact how people manage their diabetes, and that’s why Walmart is committed to revolutionizing the affordability of diabetes care with quality, affordable options. On the heels of Walmart’s launch in June of the first and only private label analog insulin, we’re thrilled to now offer another new private label option in our ReliOn portfolio – ReliOn™ NovoLog® Mix 70/30 (insulin aspart protamine and insulin aspart) injectable suspension 100 U/mL. ReliOn™ NovoLog® Mix 70/30 is available at Walmart and Sam’s Club pharmacies nationwide. ReliOn™ NovoLog® Mix 70/30 is a premixed insulin that works in two ways to help adults with diabetes control blood sugar. It is a mix of a rapid-acting insulin to help control mealtime spikes in blood sugar and an intermediate-acting insulin that works up to 24 hours to help control blood sugar between meals. Priced at $72.88 for 10mL insulin vials and $85.88 for a package of five FlexPens®, many customers can save between 58% to 75% off the cash price of branded analog insulin ¹.

Now, you might be wondering how we’re able to provide our customers with such significant cost savings, without sacrificing on insulin quality. The answer is simple: We improved the process. By working directly with Novo Nordisk, one of the top insulin manufacturers in the world, and leveraging Walmart’s experience and resources, we can bring innovative solutions that help improve access and affordability for patients and our customers. Walmart’s private label insulins have the exact same active ingredients as Novo Nordisk’s branded products. The only difference is the price. Our analog insulin products have full FDA approval, and we’re so proud to be able to provide quality, affordable insulin options to help make it easier for our customers with diabetes to afford the treatment they need.

We understand every patient is unique and may respond differently, so your ultimate insulin decision should be based on your doctor’s recommendation. We’re committed to offering a variety of options for our customers with the goal of expanding accessibility and affordability to help reduce health disparities in the communities we serve. Walmart sells both human and analog insulin, now with more affordable private label options for each. Understanding treatment options can be challenging, like knowing the difference between human and analog insulins. Some start working faster to control blood sugar according to your diabetes management plan, while others take longer. This can call for careful scheduling around mealtimes. That’s why it’s so important that patients work with their doctors to find the best treatment. Whichever insulin your doctor prescribes, always take it as directed.

Whether you have Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes, our pharmacists can help put you on the right track for managing your diabetes. From finding diabetes testing supplies, to filling prescriptions, to helping you choose the right food, we’re here for you. In addition to insulin, our ReliOn™ line features blood glucose monitors, lancets, and other resources. Walmart+ members can also get Metformin, a treatment available for Type 2 diabetes, at no cost in our pharmacies.

Walmart will continue to innovate and introduce new options, like ReliOn™ NovoLog® Mix 70/30, to help make diabetes management accessible and affordable.

_{1 The out-of-pocket cost patients pay for insulin depends on a variety of factors. these savings have been calculated based on patients purchasing these insulins without prescription drug insurance.}

Indications and Usage 

What is NovoLog^® Mix 70/30 (insulin aspart protamine and insulin aspart) injectable suspension 100 U/mL? 

• NovoLog^® Mix 70/30 is a man-made insulin used to control high blood sugar in people with diabetes mellitus.
• It is not known if NovoLog^® Mix 70/30 is safe and effective in children.

Important Safety Information

Do not share your NovoLog^® Mix 70/30 FlexPen^® with other people, even if the needle has been changed. Do not share needles or syringes with another person. You may give other people a serious infection, or get a serious infection from them.

Who should not take NovoLog^® Mix 70/30?

• Do not take NovoLog^® Mix 70/30 if you are having an episode of low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) or you have an allergy to NovoLog^® Mix 70/30 or any of its ingredients.

Before taking NovoLog^® Mix 70/30, tell your healthcare provider about all your medical conditions including, if you are:

• Pregnant, planning to become pregnant, or are breastfeeding.
• Taking new prescription or over-the-counter medicines, including supplements.

Before you start taking NovoLog^® Mix 70/30, talk to your health care provider about low blood sugar and how to manage it.

How should I take NovoLog^® Mix 70/30?

• Read the Instructions for Use and take exactly as directed by your healthcare provider.
• NovoLog^® Mix 70/30 starts acting fast. If you have Type 1 diabetes, inject within 15 minutes before you eat a meal. Do not inject NovoLog^® Mix 70/30 if you are not planning to eat within 15 minutes. If you have Type 2 diabetes, you may inject up to 15 minutes before or after starting your meal.
• Do not mix NovoLog^® Mix 70/30 with other insulin products or use in an insulin pump.
• Know the type and strength of your insulin. Do not change your insulin type unless your health care provider tells you to.
• Check your blood sugar levels. Ask your health care provider what your blood sugar levels should be and when you should check them. 
• Do not reuse or share your needles or syringes with other people. You may give other people a serious infection, or get a serious infection from them.
• NovoLog^® Mix 70/30 is injected under the skin (subcutaneously) of your stomach area, buttocks, upper legs, or upper arms.
• Change (rotate) your injection sites within the area you choose with each injection to reduce your risk of getting lipodystrophy (pits in skin or thickened skin) and localized cutaneous amyloidosis (skin with lumps) at the injection sites.
  • Do not use the exact same spot for each injection.
  • Do not inject where the skin has pits, is thickened, or has lumps.
  • Do not inject where the skin is tender, bruised, scaly or hard, or into scars or damaged skin.

What should I avoid while taking NovoLog^® Mix 70/30? 

• Do not drive or operate heavy machinery, until you know how NovoLog® Mix 70/30 affects you.
• Do not drink alcohol or use medicines that contain alcohol.

What are the possible side effects of NovoLog^® Mix 70/30?
Serious side effects can lead to death, including:
Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia). Some signs and symptoms include:

• Dizziness, light-headedness, sweating, confusion, headache, blurred vision, slurred speech, shakiness, fast heart rate, anxiety, irritability, mood changes, and hunger.

Your insulin dose may need to change because of: 

• Weight gain or loss, increased stress, illness, or change in diet or level of physical activity.

Other common side effects may include: 

• Low potassium in your blood (hypokalemia), reactions at the injection site, itching, rash, serious allergic reactions (whole body reactions), skin thickening or pits at the injection site (lipodystrophy), weight gain, and swelling of your hands and feet.

Get emergency medical help if you have: 

• Trouble breathing, shortness of breath, fast heartbeat, swelling of your face, tongue, or throat, sweating, extreme drowsiness, dizziness, or confusion.

Please see the full prescribing information for NovoLog Mix 70/30 https://www.novo-pi.com/novologmix7030.pdf

_{NovoLog® is a registered trademark of Novo Nordisk A/S. Novo Nordisk is a registered trademark of Novo Nordisk A/S. © 2021 Novo Nordisk All rights reserved. November 2021 US21IA00009.}

A guy died after switching to cheap insulin and cutting his dose to save up for a wedding

Josh Wilkerson, 27, of Leesburg, Virginia, was one of the 1. 25 million Americans with hereditary type 1 diabetes. Until his 26th birthday, he was able to buy high-quality insulin thanks to insurance, but after losing it last year, Josh began looking for ways to cut costs.

The solution seemed obvious: replace his regular insulin, which would have cost him a hefty $1,200 a month, with over-the-counter insulin, which could be bought at a nearby Walmart for as little as $25. There was still no money for a more expensive option: Josh was earning $16.50 an hour at a dog shelter, and his girlfriend Rose – also suffering from type 1 diabetes – worked as a mail delivery boy. The couple barely made ends meet and had no idea where to get $2,400 a month for medicines – especially if they want to save up for the wedding of their dreams.

Eventually, Rose and Josh switched to the so-called “human insulin” – ReliOn, which, despite the low price, had one significant drawback: it took longer to start working – from 30 minutes to four hours, according to compared to the 15 minutes required by other drugs.

According to Alison Bailey of T1 International, human insulin, such as ReliOn, is more suitable for people with type 2 diabetes. For patients with type 1 diabetes, its use is associated with a certain risk. As a rule, their body is not able to produce natural insulin on its own – which is why patients are more vulnerable to changes in blood sugar levels and need constant medical supervision.

“We said to ourselves, hey, it only costs $25. — recalls Rose — Let’s try to make do with what we have. <...> But the fact that he needed so much time to act, scared me a little.

The couple started taking the new insulin in January 2018, and Josh even tried to cut his dose to save even more. His mother, Erin, did not find herself because of this place: Josh’s grandfather died in 1989 from complications associated with diabetes, and the woman did not want her son to repeat the fate of a relative.

“Don’t worry Mom,” , he wrote in response to an article Erin sent about a man who died after cutting his insulin dose, and assured her that everything was fine.

In fact, everything was far from okay. If Rose was able to get along with ReliOn, then Josh’s condition began to deteriorate noticeably. The guy began to suffer from mood swings caused by high blood sugar and regular stomach pains.

He complained to Rose about the pain during their last conversation. Wilkerson, who worked the night shift at the shelter, mentioned during a FaceTime conversation that he was not feeling well – but assured the bride that everything was not so bad, promised to take a dose of insulin and wished good night.

It’s been 12 hours since the call, but Josh hasn’t contacted again. Unable to get through to him, Rose decided to go to the shelter personally and check if everything was in order – and found the groom unconscious on the floor.

“I remember I kept hitting him in the face and saying, “Wake up, honey, you have to wake up.” says Rose.

Josh was in a diabetic coma. When he was taken to the hospital, the doctors said that the guy probably had several seizures during the night. The next 5 days the guy continued to fight for his life, but in vain. In the end, he had to be taken off life support.

After her son’s death, Erin decided to take action. She now campaigns for the rights of people with type 1 diabetes, and at the service in September she plans to appeal to local authorities to provide decent medicines for all diabetics – and not just those who can afford it.

“These people are actually condemned to death. – a woman talking about those who, like Josh, are forced to cut their doses or switch to cheaper drugs – They have no insurance, no work that will allow them to get normal [insulin], so they have to live on handouts.

The price of insulin in the US has tripled since 2001. Now in Canada, a drug that would cost about $300 in the States will cost the patient only $30.

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Experimenting with older (cheaper) insulin preparations – Drink-Drink

DM) Hi Rob, how exactly did you come up with the idea to start this 30 day challenge, which you recorded on YouTube?

RH) Last fall I was in California with Medtronic Diabetes and over dinner I asked about the most common complaints from T1D patients. Without hesitation, they told me that cost was the most common complaint, and that most people with T1D pay about $2,500 a year for pump therapy, and much more in the years they have to buy a new pump.

All this besides insurance premiums, prescription co-payments, primary care visits, endodontic visits, etc. So I honestly drank too many glasses of wine and said: completely give up over-the-counter insulin within 30 days ? They all gulped together but thought it might be useful and the idea stuck in my head so I decided to do it in 2018.

This issue of accessibility and affordability has definitely become a hot button lately, hasn’t it?

Yes, 2018 is an interesting time for someone with type 1 diabetes. On the one hand, we have made significant progress in both research and advocacy as social media connects people with T1DM around the world like never before. On the other hand, the cost of prescription insulin tripled from 2002 to 2013 just because pharmaceutical companies can raise prices, and in the United States, this issue seemed to cause less repercussions among lawmakers.

The consequences of this injustice are very tragic. There are widespread stories about the death of patients with type 1 diabetes while trying to ration insulin or trade stocks on the black market. Of course, there are programs designed to provide insulin to those who cannot afford it, but even these have failed to stop multiple deaths due to the high cost of prescription insulin in the United States.

These deaths break my heart because they can happen to any T1D. We are all walking a thin line.

Have you personally encountered the problem of questionable access to insulin?

Yes, at the beginning of 2017 I left the comfort zone of working in an advertising agency to start my own company. For years I wanted to go into entrepreneurship but always hesitated because I had health care options in front of me that left me with more questions than answers. I stocked up on as much insulin and pump supplies as possible and dedicated myself to making sure my new venture was successful enough to get insurance before it ran out.

I hardly did insulin stretching. Without the help of a stranger (angel in disguise) from Instagram, I would have run out of insulin before the insurance worked – there would have been a break of 3-4 weeks.

What did you learn from this experience?

That I was asking the wrong questions, and when you’re away from the safety net to talk to your doctor about your various treatment options, you can often miss out on the opportunity to save your life and cure your T1D for less than $100. per month. Like this. Less than $1,500 per year or 5 ampoules of prescription insulin without insurance.

I consider myself a fairly educated person with T1D, actively involved in the T1D community with lots of access, and I have never heard of this treatment. When I was diagnosed, I had insurance, so I started injecting Novolog and Lantus. The days of R and NPH as the primary treatment are gone, out of sight and out of mind.

But my friend told me that he bought insulin from Walmart without a prescription and didn’t use insurance. I was skeptical, thinking that he must be compromising good control in some way, so I took him to dinner to explain it to me.

What he told me is known to many of you:

Have you ever used these “over the counter” insulins before?

Actually, no. When I was diagnosed, I was taking multiple daily injections of Novolog and Lantus, which are branded over-the-counter versions of drugs, but I never took them. They are quite similar, but have a few nuances regarding timing, peaks, etc. that should make them more effective.

How did you track your results?

Two ways. I use a glucometer and the One Drop app, which is really the only bright spot in the OTC treatment option since it doesn’t require a prescription. I use it normally so I didn’t have to change anything there.

I also track my results on a Dexcom G5 (continuous glucose monitor) which is great because I used it to view a 24 hour chart and learn the nuances of my day in a new video posted on my YouTube channel every night. during a call. Dexcom is the only part of the task that wasn’t OTC, but I use it purely for data collection purposes and I think it adds a lot of value.

So your trial ended on February 7th. What was your experience like?

To be honest, it wasn’t all that bad. With the exception of a few highs at the beginning, it was about what I expected. And while it’s not a lot of fun to inject with a syringe, it’s more of an inconvenience than a real problem. My hypothesis was that I would be able to live within the 25 variance of my A1c (which was 6.3 before the test) and now that I’ve been at this for a few days I think I can pull that off.

What was the reaction of the T1D community?

I have been very encouraged by all the messages, comments, tweets and emails I have received. It amazes me how different all of our treatments for the same disease are, and many people say how much they learn about OTC drugs. I also heard responses from people who said that losing insurance was their worst nightmare and that the fact that I could live relatively well in the first few days gave them a lot of confidence.