About all

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

by alexxlab

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

Everything You Need to Know About Walmart Insulin

The cost of insulin is a serious problem for many people who live with insulin-dependent diabetes in the United States. 

That’s why some people turn to Walmart’s ReliOn Insulin and other over-the-counter insulins.

In this article, we’ll discuss what kinds of insulin are available from Walmart’s “ReliOn” brand, what they cost, how they work, and if they are a good option for you.

Update: We have added a list of announcements and new products to the end of this article. Please read the full article before skipping to the end as it’s important to understand the different types of insulin available from Walmart before choosing one.

Table of Contents

Walmart’s ReliOn Insulin

The over-the-counter insulin from Walmart that costs about $25 per vial is limited to two types of insulin:

  • Regular (insulin R)
  • NPH (insulin N)

You can also get a premixed combination of NPH and Regular called 70-30. 

Both of these insulins are what’s called “synthetic human insulin”. It’s different from newer insulins that are called insulin analogs. 

Both require a very rigid eating schedule. In the “old days” of type 1 diabetes management, a patient taking Regular and NPH insulin would have to eat a very specific number of carbohydrates every 2 to 3 hours.
If you don’t adhere to a consistent eating schedule and carbohydrate quantity, you will experience recurring severe low blood sugars.  
For example, as a child with type 1 diabetes in the 90s, I followed a regimen like this:
  • 8 a.m.: 45 grams of carbohydrate
  • 10:30 a.m.: 15 grams of carbohydrate
  • 12 p.m.: 60 grams of carbohydrate 
  • 3 p.m.:15 grams of carbohydrate 
  • 6 p.m.: 60 grams of carbohydrate 
  • 8:30 p.m.: 15 grams of carbohydrate
Your life is ruled by the clock when you’re taking these types of insulin compared to the flexibility and freedom that comes with today’s insulin options.
Patients who switch to these insulins without guidance from a healthcare professional may be unaware that these insulins do not work in the body like the newer insulin they were likely taking before. This can lead to severe blood sugar fluctuations and be potentially fatal. 
Let’s take a closer look at Regular and NPH insulin.
 
Regular insulin 
Regular insulin is also referred to as “short-acting” insulin and is taken several times per day.
 It used to be the only option for managing your blood sugar around meals, but compared to today’s “rapid” and “fast” acting insulins, Regular insulin is very slow-working because it stays in your system for a long time, up to 8 hours, and peaks nearly 4 hours after injecting it.
If you don’t eat every 2 to 3 hours while taking multiple daily doses of Regular insulin, you will experience multiple low blood sugars.
More modern insulin is active in your bloodstream within 15 minutes and out of your bloodstream within 4 hours. This means you don’t have to worry about dropping low or feeding that insulin dose after 2 to 3 hours of taking it. 
In hospitals, patients will find that when receiving insulin via IV, short-acting insulin is still commonly used based on traditional “sliding scale” insulin dosing protocols.
 
NPH insulin 
NPH insulin is also referred to as “intermediate-acting” insulin. It used to be the only “background” insulin option, but much like Regular insulin, it pales in comparison to today’s other background options.
NPH only stays in your system for anywhere from 10 to 16 hours and has to be taken twice per day in order to cover your 24-hour background insulin needs. 
It also takes several hours to become active in your bloodstream, and it peaks at approximately 4 to 6 hours after taking it. Today’s long-acting insulin options — Basalgar, Lantus, Levemir, Tresiba, Toujeo — have generally no peak at all.
The peak in NPH contributes to the rigid eating schedule a person must follow if they’re using these older insulins to manage their blood sugars.
 
Do you need a prescription?
In short, no, you do not need a prescription to buy Walmart’s Regular or NPH insulin. However, you won’t find it sitting on the counter next to the Tylenol either. 
You’ll have to go to a Walmart store and ask a pharmacist for a vial in order to purchase it.
While it’s considered an “over-the-counter” medication now, it’s still managed very carefully by the pharmacy because it needs to be refrigerated and it’s still a high-value medication despite being only $25 per vial.
 
Is Walmark insulin a good option for you?
Considering that today’s most modern insulin options cost at least $300 per vial, the affordability of Walmart’s insulin is appealing. Unfortunately, the rigid schedule and limitations of these insulins truly make them a “last resort” option.
They are especially challenging for younger children who have unpredictable eating habits and an inevitably lesser understanding of how important it is to eat a specific amount of food at a specific time of day.
These insulins will help you stay alive if you truly cannot afford more modern insulin. If they are the only type of insulin you have access to, then yes, it is a good option for you.
If you can get more modern insulin through your health insurance or one of the many financial assistance programs that exist today, you’d be better off going that route.
Sure, it’s nice that these older insulins are easily accessible but they are not the solution for a long, healthy, full life for a person with diabetes. They are the last resort.  
 
Latest updates
July 6, 2021 – Walmart today announced that it will begin selling its own private brand, rapid-acting, analog insulin called ReliOn NovoLog. The new insulin is now available in Walmart pharmacies and is expected to also be available in Sam’s Club stores in mid-July. You need a prescription to purchase this insulin.
It will be available in two different forms: either $73 per vial (10 mL each, or 1,000 units) or $86 for a package of five prefilled insulin pens (FlexPens, each with 3 mL, or 300 units).
Walmart’s private label insulin will be manufactured by Novo Nordisk and is similar to Novo Nordisk’s NovoLog brand.
 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.
  Click to share this news 
 Advertisement
 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.