Due to the extremely high costs of insulin, drug companies are working to lower the costs. Eli Lilly has come out with half-priced options of its Humalog insulin. Humalog is a fact-acting insulin that helps manage blood sugar levels in people with diabetes.
Authorized generic insulin KwikPens
These new lower-cost versions are called “authorized generic” versions, since they are made by Eli Lilly yet sold under a generic name. The price you pay for insulin differs depending on what insurance you have or whether you have a high-deductible plan. These new generic versions could greatly help people with their insulin costs.
Back in May of 2019, Lilly released generic Humalog (Insulin Lispro Injection) at half of the price. Now, it will offer half priced generic Humalog KwikPen and Junior KwikPen options. These will be available by the middle of April 2020.
The new half-priced options will be called Insulin Lispro Protamine and Insulin Lispro Injectable Suspension Mix 75/25 KwikPen (100 units/mL). The Junior KwikPen will be called Insulin Lispro Injection Junior KwikPen (100 units/mL). Each will have a list price of $265.20 for a pack of 5 disposable KwikPens.
Insurance coverage
Even though these are half-priced, a patient should still ask whether this option is the lowest cost, since their health insurance or an Eli Lilly affordability option might provide more of a discount.
To check if your health insurance covers the new lower-priced insulins, visit the American Diabetes Association’s Insulin Help page or call 800-DIABETES and press 5.
Even though Eli Lilly is offering these lower-cost options, many are not taking advantage of them, either because they don’t know about them or their insurance companies don’t offer benefits for the switch. Some have noted that the lower-priced insulin are not available in all pharmacies.
