So it was recently announced that California is going to produce biosimilar insulin for $11. Not sure if that is per bottle or per month, either way it’s really a good thing if it happens.
We have been sold this bill of goods before from different politicians and it never seems to happen.
They say in 2026 we will have glargine biosimilar for $11. And then humalog and novolog knockoffs will follow.
I really really hope this goes, but I have little faith that it isn’t just a campaign tactic.
I’m tired of politicians using insulin and diabetes to make great claims and then nothing happens.
I was paying $17 per bottle for humalog when it was released in the early 90s and now it’s $225. If you don’t have insurance it’s very tough to stay healthy.
Civica began as an initiative in 2018 or 2019, so it moved pretty fast (as efforts at medial disruption go). I mean, it can take 6 years to pass a bill. These guys need to establish an entire manufacturing operation, so they moved much faster.
This endeavor was not dreamed up by the politicians, but it is not without support of government either. I would characterize it as a public-private initiative.
I, personally, want Lispro, but they are having trouble with that one.
CA has a bad drug problem, so they wanted to manufacture Narcan. I’m not sure if they are doing that yet. Lets research…
They aren’t manufacturing yet. They only just established a manufacturing plant. The following source says they need to get thru FDA still. That’s quite an effort, but they are moving lightening fast.
It’s per pen (i.e. 3mL) and as you observe it’s only Glargine next year. They say they’re working on a fast acting insulin but not when it is expected.
Prices on ACA insurance plans are nowhere near $225 for insulins that are “preferred” and since a Silver plan covers 70% after the deductible the price drops to 30% after the deductible is met. I did some experiments with the numbers and various plan types where I live and realised that for people with low income and a chronic condition it can be cheapest to buy a Gold plan!
In fact many people on lower income end up paying $0 for an ACA plan. That’s particularly true of people 40+ as the premiums go up fast but no where near as the PTC (which goes down with income). It’s probably not a good idea to select those plans; that’s what my numbers show.
It’s really important for everyone who is eligible for the ACA (i.e. not eligible for Medicaid in CA and not on an employer plan) to use the 2026 ACA tools which are available now, here:
Look at the examples at the bottom of the page. Many people do not realise how cheap ACA plans are for them; the low cost combined with the insurance prices mean that most people of low-moderate income (below $62,600 for a single person in 2026) will come out ahead if they have a chronic condition.
I.e. people who draw on the ACA plan for health care through the year will pay less than they do if they DIY it and attempt to self-insure.
Nevertheless it is necessary to select the correct plan for what you will need. Healthy people may choose to ignore everything and buy the cheapest (they might even get paid to buy a really cheap plan; PTC > premium!) However for us it is important to shop the plans and shop every year.
I saw an article saying something like this but it was just the Civica announces Semglee rebranded as Civica and CalRx $55 ÷ 5 pens = $11/pen. The announcements of the rebranding deal said nothing about suggesting pricing of a single pen or even if single pens could be sold. The rebranded Semglee will be available nationwide. California isn’t producing this Lantus biosimilar and the project the state is funding, the Novolog biosimilar, hasn’t even made it to phase 1 clinical trials yet.
We really need a non prescription needed version of Lantus and one of the log insulins. It makes no sense that I can go to Walmart and buy regular or NPH insulin with no script. Those insulins are far more dangerous in my opinion.
There have been a few times where I needed insulin and I wished I could just buy some instead of calling my doctor and waiting till it his the pharmacy because I was traveling.
If we are talking 11 dollars per unit pen or vial, then this is a viable idea, but if we can’t get it reasonably fast, it doesn’t help.
Now that so many rural hospitals are closing around the US due to budget cuts, how are diabetics supposed to get insulin in an emergency. Drive 5 hours while in DKA, to the ER to get a doctor to write a script?
Who is being protected by these rules.? If you guessed drug makers, I think you are right
Single pens are sold. Single pens of Lantus are sold; I used to get a box plus a zippy bag with the extra ones for a 90 day supply. Originally this did not happen, I got whole boxes, but as the price went up and the insurance company got squeezed they started demanding that the pharmacist do the exact calculation if it wasn’t on the prescription. So I got the third degree at the Walmart and then I got a baggy with pens in it.
If you are a T1 “Down And Out In California” you will get your Lantus one pen at a time. If you happened to take 12IU per day (my dose when on MDI) that’s 25 days, but no air-shot and, as we know, you reuse the needle.
SIL
BTW if this does happen to anyone out there include the air-shot (2IU) when the pharmacist asks how much you take per day. If you do Lantus in two doses (6+6 in my case) include both air-shots, so 16IU total. If your doc writes the prescription without taking all of this into account point out the error; it’s pointless trying to point it out at Walmart, the pharmacist is only allowed to do simple arithmetic.
Here’s the link to the CA announcement (I guess this is where the “$11 insulin” comes from):
I posted that somewhere else (though maybe on FUD). Amazing fact; both Civica and Newsom use the faked box of insulin pens but they are mirrored:
Bear in mind that people in MN (I understand, @mohe0001 may care to refute this) can’t do that; some states require prescriptions for everything.
You and I can make the same arguments for CGMs (a fingerstick is far more dangerous than a sensor insert; sometimes those devices go completely wrong!) etc. without limit and the counter argument for Tylenol.
It’s an issue I’ve posted on before, somewhere, but it is a side issue and a true fix is far less likely to succeed than “Medicare for all”. Whack-a-mole on insulin won’t help; so far as I know CA still requires a prescription (or equivalent) for CalRX.
Fiduciary duty… spread pricing banned… nonafiliated pharmacies… profiting from other than admin fees… can’t pay late… drug manufacturer exclusivity banned…
It’s not all sunshine and roses, CA DMHC is in charge of most of this and they’re about as good as a wet paper bag. The penalties I found while speed reading are so small PBMs may just shrug at this.
I’m not sure how to take that, first you reference the (current) guvner then the (ex) mayor of Carmel. I have an uncomfortable relationship with that place, having eaten fish in the aquarium and not read Cannery Row, despite my father’s earnest enthusiasm for the author (or more likely because of it.)
The price calculation (the very small footnote) at the bottom of the picture strikes me as particularly dubious; some of the numbers use either 10mL vials or 1.5mL pens, or maybe even 200IU or 500IU insulin! If not Newsome, or the person at his back, would not have felt obliged to print the disclaimer.
The world is not black or white, it truly is 254 shades of grey. I always criticize, I rarely praise. I always vote and I always lose and am happy with that; I did my duty and what little else I can do might help.
They got spread pricing, eh? That’s a big deal. Congratulations!
Getting down to Business! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdS3WVYr834 The diabetics have been super excited online. It’s an achievement.
I was just saying thanks. I don’t do politics on this forum.
I never got to meet Clint when I worked in Carmel. The mayor at the time previously worked for the CIA. It’s a fun little village. The animals at the aquarium eat better than visitors, a friend is a diver who does feedings in the reef tank showed me the food prep area, it was spotless.
I wasn’t a fan of Cannery Row either. Ask your wife if its okay to read Travels with Charlie. I think you might like it but I don’t want to be responsible for you disappearing on a road trip with your dog.
