Walmart to offer private brand insulin at discounted prices

• A new private brand of analog insulin, ReliOn NovoLog, will be offered at Walmart at significantly cheaper prices.
• Compared to current prices of branded insulin products without insurance, savings could reach up to 58% and 75% respectively for analog insulin vials and FlexPens.
• Walmart worked directly with manufacturer Novo Nordisk to ensure more affordable prices at the “same quality, same safety, same efficacy” as other brands.

The first-ever and only private brand analog insulin, ReliOn NovoLog, will soon be offered at Walmart at significantly cheaper prices.

Analog insulin vials are priced at $72.88 while a FlexPen will cost $85.88. This means savings reaching up to 58% and 75% respectively, compared to current prices of branded insulin products without insurance.

Walmart customers could save up to $101 per branded vial of insulin and $251 per package of branded FlexPens.

Dr. Cheryl Pegus, executive vice president of Walmart health and wellness, hopes that the prices “will improve and hopefully revolutionize the accessibility and affordability of insulin.”

Pegus added that Walmart worked directly with manufacturer Novo Nordisk to ensure more savings while offering the “same product, same quality, same safety, [and] same efficacy” as other analog insulin brands.

Diabetes is the fastest-growing chronic disease in the U.S., affecting around 34 million Americans or nearly 10% of the U.S. population.

Pegus remarked, “We know that of that population, only about 70% of them… is being treated, and for many of them, they make decisions based on costs.”

About 14% of Walmart’s shoppers have diabetes, said Warren Moore, the chain’s vice president of health and wellness. He added that the disease disproportionally impacts underserved communities, with Black and Hispanic populations “almost twice as likely to be diagnosed with diabetes.”

Moore stated that Walmart’s expansive retail footprint puts the company “in a unique position to provide health and wellness services to all Americans, especially those who live in medically underserved areas.”

With more than 4,700 Walmart stores across the U.S., 90% of the population resides within 10 miles of a location.

Moore pointed out that several communities “struggle today to obtain adequate access to health care, but they do have a Walmart or Sam’s Club pharmacy where they can receive diabetes resources, and speak to a pharmacist who understands the needs of the community.”

The treatments will be available this week in Walmart stores this week and in mid-July at Sam’s Club locations.

Source: Aol.com