How Much Does Lantus Cost Out Of Pocket?

What’s Behind Skyrocketing Insulin Prices?

Here’s a sticking point for diabetics: the cost of insulin more than tripled — from $231 to $736 a year per patient — between 2002 and 2013, according to a new analysis. The increase reflected rising prices for a milliliter of insulin, which climbed 197 percent from $4.34 per to $12.92 during the same period. Meanwhile, the amount of money spent by each patient on other diabetes medications fell 16 percent, to $502 from $600, according to a research letter published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association. “Insulin is a life-saving medication,” said Dr. William Herman, a coauthor of the analysis and a professor of epidemiology at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. “There are people with type 1 diabetes who will die without insulin. And while there have been incremental benefits in insulin products, prices have been rising. So there are people who can’t afford them. It’s a real problem.” The analysis also found that the cost of various widely used oral diabetes drugs either dropped in price or did not rise nearly as significantly as insulin. Metformin, for instance, which is available as a generic, fell to 31 cents in 2013 from $1.24 per tablet in 2002. And the newer class of diabetes drugs known as DPP-4 inhibitors rose 34 percent since becoming available in 2006. The researchers analyzed data from nearly 28,000 diabetes found in the Medical Expenditure Panel, a database on health care costs maintained by the US Department of Health and Human Services. About 1 in 4 people used insulin and two-thirds took a pill. Toward the end of the study period, a small percentage began taking new injectable medicines that are designed to complement pills. There have been previous efforts to track insulin prices in recent years, bu Continue reading >>

When You Can't Afford The Insulin That You Need To Survive | How To Use The Cheap "old-school" Insulin

Note: BootCamp for Betics is not a medical center. Anything you read on this site should not be considered medical advice, and is for educational purposes only. Always consult with a physician or a diabetes nurse educator before starting or changing insulin doses. Did you know that all type 1 diabetics and some type 2 diabetics need injectable insulin in order to live? Put another way, if a diabetic needs insulin in order to live, and the diabetic does not get insulin, the diabetic will die. Diabetic death from Diabetic Ketoacidosis is a grisly process, during which acid starts running through your bloodstream, searing your vessels and organs while your body shrivels up in dehydration as it tries to push the acid out of your body through your urine and lungs, and, left untreated, the condition shuts down your organs one by one until you are dead. If you're lucky, your brain will be the first thing to swell itself into a coma and you'll be unconscious for the remainder of the organ failures. In some cases, this grisly diabetic death can take a few days or weeks to complete its process. Or, if you're one of the luckier less-resistant insulin-dependent type 2 diabetics, you may actually get away with staying alive for quite a few years and suffer only some heart disease, stroke, kidney damage/failure, neuropathy, limb amputations and blindness. (my intent in describing how lack of insulin leads to death is not to cause fear in people with diabetes or their loved ones; rather, my intent is to make clear the reality that injectable insulin is absolutely vital to diabetics who depend on injectable insulin to live) While I'd love to go off on a political rant about how insulin should be a basic human right for all insulin-dependent diabetics (and why the hell isn't it?), that' Continue reading >>

The Rising Price Of Insulin

Diabetes is a chronic disease that afflicts 25.8 million Americans. Insulin, one of the primary treatments for diabetes, has been around since the 1920s. Yet, somehow the drug is still priced beyond the reach of many Americans. One of our advocates recently left a comment on our Facebook page regarding this problem, which encouraged us to take a closer look at it. Medication nonadherence (patients not taking medicine as prescribed) is undeniably related to diabetes-related health complications that result in emergency room visits and lost productivity. Diabetes is an expensive and deadly disease. It is the seventh leading cause of death in the U.S. and cost the country $245 billion last year. A few big pharmaceutical firms dominate the insulin market due to lengthy patents and lack of generic competition. Insulin is a biologic drug, which means that it is made up of living organisms rather than chemical compounds. This makes it more difficult to copy, which biotech companies often use as justification for the exorbitant prices they charge for the drugs. We’ve had anecdotal evidence from a consumer of a big price hike on her Humalog insulin this year. When she was trying to find out further information about the price increase, she was told by her insurance company to expect the drug to go up 25 percent more in December. News reports indicate that the cost of Lantus, a top-selling insulin produced by Sanofi, has gone up twice already this year, first 10 and then 15 percent. In addition, Novo Nordisk has also increased the price of Levemir, another common insulin treatment, by 10 percent. What’s going on here? Overall drug spending is slightly down due to generic drug utilization being up. And generic competition isn’t too far off for many of these drugs. It looks l Continue reading >>

(insulin Glargine Injection) 100 Units/ml

Do not take Lantus® during episodes of low blood sugar or if you are allergic to insulin or any of the inactive ingredients in Lantus®. Do not share needles, insulin pens, or syringes with others. Do NOT reuse needles. Before starting Lantus®, tell your doctor about all your medical conditions, including if you have liver or kidney problems, if you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant or if you are breast-feeding or planning to breast-feed. Heart failure can occur if you are taking insulin together with certain medicines called TZDs (thiazolidinediones), even if you have never had heart failure or other heart problems. If you already have heart failure, it may get worse while you take TZDs with Lantus®. Your treatment with TZDs and Lantus® may need to be changed or stopped by your doctor if you have new or worsening heart failure. Tell your doctor if you have any new or worsening symptoms of heart failure, including: Sudden weight gain Tell your doctor about all the medications you take, including OTC medicines, vitamins, and supplements, including herbal supplements. Lantus® should be taken once a day at the same time every day. Test your blood sugar levels while using insulin, such as Lantus®. Do not make any changes to your dose or type of insulin without talking to your healthcare provider. Any change of insulin should be made cautiously and only under medical supervision. Do NOT dilute or mix Lantus® with any other insulin or solution. It will not work as intended and you may lose blood sugar control, which could be serious. Lantus® must only be used if the solution is clear and colorless with no particles visible. Always make sure you have the correct insulin before each injection. While using Lantus®, do not drive or operate heavy machinery until Continue reading >>

Read Fine Print: Prescription Drug Discounts May Contain Catch

IN-DEPTH REPORT: Consumers kept in the dark over drug pricing Consumers also complain they dont know now how to navigate the vast sea of discount offers each with unique restrictions in order to find the best deal on prescription drugs. These are all different ways to avoid saying what the cost of a drug is, said Antonio Ciaccia, director of Government and Public Affairs for the Ohio Pharmacy Association. I believe that it is purposely designed this way and we as consumers have sanctioned this with our compliance. Tim Rau, 56, of Kettering, has been a diabetic for 15 years and insulin dependent for a decade, but hes still baffled as to why his Lantus prescription costs so much, can change in price so quickly, and costs a different amount at every pharmacy. In early 2015 he paid about $1,250 for a 90-day supply of the insulin; by the next year the same prescription was $1,986 a nearly 60 percent increase. The insulin he needs to live has driven him into credit card debt and hes had to borrow money from his parents. Here I am the little guy and Im getting gouged, Rau said. Irate over the unexplained price hikes he went online and found the same drug for $750 through the online discount site BlinkHealth.com. RELATED: Trump says drug companies getting away with murder But as with many of the coupon options available, there was a catch. In order to get the discount price, consumers must purchase their drugs outside of insurance. The consumer pays less out-of-pocket, but the money doesnt count toward any insurance deductibles. For Rau, the options turned out be near equal: about $3,000 out-of-pocket either way. But if he chose the discount route, he would be responsible for his deductible if he had any other health expenses during the year, like a surgery. Experts say this i Continue reading >>

How To Find A Lantus Coupon

It looks like this page may be out of date. Please visit NerdWallet’s health hub for our latest content. Diabetics don’t have much of a choice when it comes to taking their insulin, and the costs can be very high, so a Lantus coupon can be invaluable. Paired with diabetic supplies like syringes and blood glucose testing equipment, diabetes is an expensive disease. But with a little bit of information and some resourcefulness, you may be able to save on your monthly prescriptions. Lantus is a long-acting insulin made by Sanofi-Aventis and prescribed to both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetics. Diabetics are unable to naturally produce or use insulin like most people, so they take injections of synthetic insulin to help regulate their blood sugar. Generic Lantus At this time, there is no generic form of Lantus available. However, that may soon change. The patents protecting Lantus from cheaper generic alternatives expired in February 2015, so less expensive forms of the drug may be coming. When this happens, opting for generic will likely be the best way to save on Lantus, and because of FDA requirements, you don’t have to worry about the generic version being less effective or less safe. Although some people avoid buying generics because they are afraid they won’t work as well as the name brands, those fears are largely unfounded. Lantus coupons from the manufacturer One carton of Lantus can cost close to $400 without insurance, according to GoodRx.com, though Lantus may very well be part of your insurance formulary. Currently, the maker of the drug offers a Lantus Savings Card. According to its website, the card can reduce your prescription cost to no more than $25. However, it also says there is a maximum benefit of $100 off each prescription for the duration of the pr Continue reading >>

Lantus Prices, Coupons And Patient Assistance Programs

Lantus (insulin glargine) is a member of the insulin drug class and is commonly used for Diabetes - Type 1 and Diabetes - Type 2. Lantus Prices This Lantus price guide is based on using the Drugs.com discount card which is accepted at most U.S. pharmacies. The cost for Lantus subcutaneous solution (100 units/mL) is around $276 for a supply of 10 milliliters, depending on the pharmacy you visit. Prices are for cash paying customers only and are not valid with insurance plans. Lantus is available as a brand name drug only, a generic version is not yet available. For more information, read about generic Lantus availability. Subcutaneous Solution Important: When there is a range of pricing, consumers should normally expect to pay the lower price. However, due to stock shortages and other unknown variables we cannot provide any guarantee. Drugs.com Printable Discount Card Print Now The free Drugs.com Discount Card works like a coupon and can save you up to 80% or more off the cost of prescription medicines, over-the-counter drugs and pet prescriptions. Please note: This is a drug discount program, not an insurance plan. Valid at all major chains including Walgreens, CVS Pharmacy, Target, WalMart Pharmacy, Duane Reade and 63,000 pharmacies nationwide. Lantus Coupons and Rebates Lantus offers may be in the form of a printable coupon, rebate, savings card, trial offer, or free samples. Some offers may be printed right from a website, others require registration, completing a questionnaire, or obtaining a sample from the doctor's office. Sanofi Rx Savings Card for Lantus: Eligible patients may pay $0 copay on each of up to 12 prescriptions; for additional information contact the program at 800-981-2491. Applies to: Lantus SoloSTAR Pen Number of uses: 12 times Continue reading >>

Lantus Prescription Assistance

When you have diabetes, every decision you make is colored by your condition. How much insulin should you bring on your next overnight trip? Will there be time to get a snack or take insulin between your appointments? At Simplefill, we understand the hard choices you make every day when you’re managing your diabetes. If you or someone you love is living with diabetes, it’s critical for you to have the right diabetes medication, like Lantus, by your side when you need it. Unfortunately, it’s becoming harder and harder for millions of Americans to afford the medications they desperately need. Whether it’s the Medicare donut hole or the increasing costs of insurance, it can be a real challenge to cover the costs of medications like Lantus insulin treatment when you have to pay out-of-pocket. If you or a loved one has diabetes and needs diabetes prescription assistance, including Lantus prescription treatment, continue reading to learn more about how Simplefill can help. How insulin works in your body Insulin is a master hormone that helps turn glucose (sugar) into energy. Created in the pancreas, insulin helps shuttle glucose to your cells as well as your muscles and liver. When you eat, your blood sugar typically rises. It’s this rise in blood sugar (glucose) that triggers the pancreas to produce and release insulin into your bloodstream. When you have inadequate levels of insulin, sugar can’t get to where it needs to go. It stays in your bloodstream too long, which raises your blood sugar levels. Furthermore, depending on what type of diabetes you have, you can either produce too much or too little insulin. Insulin comes in several forms, depending on your body’s need In the treatment of diabetes, choosing the right kind of insulin is important because ever Continue reading >>

Why Is Insulin So Expensive In The U.s.?

Dr. Jeremy Greene sees a lot of patients with diabetes that's out of control. In fact, he says, sometimes their blood sugar is "so high that you can't even record the number on their glucometer." Greene, a professor of medicine and history of medicine at Johns Hopkins University, started asking patients at his clinic in Baltimore why they had so much trouble keeping their blood sugar stable. He was shocked by their answer: the high cost of insulin. Greene decided to call some local pharmacies, to ask about low-cost options. He was told no such options existed. "Only then did I realize there is no such thing as generic insulin in the United States in the year 2015," he says. Greene wondered why that was the case. Why was a medicine more than 90 years old so expensive? He started looking into the history of insulin, and has published a paper about his findings in this week's issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. The story of insulin, it turns out, starts back in the late 1800s. That's when scientists discovered a link between diabetes and damaged cells in the pancreas — cells that produce insulin. In the early 1920s, researchers in Toronto extracted insulin from cattle pancreases and gave it to people who had diabetes, as part of a clinical trial. The first patient was a 14-year-old boy, who made a dramatic recovery. Most others recovered as well. Soon, insulin from pigs and cattle was being produced and sold on a massive scale around the world. But for some, the early forms of the medicine weren't ideal. Many people required multiple injections every day, and some developed minor allergic reactions. Over the next few decades, scientists figured out how to produce higher-quality insulin, Greene says. They made the drug purer, so recipients had fewer bad reaction Continue reading >>

Why Treating Diabetes Keeps Getting More Expensive

Laura Marston is one of the 1.25 million Americans who suffer from Type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune disorder in which a person's pancreas can't make insulin. She hoards vials of the life-saving medicine in her refrigerator to protect herself from the drug's rising prices. (Jorge Ribas/The Washington Post) At first, the researchers who discovered insulin agonized about whether to patent the drug at all. It was 1921, and the team of biochemists and physicians based in Toronto was troubled by the idea of profiting from a medicine that had such widespread human value, one that could transform diabetes from a death sentence into a manageable disease. Ultimately, they decided to file for a patent — and promptly sold it to the University of Toronto for $3, or $1 for each person listed. It was the best way, they believed, to ensure that no company would have a monopoly and patients would have affordable access to a safe, effective drug. “Above all, these were discoverers who were trying to do a great humanitarian thing,” said historian Michael Bliss, “and they hoped their discovery was a kind of gift to humanity.” But the drug also has become a gift to the pharmaceutical industry. A version of insulin that carried a list price of $17 a vial in 1997 is priced at $138 today. Another that launched two decades ago with a sticker price of $21 a vial has been increased to $255. [This 90-year-old fight over insulin royalties reveals just how much has changed in medicine] Seventy-five years after the original insulin patent expired — a point at which drug prices usually decline — three companies have made incremental improvements to insulin that generate new patents and profits, creating a family of modern insulins worth billions of dollars. The history of insulin captures Continue reading >>

Why Does Insulin Cost So Much After 95 Years?

In December 2016, Eli Lilly & Co. announced a discount program effective in 2017 for people who pay largely out-of-pocket for the company’s insulin products. Check with your insurer to see if you qualify for the discount. Why Does Insulin Cost So Much? According to one recent study, the cost of insulin tripled in the US between 2002 and 2013. Unfortunately, that kind of inflation isn’t unusual for specialty drugs these days. But what’s causing insulin prices to keep climbing? Insulin, a protein that lowers blood sugar, is used to treat diabetes, a group of diseases that causes higher-than-normal blood sugar levels. Until about 30 years ago, insulin was made from pigs and cows. The era of the biologic – genetically engineered proteins that come from human genes – brought a more sustainable production process. Today, most insulin is made from the E. coli bacteria. These medicines are much closer to the version produced in the human body, which can mean fewer complications for patients. Is Competition Part of the Problem? In the 95 years since insulin was developed, a number of drug companies have been making and selling it. But even with all those companies making insulin, competition hasn’t resulted in lower prices – it’s had the opposite effect. In fact, some brands of insulin have seen prices increase by more than 150 percent in the last five years alone. These price increases can spread like wildfire, with drug companies matching competitors’ price hikes in what’s known as “shadow pricing.” Like our recent blog post about the EpiPen, this is just one more example of the irrational world of drug prices. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina’s spending on insulin has been on a steep incline for years. Each year, BCBSNC spends about $250 Continue reading >>

Insulin Prices Have Skyrocketed, Putting Drug Makers On The Defensive

Here’s a sticking point for diabetics: the cost of insulin more than tripled — from $231 to $736 a year per patient — between 2002 and 2013, according to a new analysis. The increase reflected rising prices for a milliliter of insulin, which climbed 197 percent from $4.34 per to $12.92 during the same period. Meanwhile, the amount of money spent by each patient on other diabetes medications fell 16 percent, to $502 from $600, according to a research letter published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association. “Insulin is a life-saving medication,” said Dr. William Herman, a coauthor of the analysis and a professor of medicine and epidemiology at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. “There are people with type 1 diabetes who will die without insulin. And while there have been incremental benefits in insulin products, prices have been rising. So there are people who can’t afford them. It’s a real problem.” The analysis also found that the cost of various widely used oral diabetes drugs either dropped in price or did not rise nearly as significantly as insulin. Metformin, for instance, which is available as a generic, fell to 31 cents in 2013 from $1.24 per tablet in 2002. And the newer class of diabetes drugs known as DPP-4 inhibitors rose 34 percent since becoming available in 2006. The researchers analyzed data from nearly 28,000 diabetes patients found in the Medical Expenditure Panel, a database on health care costs maintained by the US Department of Health and Human Services. About 1 in 4 people used insulin and two-thirds took a pill. Toward the end of the study period, a small percentage began taking new injectable medicines that are designed to complement pills. There have been previous efforts to track insulin pric Continue reading >>

The Cost Of Insulin

The price of insulin has more than tripled in ten years. Not everybody pays full price, but many find the cost of insulin complicates their life. This week, we’ll cover why insulin prices are so high. Next week, we’ll address what to do about it. According to this story on CBS News, people with diabetes are “cutting back [on their insulin doses] or even going without the drug,” putting them at greater risk for complications. Insulin costs have soared from $100–$200 per month a few years ago to $400–$500 a month now. CBS News quotes a college student saying her bill for insulin has risen from $130 to $495 per month. She has given up her insulin pump and gone back to injections because of expense. One of her friends has cut her dose down to 80% of what’s ordered to save money. This has become common practice for many. A doctor in Montana reported that insulin prices greatly complicate people’s care. “I have patients who tell me that they have to make a decision between food and insulin, and their rent and insulin.” Why is this happening? When insulin was discovered the 1920s, the doctors who found it gave it away. It immediately started saving lives for people with Type 1 diabetes. Now insulin has become a $24-billion-a-year market globally and is predicted to pass $48 billion in only five more years. And people around the world who need it can’t afford it. There are several causes for the price spikes, but many of them come down to America’s pretend “free market” approach to health care. We are seeing these problems now with the controversy over one brand of epinephrine injections, whose manufacturer increased their price by 500% and then paid their CEO a nearly $19 million salary. Here are some ways American economics are making insulin unaff Continue reading >>

Cost Of Diabetes Drugs Often Overlooked, But It Shouldn’t Be

When it comes to treating chronic conditions, diabetes drugs aren’t nearly as sexy as say, Sovaldi, last year’s breakthrough hepatitis C drug that offers a cure for the chronic liver infection at a price approaching six figures. Yet an estimated 29 million people have diabetes — about 10 times the number of people with hepatitis C — and many of them will take diabetes drugs for the rest of their lives. Cost increases for both old and new drugs alike are forcing many consumers to scramble to pay for them. “Every week I see patients who can’t afford their drugs,” says Dr. Joel Zonszein, an endocrinologist who’s director of the clinical diabetes center at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City. Many people with diabetes take multiple drugs that work in different ways to control their blood sugar. Although some of the top-selling diabetes drugs like metformin are modestly priced generics, new brand-name drugs continue to be introduced that act in different ways. They may be more effective and have fewer side effects, but it often comes at a price. For the fourth year in a row, spending on diabetes drugs in 2014 was higher on a per member per year basis than it was for any other class of traditional drug, according to the Express Scripts 2014 Drug Trend Report. Less than half of the prescriptions filled for diabetes treatments were generic. “The cost of diabetes treatment has been increasing pretty rapidly,” says Dr. Glen Stettin, senior vice president for clinical, research and new solutions at Express Scripts, which manages the pharmacy benefits for many companies. A number of factors contribute to the overall cost increase, Stettin says, including price increases for brand-name drugs, the fact that people are often on complicated treatment regimens Continue reading >>

Insulin And The Donut Hole: Lifesaving Drug Often Spikes Medicare Patients' Share Of Costs

Many diabetes patients requiring insulin will end up in the Medicare coverage gap known as the “donut hole,” where they’re responsible for a greater share of the drugs’ costs. When this happens, a patient’s out-of-pocket costs at the pharmacy spike dramatically — for example, from a $40-per-month co-pay to $350 a month. Even worse, some patients struggling with the expenses will drop or stop dosages or switch brands — decisions that can be dangerous to their health if not overseen by their doctor and can actually keep them in the donut hole, costing even more. These erratic costs can be a financial and emotional rollercoaster. Understanding how Medicare Part D Prescription Drug coverage works in regard to insulin can help you plan for price increases and the likelihood that you’ll enter the donut hole coverage gap. To help you, we’ll take you — chronologically — through a calendar year of expenses that a typical patient with diabetes on two forms of insulin may pay, so you can see real-world examples of how the four coverage phases can impact finances. But keep in mind that everyone’s situation can vary greatly, depending on their individual drug plans, other prescriptions and multiple other factors. The four Part D coverage phases First, it’s important to understand how your coverage works. Medicare Part B (medical insurance) does not cover insulin — unless use of an insulin pump is medically necessary. (If you use an external insulin pump, Part B may cover the insulin and the pump.) So having Part D — supplemental prescription drug coverage — is critical for many people to afford injectable insulin. Medicare Part D Prescription Drug coverage has four phases: The deductible phase — you pay the full drug cost until you hit your deductib Continue reading >>