We’ve talked a lot about the R and NPH that Walmart hs sold for $25/ vial for years
Big news now—- novolog (insulin aspart) now at Walmart for $73/ vial or 85 per 5 pens
Thank you Walmart
This is a big deal
Prescription is still necessary for novolog but not R and NPH
Thanks Sam!
For anyone wondering about ReliOn NovoLog, the same company makes it - Novo Nordisk, they just stick a ReliOn label on it instead. So it is the same insulin.
Kind of funny how company’s operate.
Walmart - You can only sell your insulin here if you put a “ReliOn” label on it.
Novo Nordisk - Okay, we will do that. And we will sell it cheaper than we normally sell it at CVS!
I actually think it probably went the other way Eric.
Novo Nordisk executives - “■■■■, what happens if Congress actually acts and our price goes down. I really didn’t like testifying about why our prices are higher here than in the rest of the world, is there anything we can do so this doesn’t look so bad, but will only have minimal impact on our business?..Hey I know lets call Walmart…”
@Chris, @Eric: [quote=“Chris, post:3, topic:11758”]
I actually think it probably went the other way Eric.
[/quote]
In some sense it is both ways; Novo gets a way round the PBMs by selling directly to a pharmacy. Novo faces a whole lot of legal if they just sell their product to one pharmacy at a lower price than to others, but if they manufacture a product for Walmart that’s not the same. The price; $75/vial, is about one third of the currently accept PBM price for insulin. My Walmart fill for Fiasp, 30ml 84 day supply, was $980.06 to my insurance, so about $325/vial.
Novo don’t get that; it goes to the PBM. The PBM sends some amount to the insurance company although that doesn’t help their profits because the rules limit their profits; it just helps their marketing. The PBM also pays back the manufacturer. We know how much because of the Relion price; Novo can’t accept less money for a product than they can get from the PBM because they are obligated to maximize the return for their shareholders. Anyway, it is probably illegal in the US to do that.
So Novo get around $75/vial (net) from the PBM, the PBM gets $373 and the insurance company gets its kickback. The PBM is raking it in.
The PBMs are desperate at this point to max their profits because, well, because. Look at who is in power; look at my two Oregon senators. They have to get their money out of the country before everything collapses, I’m not talking about my senators.
The “price” when a PBM is involved is a meaningless number that has nothing to do with the final amount of money exchanged for the product
I can guarantee you after the rebates the pbm is paying less for insulin still than you can get it at Walmart for
The fact that they don’t have to publish or disclose the rebate amounts and can say it costs some absurd amount with no basis in reality is the most ridiculous fraudulent racket in existence
Meanwhile, novolog/Humalog are still around $35 Canadian per vial in the great white north. $48 USD for ship to USA thru Mark’s Marine pharmacy,
75 per vial is way better from the manufacturer’s viewpoint, especially if PBMs are cut out of the transaction.
Which gives you a pretty good idea how much money is actually changing hands after the rebates