Prognosis

Novo Nordisk to Sell Discount Insulin After Criticism Over Price

Many cash-paying patients will be able to get NovoLog for $99
Sanofi and Eli Lilly offered insulin discounts early this year

A selection of Novo Nordisk Inc. branded insulin is arranged for a photograph during a campaign event at Olde Walkerville Pharmacy in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, on Sunday, July 28, 2019. Senator Bernie Sanders, an Independent from Vermont and 2020 presidential candidate, joined people with type 1 diabetes on a bus trip from Detroit, Michigan to Canada to purchase insulin for one-tenth of the price sold in the U.S.Photographer: Erin Kirkland/Bloomberg

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By Robert Langreth

September 6, 2019 at 11:45 AM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

Novo Nordisk A/S will offer new U.S. discounts for its insulin drugs NovoLog, Tresiba, and Levemir, joining other pharmaceutical companies that have announced enhanced discounts after public criticism over high prices.

In a statement, the Danish insulin maker said it would start a new cash discount program for the insulins that will allow many American patients to buy a month’s supply for $99 starting next year. Without the program, people without insurance or with a high-deductible plan could end up paying far-higher list prices for the drugs.