Technically, there is no official “generic” insulin. However, several newer unbranded insulins have been introduced in recent years. These are both fast-acting bolus insulin and long-acting basal insulin forms, and they are generally more affordable than name-brand insulins.
True generic insulins do not exist in the United States, but newer unbranded insulins are now available at a lower price in recent years.
These copycat versions of name-brand insulins for long-acting basal insulins and short-acting, meal-time insulins have become available since 2016 and in more recent years. Insurers are starting to cover those more widely than name-brand insulins such as Humalog, Lantus, Novolog, and Tresiba.
While these may not technically be “generic” insulins as that term is used for other common medications and pills, the fact that they are essentially the same as name brands and do not cost people with diabetes as much makes them largely viewed as generic forms of insulin.
For years, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) lacked a regulatory pathway allowing companies to develop and sell lower-priced versions of insulin.
Generally, this has led to a more complicated and expensive process for reproducing a drug like insulin than for duplicating simpler medications like Advil, which have smaller molecules.
It’s also part of what has discouraged competitors of the major insulin manufacturers from entering the market.
Only in more recent years has that changed, allowing more unbranded versions of insulin to become available.
What is ‘generic’ insulin?
When researching generic insulin, you’ll inevitably be confronted with a lot of technical language that regulatory folks toss around. Here are a few terms to help you better understand this topic:
- Biologic: Modern manufactured insulin is a “biologic,” a category of medications comprising large, complex molecules made from materials derived from living organisms.
- Biosimilar: When one company tries to copy another company’s biologic, the new one is not technically a “generic” drug. Rather, it’s called a “biosimilar” or a “follow-on” — terms often used interchangeably that indicate a “copy” of a biologic that is approved by the FDA.
- Authorized generic: This is another complicated term, because it specifically uses the word “generic” but does not refer to a true generic as most people know them. The FDA
defines an “authorized generic” as an approved brand-name drug that is marketed without the brand name on its label. Otherwise, it is the exact same drug as the branded product. Think of it like water coming out of the same tap, but one going into a brand-name bottle and the rest going into a separate container with a different label.
What’s important to know is the difference between these formulations and true generics: “Generic medications use the same active ingredients and work the same way… as brand-name medications,” according to the
Biosimilars, on the other hand, must be “highly similar” to the insulin products they are based on. This means the safety, purity, and potency need to be equivalent, but they are not made with the identical recipe of the original drug.
A series of policy changes made it possible for unbranded, lower-priced insulins to finally become a reality.
- With the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2010, the
FDA established a process for “follow-on” insulins, which are largely copycat versions of name-brand insulins. This provided a mechanism to reclassify certain insulins and to facilitate the approval of interchangeable insulins, which could help lower the cost of these life-sustaining medications for patients. - Insulin was still not considered a true “biosimilar,” and this “follow-on” designation served as a temporary measure until a more substantive change could happen. The FDA’s approval process for follow-on biologics was still more elaborate and demanding than the process used to approve simpler generic medications. But at least it was possible.
- Through that revised pathway, big insulin manufacturers Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk began developing copycat versions of their top-selling insulin brands, including Lantus and Humalog.
- In March 2020, the FDA changed the
regulatory classification of insulin. This meant that any product previously known as a “follow-on” insulin would automatically be classified as a “biologic” instead of a “drug.” This further paved the way for a streamlined regulatory pathway for new insulin.
These newer types of insulin are widely viewed as positive for people with diabetes and those in the medical field. Research also shows that the additional affordable insulin options can help people with diabetes better manage their condition.
Historically, the patent and legal system also made it largely impossible for smaller companies to enter the insulin market.
The “big three” of insulin — Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk, and Sanofi — had long-term patents on their specific insulin brands. The companies would make small changes to their insulin over time, allowing them to extend their patents — known as “evergreening.”
When the ACA took effect in 2010 and high-deductible health plans (HDHPs) started becoming more common, the true list price of insulin began to become clearer to many people with diabetes.
Instead of being shielded by insurance prices, those with diabetes began seeing unaffordable insulin prices — often because there were no generic insulins, and so they were all specialty or higher-level drugs, meaning they might be exposed to insurance deductibles before coverage or regular copays would take effect.
All of this raised the profile of the insulin pricing crisis in America, exposing major issues at a time when much of the United States was also experiencing high drug pricing and screaming for reform.
This also helped increase pressure on insulin manufacturers, policymakers, and insurance companies to change how they developed and covered insulin.
A new generation of less-expensive insulins has emerged since 2016.
They are mostly versions of earlier name-brand insulins, and they’re made by both traditional and newcomers to insulin manufacturing. They include:
- Insulin Lispro (fast-acting): Eli Lilly developed its own low cost version of Humalog, its short-acting (bolus) insulin that has been available since the mid-1990s. Lilly launched Insulin Lispro in May 2019. This is not a biosimilar, but an “authorized generic,” meaning it’s identical to Humalog. It was initially 50% the price of Humalog, and since Lispro hit the market, it’s been more widely covered by insurance.
- Insulin Aspart (fast-acting) and Insulin Aspart Mix: This is Novo Nordisk’s lower-priced version of its NovoLog and 70/30 mix, both mealtime (fast-acting) insulin brands. Available since January 2020, these authorized generics are identical to NovoLog and mixed insulins, except for the label name. Both the pen and vial options were initially 50% less expensive than Novolog and 70/30.
- Admelog (fast-acting): This is another version of Humalog, but it’s a biosimilar made by a competing company, Sanofi. The FDA approved this in late 2017, and Sanofi launched it early the following year.
- Basaglar (long-acting): This follow-on version of Sanofi’s basal (long-acting) Lantus insulin was introduced in the United States by Lilly and Boehringer Ingelheim in December 2016. In the U.S., it was technically referred to as a follow-on insulin due to its regulatory pathway. Basaglar is available on many commercial insurance plans, although it has also become one of the higher-priced follow-on insulins.
- Merilog (fast-acting): In early 2025, the FDA
approved this Sanofi version of Novolog. This product is available in both a 3 mL prefilled pen and a 10 mL glass vial. - Semglee (long-acting): Developed by Biocon Biologics and Viatris (formerly Mylan), this new insulin received FDA clearance in June 2020 as a copy of Sanofi’s Lantus long-acting insulin. In July 2021, the FDA cleared Semglee as an “interchangeable” insulin, marking the first time regulators had allowed this label for a biosimilar product like insulin. It indicated that Semglee has no clinical difference from Lantus, so pharmacists (in states that allow it) can switch out the more expensive Lantus to Semglee without first consulting the prescriber or insurance company. It was initially three times less than the list price of Lantus, which cost $283 for a single vial and $425 for a box of five pens.
- Rezvoglar (long-acting): This is another Lilly-manufactured version of Lantus, approved by the FDA in December 2021 and launched the following year. This is also an interchangeable insulin sold at a lower price.
- Kristy (fast-acting): Approved by the FDA in mid-2025, this fast-acting insulin is made by Biocon. It will be an interchangeable biosimilar version of Novolog. While this wasn’t available by the end of the year, the company has noted it may be available by mid-2026.
With the introduction of these unbranded versions, some branded versions are being discontinued in favor of the lower cost versions. For example, Lantus was discontinued in the United States in 2020, and it has largely been replaced by newer, unbranded versions of insulin.
While both Humalog and Novolog remain available, speculation suggests that Lilly and Novo will eventually phase out these name-brand insulins in favor of the newer generation insulins — much like has happened with Lantus, Levemir, and some older generations of insulin to date.
California announced in early 2024 that it would start selling a state-branded version of insulin at a lower price.
The state invested in the newly formed non-profit company, Civica Rx, which would manufacture the insulin and co-brand it with the state’s CalRx program name.
However, Civica Rx experienced delays from the FDA in getting its new insulins reviewed and approved.
As a result of those delays, Civica Rx subcontracted with Biocon to sell its unbranded long-acting insulin through the state program. This is basically a private-label version of Biocon’s Semglee, which is a copycat of Lantus given interchangeable status by the FDA in 2021.
Starting in January 2026, people in California will be able to purchase a five-pack of 3 mL insulin pens for a suggested retail price of not more than $55, which averages to approximately $11 per pen. (Note that the FDA typically does not allow pharmacies to open and split up insulin pen boxes. In this scenario, the insulin pen prescription would be for a full box of pens at $55.)
State officials offered a price comparison, showing that prices could range from $89 to $411 for comparable brand-name versions of the insulin made by other companies.
The state has also said that everyone residing in the state will have access to this CalRx insulin, regardless of their current insurance coverage. That likely means people with diabetes in California will have this as a lower cost insurance alternative, in case they pay more through insurance or can’t otherwise afford insulin.
While the long-acting insulin is also the first to be offered, it’s possible that short of CivicaRx getting FDA clearance for its own insulin versions, California could eventually offer Biocon’s latest FDA-approved insulin, Kristy. This would give people with diabetes in California a low cost option for both fast and long-acting insulins.
If CivicaRx eventually receives FDA clearance for its own insulins (versions of insulin glargine, aspart, and lispro), then California may have multiple types of insulin available through its state program.
This is the first state-led program of its kind, but many expect the CalRx insulin program to serve as a model for other states. This is particularly true since CivicaRx and Biocon have more than one insulin type in their product portfolio, and both have publicly stated that they’d like to see their insulins rolled out nationwide.
California generic insulin
Read more about the news that California will start selling its own generic insulin in early 2026 for only $55.
Walmart’s ReliOn brand is also worth mentioning.
While it’s also never been a true “generic insulin,” many people referred to Walmart insulin as the only lower-priced option that existed for many years.
Walmart has sold its private label of ReliOn insulin since 2000, with Novo Nordisk’s insulin being the co-branding partner for most of those years — except for 2010 to 2012 when Eli Lilly nabbed the contract for its insulins to be co-branded as ReliOn.
Until mid-2021, the only so-called “Walmart insulin” available at a lower price (roughly $25 to $35 per vial) was the older, human versions of insulin — Humulin or Novolin, and a 70/30 mix of the two other types.
Those formulations have been around since the early 1980s, but they work much differently than the analog insulins that first appeared in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
In 2021, Walmart added a rapid-acting ReliOn version of Novolog to its lower cost insulin lineup. This version of Novolog insulin costs 58% to 75% less than the cash list price of Novolog at most retail pharmacies:
- $72.88 per glass vial (10mL each, or 1,000 units)
- $85.88 for a box of five FlexPens (each with 3mL, or 300 units)
This was another important change for people with diabetes, offering an additional option for those without insurance, those with high deductibles, or those who cannot afford their insulin otherwise.
Consult your diabetes care team
Older humulin insulins like Humulin, Novolin, and NPH are not the same as modern insulin and it’s not necessarily a 1-to-1 switch from another insulin. Always make sure to consult your healthcare team before making any changes to your diabetes management, including the types of insulin you use.
Your healthcare team can also offer guidance if you’re concerned about the price of insulin or have difficulty affording or accessing the insulin you’ve been prescribed.
There is also a notable DIY project tackling this issue, known as the Open Insulin Foundation in San Francisco. Their team has been working since 2015 on what it calls a “freely available, open protocol” for the production of low cost insulin.
The project’s founder, Anthony Di Franco, lives with type 1 diabetes himself. He envisions moving production away from Pharma companies to “small collectives or pharmacies, clinics, and hospitals” where insulin could be manufactured on platforms that would cost only about as much as a small car.
Much has changed in the many years since that research, but with the lower cost generics and streamlined pathway for insulin developed, it remains a question as to how much need for open-source insulin truly remains as it did a decade earlier.
The insulin pricing crisis in America continues for many people, as insulin remains unaffordable for too many people who need it.
However, new versions of insulin in recent years is easing that pricing pain for some people as insurance companies and those creating prescription drug coverage lists are making these options more accessible. With a significantly lower price point than the original insulins, they are no longer as unaffordable as they were just a decade ago.
People with diabetes still face affordability challenges. However, it has been helpful to see changes materialize in how companies manufacture these new insulin versions, how regulators approve them, and how they are made available and priced.