Overview: California’s Governor Gavin Newsom has announced that low-cost insulin will be available in pharmacies across the state from January 1, 2026. The CalRx Insulin Glargine in pen form will be available for $11 per pen ($55 per five-pack of 3 mL pens). The move is part of Newsom’s CalRx Initiative, which aims to lower the cost of prescription drugs in the state. The American Diabetes Association has welcomed the move, citing a 2024 KFF opinion poll that found about three in ten adults reported not taking their medicines as prescribed at some point in the past year because of the cost.
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California residents will now be able to access low-cost insulin as Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that California’s CalRx® Insulin Glargine in pen form will be available for the cost of $11 per pen ($55 per five-pack of 3 mL pens).
Beginning on Jan. 1, 2026, the insulin will be available in pharmacies across the state. Insulin glargine is a synthetic form of insulin typically produced by the body, typically used in the management of diabetes. It helps manage blood sugar levels in people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes, by slowly and steadily releasing the insulin. The CalRx insulin glargine pens are interchangeable with Lantus, the brand name for insulin glargine.
“By beginning the process to manufacture our own insulin and pricing it at a maximum cost of $11 a pen in a five-pack, California and Civica are showing the nation what it looks like to put people over profits,” Newsom said in a statement. “No Californian should ever have to ration insulin or go into debt to stay alive — and I won’t stop until health care costs are crushed for everyone.”
Through an agreement with Civica Rx, a nonprofit generic drug manufacturer, and Biocon Biologics, Californians will have access to an interchangeable biosimilar insulin glargine pen offered under the CalRx brand and pricing. California pharmacies will be able to purchase the insulin glargine pens for $45. Lantus is sold to pharmacies at $92.39 per package.
Without insurance, the retail price of Lantus ranges from $408 to $550 for a pack of 5 prefilled pens — with an average retail price of $236.25, according to GoodRx.
According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), roughly 3.5 million California adults have diagnosed diabetes, and many rely on insulin.
A 2024 KFF opinion poll found that about three in ten adults reported not taking their medicines as prescribed at some point in the past year because of the cost. Among those who reported not filling a prescription, taking an over-the-counter drug instead, or cutting pills in half or skipping doses increases to about four in ten among adult ages 18-29 (40%).
“For far too long, many Americans with diabetes have made the difficult decision to ration this lifesaving medication to pay for other necessities, such as groceries or rent. This legislation will provide much-needed financial relief for people living with insulin-dependent diabetes,” Christine Fallabel, MPH, the ADA’s state government affairs director, stated.
Producing its own cost-free insulin is part of Newsom’s larger CalRx Initiative that seeks to lower the cost of prescription drugs in the state.
Just days ago, Newsom signed Senate Bill 40, authored by Scott Weiner (D-San Francisco) which will require large group insurance companies to cap insulin costs at $35 for a month-long supply, beginning Jan. 1, 2026.
“If we believe healthcare is a right, we have to make it affordable for everyone. This bill ensures no family will be forced to choose between buying insulin and putting food on the table in California again,” stated Wiener in a press release in September. “Working people are building the future of California and we must make it affordable for them to live a healthy and thriving life here.”