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Urgent Insulin Support

If you have less than 7 days of insulin on hand and are at risk for rationing, below are your possible access plans by manufacturer.

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Urgent Insulin Support

If you are in danger of DKA (diabetic ketoacidosis), are in DKA or have a medical emergency, please call your healthcare provider, go to your nearest emergency room for immediate treatment, or call 911 immediately. The information listed below can assist you in accessing insulin urgently, but may not be immediate. Your reliance on this information shall be at your sole risk.

For stable, long-term access to insulin build your Action Plan HERE.

We’ve all done it once: dropped and broken a vial of insulin, left a backpack in a car where insulin baked or froze, left it behind at home and traveled by air across the country, or did not have enough money to pay for our prescription. Whatever the situation is, we need insulin and we have an urgent need.

These options can’t be used every month as a way to access your existing prescription of insulin, but for one-time use during an urgent situation. You must have an unexpired prescription for the insulin you need in order to use these options.

If you cannot afford to see a healthcare provider, there are low-cost/free clinics across the United States that have healthcare professionals who can prescribe insulin. You can find a list of the closest health clinics that may be able to help by visiting these links:

https://findahealthcenter.hrsa.gov/

https://www.nafcclinics.org/find-clinic

If you have less than 7 days of insulin on hand and are at risk for rationing, here are your possible action plans by manufacturer:

Select the type of insulin you use:

Selected Medication List:

Done Adding Medications

Email (optional):

By providing your email address, we can send you your completed action plan.

Preferred Pharmacy (optional):

Where are you?

Enter your 5-digit zip code:

See your Immediate Need Options

Blue Circle Health

 

Blue Circle Health offers free virtual, personalized diabetes care, education and support program for adults living with Type 1 Diabetes.

Go to Blue Circle Health

Lilly Insulin Solutions Center

 
  • Call the Lilly Diabetes Solutions Center at 1-833-808-1234 between 9am and 7pm Eastern, Monday to Friday. You will have a confidential conversation with a medical representative who can offer you options for urgent supply needs.

Novo Nordisk NovoCare Immediate Supply

 
  • Click here: https://www.novocare.com/insulin/immediate-supply.html to download a Novo Nordisk Immediate Supply card. It supplies you with up to 3 vials, 2 packs of pens, or a combination of 2 vials and 1 pack of pens.
  • You will be asked to fill out a form with your first and last name. You will need to check the boxes agreeing to the terms. Once filled out, you will be able to email, print, or download the card.
  • Provide this information to the pharmacy (in person or by telephone) so they can add this card to their payment system before you pickup your prescription.

If you have questions about the Novo Nordisk Savings Card Program, you can call 1-844-Novo4Me (1-844-668-6463) from Monday to Friday 8am to 11pm and Saturdays 11am to 7pm Eastern Time.

Sanofi products

 
The Sanofi Temporary Access Program provides eligible patients with immediate access to a 30-day supply of their Sanofi insulins or Insulin + GLP1-RA combination while they wait for their Sanofi Patient Assistance program application to be reviewed. Please click here for details on eligibility and to start the application process: https://www.sanofipatientconnection.com/temporary-access-program
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What if I Have an Expired Insulin Prescription?

If you have an expired insulin prescription and are headed to the pharmacy, you have options:

  • You can call your healthcare provider and have them send a new insulin prescription to the pharmacy.
  • If your healthcare provider will not call in a new insulin prescription, you can call your pharmacy and ask to speak with the pharmacist. In some states, pharmacists may be able to emergency refill a previously expired insulin prescription.
  • If neither of the above options are available, and you cannot afford to see a healthcare provider, there are low-cost/free clinics across the United States that have healthcare professionals who can prescribe insulin. You can find a list of the closest health clinics that may be able to help by visiting these links: https://findahealthcenter.hrsa.gov/, https://www.nafcclinics.org/find-clinic
  • One additional option is to use over-the-counter (OTC) insulin, which is human insulin available without a prescription. The two types are Regular and NPH; both cost approximately $25 per vial. These insulins are available in all 50 states at Walmart under the ReliOn brand.
  • ReliOn insulins may not act as quickly or last as long as the insulin you usually take. That’s why it’s important for you to talk to a pharmacist or provider before deciding to use them.

Important: Any medication decisions should be made under the supervision of your healthcare provider. Beyond Type 1 has created this resource to be solely informational. We strive to update the content on this site quarterly to maintain accuracy, but please note that changes to patient support programs can occur at any time.

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