CVS Health, Novo Nordisk Launch Affordable Insulin Program

Novo Nordisk recently announced it will partner with CVS Health to launch a prescription savings program—Reduced Rx—that will offer direct-to-patient discounts on insulin medications through CVS Caremark. 

“We developed the Reduced Rx prescription savings program with Novo Nordisk because we both recognized a need and an opportunity to make critical medications more affordable for patients,” Jonathan Roberts, executive vice president and chief operating officer at CVS Health, said in a press release. “This savings program will leverage CVS Caremark’s expertise in providing lower cost prescription drugs and fulfill our company’s purpose of helping people on their path to better health.”

In an effort to help patients with high out-of-pocket costs afford their medications, CVS Health and Novo Nordisk will offer Novolin R (insulin regular), Novolin N (insulin isophane), and
Novolin 70/30 (insulin isophane and insulin regular) at a cost of $25 per 10 mL vial, saving cash paying patients around $100.

According to the press release, patients can purchase their medications at a reduced cost at any of the pharmacies in the CVS Caremark retail network. 

Through the Reduced Rx program, discounts can only be applied to the drug’s full price and no pharmacy benefits can be used to purchase the drugs with these discounts. This discounting strategy seems to be a way for patients without insurance to reap the benefits of CVS Caremark’s price negotiations with Novo Nordisk. The unique model cuts payers from the drug purchasing equation, by only involving the drugmaker and the PBM. 

“This program underscores how important collaboration is to addressing the affordability challenges patients face in certain health plans or who remain uninsured,” Doug Langa, senior vice president and head of North America Operations, Novo Nordisk, said in a press release. “We all have a role to play and that’s why we welcomed the chance to work with CVS Health on this program. We’re committed to developing sustainable solutions with customers and will continue to pursue opportunities to ensure that patients have access to insulin that is affordable.”

The program announcement follows another recent affordability initiative made by CVS Health earlier this year. In January, patients were informed that CVS Health will partner with Impax Labratories to make Adrenaclick, an epinephrine auto-injector for patients with allergic reactions, available at all CVS pharmacy locations at the lowest cash price in the market, $109.99 for a two-pack. 

CVS Health created both programs in response to consumer concern over the lack of low-cost insulin options. 

According to Novo Nordisk’s statement, patient enrollment in the Reduced Rx program will begin in May 2017. —Julie Mazurkiewicz