California To Start Selling Its Own Brand Of Affordable, $11 Insulin

By India-West Staff Reporter

SACRAMENTO, CA – Setting a national precedent, California will sell its own state-branded insulin, making life-saving diabetes medication affordable for millions. Governor Gavin Newsom announced that starting January 1, 2026, CalRx biosimilar insulin glargine pens will be available statewide for just $11 each, or $55 for a five-pack.

This marks the first time any state in the nation has contracted to produce and sell its own low-cost insulin. The initiative is part of California’s broader effort to lower prescription drug prices and expand access to essential medicines.

“California didn’t wait for the pharmaceutical industry to do the right thing — we took matters into our own hands,” said Newsom. “By manufacturing our own insulin and pricing it at a maximum cost of $11 a pen, California and Civica are showing the nation what it looks like to put people over profits. No Californian should ever have to ration insulin or go into debt to stay alive.”

Under an agreement between the state’s CalRx program and Civica Rx — a nonprofit generic drug manufacturer — Californians will have access to interchangeable biosimilar insulin glargine pens supplied by Biocon Biologics. The insulin, a long-acting analog interchangeable with Lantus, will be sold to pharmacies for $45 and to consumers at no more than $55 per five-pack, a fraction of current retail market prices.

“This partnership ensures a sustainable, quality supply of affordable, essential medicines for people who need them,” said Ned McCoy, President and CEO of Civica.

State leaders hailed the move as a turning point in drug affordability. “Lowering the cost of insulin moves us closer to a California where no one is forced to choose between their health and their financial stability,” said Kim Johnson, Secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency.

Elizabeth Landsberg, Director of the Department of Health Care Access and Information, added that CalRx reflects California’s commitment to transparency and equity. “We’re eliminating hidden costs and ensuring access for uninsured, underinsured, and vulnerable residents across our state,” she said.

Patient advocates welcomed the announcement as long-overdue relief. “As a person dependent on insulin to live, I’m relieved to see CalRx moving quickly to lower insulin costs while pursuing other prescription drug solutions,” said Chris Noble of Health Access California and the CalRx Insulin Patient Advisory Council.

Allison Hardt of T1 International, also a CalRx Advisory Council member, said the program “puts patients first and secures insulin at a stable, transparent price while encouraging bold next steps toward true public manufacturing—for people, not for profit.”

The launch of CalRx insulin fulfills a key goal of Newsom’s first executive order in 2019, which sought to make prescription drugs affordable and pricing transparent. No other state has yet made its own medication available for public purchase to compete directly with commercial drug prices.

The CalRx initiative has already proven successful in reducing the cost of naloxone, the opioid overdose reversal drug, through the CalRx Naloxone Access Initiative. The program continues to explore ways to make vaccines and other high-cost medicines, including weight-loss drugs, more affordable.

California has also passed major legislation to complement these efforts, including SB 40, which caps monthly insulin co-pays at $35, and SB 41, which regulates pharmacy benefit managers to prevent hidden markups in drug pricing.