Starting 2026, Californians can buy state-branded insulin for $11.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California is making history in health care.
Governor Gavin Newsom announced Thursday that the state will become the first in the nation to offer state-branded insulin — part of his long-promised effort to make life-saving prescriptions more affordable.
This, a milestone in a plan he first unveiled in 2019, his first year as governor.
Starting Jan. 1, 2026, insulin pens will be sold at pharmacies for $11 per pen — or $55 for a five-pack of 3-milliliter doses.
“That’s the most anyone should ever have to pay, even if they show up in the pharmacy without any insurance,” said Allan Coukell, public policy officer for Civica Rx, which is partnering with the state on the rollout.
The new product will be distributed under CalRx, a state program designed to produce lower-cost prescription drugs. Newsom said the move is aimed squarely at breaking up a system dominated by a few major pharmaceutical companies.
“I’ll say it — Big Pharma,” Newsom said. “To disrupt this multibillion-dollar market. Ninety percent of insulins in this country, ninety percent share are in the hands of just three companies, and they have been gouging you for years and years and years.”
Advocates say the plan could be life-changing for people who rely on insulin daily.
“If I don’t have insulin, I’ll die in a few days,” said Christine Fallabel, who has Type 1 diabetes. “Just the constant threat of not having health insurance and the rising cost of insulin is always a stressor.”
Another advocate, Niketa Calame-Harris, shared her experience of living with diabetes since 1999: “I have given myself 67,333 insulin injections, 76,952 finger pricks, 2,748 days recovering from a hypo.”
“For them, insulin is a lifesaving medicine, not a choice, not a luxury, and it’s not something they can cut back on when finances are tight,” Coukell said.
The first CalRx product will be long-acting glargine insulin pens, the generic version of Lantus, used to regulate blood sugar levels. The administration says additional CalRx products — including albuterol, GLP-1 medications for diabetes, and vaccines — are in development.
The announcement comes just days after Newsom signed a separate law capping copays for a 30-day insulin supply at $35.
Through CalRx, the state has already rolled out more affordable, easily accessible version of naloxone — also known as Narcan, used to reverse opioid overdose.
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