California to begin selling affordable, state-branded insulin beginning next year

LOS ANGELES -- LOS ANGELES (AP) — Gov. Gavin Newsom said Thursday that California will begin selling affordable insulin under its own label on Jan. 1, nearly three years after he first announced a partnership to sell state-branded generic drugs at lower prices. But California won’t be the only state making lower-cost insulin available. The nonprofit Civica said it will also distribute its economical diabetes medication to pharmacies nationwide. Starting in the new year, insulin pens will be available in California under the CalRx label for $11 per pen, or a maximum of $55 for a five-pack, Civica said. “You don’t need a new prescription You just simply transition to this bio-similar insulin that now is being provided,” Newsom said at a news conference in Los Angeles. “It's access on the bas