6 DI ABETIC LI VING / FALL 2 019
A “New”Insulin Option
BY MARTY IRONS, RPH, CDEThe long-acting insulin
Tresiba U-100 is now
available in a 10-mL vial.
Compared to the pen,
which doses in 1-unit
increments, this option
will benefit people who
need to dose in half-unit
increments, and children
who use less than 5 units
of insulin daily.Could You Pay
Less Out-of-
Pocket for Insulin?
A little-known fact: Walmart
pharmacies sell vials of
Novolin Regular, Novolin
NPH, and Novolin 70 / 30
mix for under $25 without a
prescription under the name
ReliOn—but you have to ask
the pharmacist for them. In
addition to vials, packs of five
ReliOn Novolin 70 / 30 mix
pens are also available for a
cash price of $42.88. For the
same vials or pen packs, you
could pay upward of $
or $300 out-of-pocket else-
where, respectively.Ta l k : INSULIN
Better Tech, Less Red Tape
A new FDA ruling could mean faster innovations and
more options for pump users. In the past, if a com-
pany updated a diabetes device—with, say, smarter
software or more user-friendly hardware—the FDA
would treat that device as a new product and re-
quire a new (lengthy) approval process. But in Feb-
ruary, the Tandem Diabetes Care t:slim X2 became
the first pump to be approved for use with both ex-
isting and yet-to-be-developed technology. So when
new compatible software or devices are developed,
pairing them with the t:slim X2 will involve a speed-
ier approval process, which ultimately means faster
access to updated features for pump users.