Rapid-Acting Insulin
Insulin Lispro
Insulin lispro (Humalog, Admelog, Lyumjev, and unbranded lispro) is a rapid-acting mealtime insulin for type 1 and type 2 diabetes. The same insulin is sold under several names at very different list prices, and manufacturer caps now apply to many patients.
This page is general information about a medication and how cash prices for it are set. It is not medical advice and does not replace the label, your prescriber or your pharmacist. How we handle medical information
No generic in the traditional sense, but the manufacturer’s unbranded lispro and a follow-on lispro product from another company are the same insulin at lower list prices.
About Insulin Lispro
Lispro is a modified human insulin that starts working within fifteen minutes and lasts a few hours, so it is injected just before meals to cover the rise in blood sugar from food, alongside a basal insulin or in a pump. Doses are matched to carbohydrate intake and blood sugar readings, and hypoglycaemia is the central risk, so patients are taught to recognize and treat it.
The originator brand, an unbranded version from the same manufacturer at a much lower list price, a follow-on product from another manufacturer and a faster-acting formulation all contain lispro; which the pharmacy can dispense depends on how the prescription is written.
Why the cash price for Insulin Lispro differs from pharmacy to pharmacy
The same lispro insulin is sold as the brand, as an unbranded version at a fraction of the brand’s list price, and as a follow-on product; a prescription written for the brand name limits the pharmacy to the brand, one written generically lets it dispense the cheapest version it stocks. Pens cost more than vials. The manufacturer’s self-pay cap applies to its lispro products regardless of insurance, and the federal Medicare Part D cap applies to Part D plans.
Upload it and licensed pharmacies reply with their own cash price. You pay the pharmacy, not us.
Ways to pay less for Insulin Lispro without insurance
- Ask the prescriber to write the prescription generically so the pharmacy can dispense an unbranded or follow-on lispro.
- Ask the pharmacy to name every lispro product it can order and the cash price of each.
- Check the manufacturer self-pay program and cap.
- Upload the prescription to Script Unlock so licensed pharmacies can quote the versions they stock. You pay the pharmacy directly.
How Script Unlock gets you a cash price for Insulin Lispro
Prices on this site come from pharmacies responding to a real prescription. We do not publish estimated, average or "typical" prices, because none of those would be your price.
- 1You upload your prescription
A photo of your Insulin Lispro prescription is enough. Nothing is sold on the site; you are asking pharmacies to quote.
- 2Licensed pharmacies respond
Pharmacies that Script Unlock has verified see the request and each can reply with its own cash price for your exact drug, strength and quantity.
- 3You choose and pay the pharmacy
You compare the responses, pick a pharmacy, and pay that pharmacy directly when you collect. Script Unlock never takes a patient payment and never sets the price.
Questions to ask your pharmacist about Insulin Lispro
- 1.Which lispro products can you dispense on this prescription?
- 2.Vials or pens, and which pen needles?
- 3.How do I store it, and how long is a pen or vial good for once started?
- 4.How do I recognize and treat low blood sugar?
- 5.Do I qualify for the manufacturer’s cap?
Where Insulin Lispro fits
Vets prescribe it too. See Insulin for diabetic pets for pets for the safety points that differ in animals.
Related medications
Sources
Script Unlock is a marketplace that lets licensed pharmacies quote a cash price on your prescription. It does not prescribe, dispense or sell medication, does not process patient payments, and does not give medical advice. Always follow the instructions of your prescriber and pharmacist and read the medication guide supplied with your medicine.