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Share to FacebookShare to TwitterShare to Linkedin Walmart will launch its own private label insulin called ReliOn, the retailer said June 29, 2021. A … [+] Wal-Mart Everyday Low Price sign is displayed by the pharmacy during the grand opening of a new Wal-Mart Stores Inc. location in Torrance, California, U.S., on Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2012. Photographer: Patrick Fallon/Bloomberg

© 2012 Bloomberg Finance LP Walmart will launch its own private brand insulin for people with diabetes as the battle for U.S. prescriptions with pharmacy rivals Amazon, Walgreens and CVS Health intensifies.

The move to offer a lower cost analog insulin, which could tap a market of more than 34 million Americans with diabetes, is the latest effort of the retail giant to expand deeper into pharmacy and outpatient healthcare services.

Walmart earlier this year offered a new drug discount program for employers, is launching its own telehealth services and has been offering more outpatient care via healthcare “super centers.” It’s an evolution for the retailer that began more than a decade ago when Walmart grabbed headlines for rolling out hundreds of generic prescriptions for just $4.

“Diabetes is one of the fastest growing diseases in the country,” Walmart Health & Wellness executive vice president Dr. Cheryl Pegus said. “We know many people with diabetes struggle to manage the financial burden of this condition, and we are focused on helping by providing affordable solutions. We also know this is a condition that disproportionately impacts underserved populations.”

Walmart’s private ReliOn brand, which includes analog insulin vials for $72.88 and FlexPen at $85.88, will save customers between “58% to 75% off the cash price of branded analog insulin products, which translates to a savings of up to $101 per branded vial or $251 per package of branded FlexPens,” the retailer said in an announcement Tuesday.

When it comes to insulin, which is used to control blood sugar, prices in the U.S. in particular are high and studies have shown they are several times greater than those of other countries. Employers and government health programs have become increasingly frustrated with the high cost of insulins so Walmart said its analog insulin is a move to provide affordable and accessible treatments while improving health equity and outcomes.

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The new ReliOn insulin is available in Walmart pharmacies this week and will be available in Sam’s Club pharmacies in mid-July, Walmart said. Customers will need a prescription from their physicians in order to request the new product.

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