How to Help Your Patients Find NovoLog Mix 70/30 in Stock: A Provider's Guide

One of the most frustrating calls your office can receive is a patient reporting they cannot fill their insulin prescription. During the ongoing NovoLog Mix 70/30 shortage, this is an increasingly common scenario. This guide gives you practical, workflow-ready strategies to help your patients find their insulin faster — and reduce the administrative burden on your staff.

Why Patients Are Struggling to Fill NovoLog Mix 70/30

The insulin aspart protamine/insulin aspart mix product (NovoLog Mix 70/30) remains on the ASHP drug shortage list as of early 2026. Novo Nordisk discontinued its unbranded versions of this product effective December 31, 2025, narrowing supply options. The branded NovoLog Mix 70/30 FlexPen is still in production, but distribution is uneven across pharmacy chains and regions.

Large chain pharmacies (Walgreens, CVS, Rite Aid) are more likely to experience stockouts than independent pharmacies, which often have different wholesale relationships. When patients call their usual pharmacy and hear "out of stock," many don't know where to turn next.

Step 1: Update Your Prescription to Specify the FlexPen

Prescriptions that don't specify the delivery form may create confusion at the pharmacy. Since unbranded vials are discontinued, the best practice is to explicitly write or e-prescribe "NovoLog Mix 70/30 FlexPen, 100 units/mL, 3 mL pens." Update your EHR favorites and order sets to reflect this. If your system still defaults to unbranded versions or vials, those prescriptions may go unfilled.

Step 2: Direct Patients to Independent Pharmacies First

Educate your staff and patients that independent pharmacies often stock what chain pharmacies don't. Many independent pharmacies can also special-order a medication and have it in 1-2 days. Build a short list of independent and specialty pharmacies in your area that have good diabetes medication stocking, and share that list with your front desk team for when shortage calls come in.

Step 3: Recommend medfinder to Patients

medfinder is a paid service that contacts pharmacies near a patient to find which ones can fill their prescription. The patient provides their medication, dose, and ZIP code. medfinder calls the pharmacies and texts the patient results. This eliminates the multi-hour process of calling pharmacy after pharmacy.

For practices that see many patients on NovoLog Mix 70/30, adding medfinder.com to your after-visit summary or patient education materials can significantly reduce the number of shortage-related callback calls your office receives.

Step 4: Pre-authorize a Therapeutic Alternative

For patients with a documented history of fill difficulty, consider proactively writing a backup prescription for an alternative — Humalog Mix 75/25 is the most clinically similar option. Document in the chart that the alternative is approved in the event NovoLog Mix 70/30 is unavailable. This empowers your staff to provide an immediate solution when patients call instead of waiting for provider callback.

Step 5: Connect Patients to Novo Nordisk's Support Programs

The NovoCare support line (1-844-668-6463) can provide supply guidance and in some cases connect patients to emergency programs. Consider printing the following resources for your care team:

• NovoCare Savings Card: $35/month with commercial insurance (max $65 savings per fill; up to $99/35 mL)
• My Insulin Rx: $35/month; no insurance required; up to 3 vials or 2 packs of pens
• Patient Assistance Program: Free insulin for eligible uninsured patients with limited income (1-866-310-7549)

Step 6: Monitor Patients Transitioning During the Shortage

If a patient must switch insulin products due to shortage, schedule a follow-up blood glucose review within 2-4 weeks. Advise increased self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) — at minimum pre-meal and bedtime — during the transition period. Watch for unexpected hypoglycemia, especially in elderly patients or those with impaired hypoglycemia awareness.

Creating a Shortage Protocol for Your Practice

Practices with high diabetes patient loads should consider formalizing a shortage protocol that includes:

• A staff-facing "shortage FAQ" document with pre-approved alternatives and Novo Nordisk contact information
• A patient-facing handout listing medfinder, NovoCare, and local independent pharmacy options
• A flag in the EHR for patients on NovoLog Mix 70/30 to identify them proactively for early refill outreach

For a deeper clinical briefing, see our post: NovoLog Mix 70/30 Shortage: What Providers and Prescribers Need to Know in 2026.