Insulin, Regular, Human Shortage Update: What Patients Need to Know in 2026

If you're a patient who uses regular human insulin — either Humulin R or Novolin R — you may have heard about supply disruptions in the past year. This article gives you the current status, explains what has changed since 2024, and tells you exactly what your options are in 2026.

What Is the Current Shortage Status?

The situation in 2026 is better characterized as a formulation transition than a true shortage. Eli Lilly has made several commercial decisions to discontinue certain presentations of Humulin R. Here's the breakdown:

Humulin R 3 mL vials (U-100): PERMANENTLY DISCONTINUED. ASHP shortage tracking began in January 2024; Lilly confirmed discontinuation. These will not be restocked.

Humulin R U-500 vials: DISCONTINUED. Lilly discontinued these in late 2025. The Humulin R U-500 3 mL KwikPen remains available.

Humulin R 10 mL vials (U-100): AVAILABLE. Lilly has confirmed these are in supply.

Novolin R (all presentations): AVAILABLE. Novo Nordisk's 10 mL vials and FlexPens are in supply.

What Does This Mean for Patients Who Used 3 mL Humulin R Vials?

If you previously used 3 mL Humulin R vials, those are gone. Your options are:

Switch to the 10 mL Humulin R vial. Same insulin, same concentration — just a larger bottle. Talk to your pharmacist about updated storage practices.

Switch to Novolin R. Available OTC in 10 mL vials or as FlexPens. Clinically equivalent.

Ask your doctor about a rapid-acting analog. Many patients are transitioning to insulin lispro (Humalog) or insulin aspart (NovoLog) — note these require prescription updates and timing changes.

Why Did These Discontinuations Happen?

Eli Lilly's decisions were driven by business strategy — not safety or manufacturing failures. As demand for modern rapid-acting insulin analogs has grown, the company is streamlining its product portfolio. Additionally, with major price reductions on insulin analogs (Lilly reduced Humalog's list price by 70% in 2023 and introduced generic lispro at $25/vial), regular human insulin has become less central to the insulin marketplace.

This is a market transition — but for the millions of patients still on regular insulin (particularly those in lower-income brackets who rely on OTC availability), these changes create real disruption.

Is Regular Human Insulin Still Available Without a Prescription?

Yes. Both Humulin R U-100 and Novolin R U-100 remain available over the counter at most U.S. pharmacies. This is critical for uninsured patients or those in urgent situations. You can walk into a CVS, Walgreens, Walmart, or most independent pharmacies and purchase regular insulin without a prescription.

What About Cost? Has the Price of Insulin Changed?

There is good news on cost. The Inflation Reduction Act capped Medicare Part D insulin copays at $35/month per product. The Lilly Insulin Value Program caps out-of-pocket costs for Humulin R at $35/month, regardless of insurance status. Novo Nordisk's My Insulin Rx program limits costs to $35 for up to 3 vials or 2 packs of pens.

For uninsured patients who don't qualify for these programs, the cash price for Humulin R or Novolin R runs approximately $50–$100 per 10 mL vial at retail, with GoodRx coupons sometimes bringing it lower.

What Should Patients Do Right Now?

Check what formulation you currently use and confirm whether it's still in production.

If your formulation is discontinued, talk to your pharmacist about the 10 mL Humulin R vial or Novolin R.

Contact your prescriber about potentially updating your prescription to reflect any changes.

Look into manufacturer savings programs to reduce your out-of-pocket costs.

If you need help locating pharmacies in your area that have your formulation in stock, medfinder calls pharmacies near you to check availability and texts you the results.

Also see our complete guide to saving money on Insulin, Regular, Human in 2026.