Novo Nordisk expands 90-day free insulin program to workers affected by COVID-19

With the novel coronavirus pandemic causing mass layoffs and endangering healthcare coverage, some drugmakers are stepping up to the plate to make their medicines more affordable. Now, Novo is expanding its popular free insulin access program to include workers affected by COVID-19. 

Novo Nordisk will now provide a free 90-day supply of insulin through its Diabetes Patient Assistance Program to eligible patients with diabetes who have lost their healthcare access due to COVID-19, the drugmaker said Tuesday. 

Patients are required to show proof of loss of healthcare coverage and a valid prescription for Novo Nordisk insulin to apply, Novo said. More than 50,000 U.S. patients received free insulin through Novo’s program in 2019 and as of April 1, Medicare patients were no longer required to pay $1,000 before being eligible for the program.

“Patients have enough issues to worry about at this moment. We don’t want being able to pay for their insulin to be one of them,” Novo president Doug Langa said in a release. 

RELATED: As millions lose their jobs—and insurance—Bristol Myers, Eli Lilly expand patient assistance