Buying & Storing Insulin

Where is insulin sold?

Insulin is sold in any pharmacy. In most places it is available without a prescription. Each bottle or cartridge has an expiry date (usually 1 to 2 years after the purchase date). The insulin bottle should be thrown out after that date.

Insulin costs about $20 to $35 (Canadian), for 1,000 units, depending on the type. The cost of insulin is covered by some provincial government health care plans in Canada. Most insurance companies need a prescription in order to refund the cost.

Who makes insulin?

Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk are the major manufacturers of insulin in North America. Both produce human insulins and fast-acting analogs. A list of available products is provided in the table of insulin types. Glargine (Lantus) insulin is made by Hoechst.

How should insulin be stored?

Insulin can be kept safely in the refrigerator until its expiry date. After it has been opened, it can be stored in the refrigerator or at room temperature for a month.

Insulin is a very stable substance that doesn’t “go bad” easily. However, if it is allowed to freeze or get extremely hot, it can be damaged.

When should insulin not be used?

Do not use clear insulin such as Regular, Lispro, or Aspart if:

• it becomes cloudy or straw-coloured
• it has solid particles floating in it 

It is natural for the white substance in cloudy insulin to settle to the bottom of the bottle over a period of time. This should mix easily into the solution. Do not use cloudy insulin such as NPH, Lente, or Ultralente insulin if:

• particles or lumps are floating around after mixing
• solid pieces stick to the bottom or side of the bottle

To be safe, if the insulin is exposed to freezing or very hot temperatures, throw out the bottle. Start a new bottle when there is less than about 10% of the insulin left in the old bottle.

If a child is hiking, camping, or travelling long distances, protect bottles from breaking and temperature extremes by wrapping them individually. Then place them in a small thermal container. Shaking a bottle hard—during horseback riding, for example—can make clear insulin turn cloudy. If this happens, throw out the bottle. Always keep a spare bottle of insulin on hand in case one gets broken. For children using 2 kinds of insulin, keep a spare bottle of each type.