Diabetes Patients Can Save Up to $60 Million a Year: New Walmart Initiative
Company that led way in reducing the cost of generic drugs, now offers lower prices on meter, test strips, more for diabetes
patients
July 25, 2012 - Walmart yesterday launched an initiative it says will save diabetes patients in the U.S. up to $60
million annually with its exclusive ReliOn brand of diabetes products, including the ReliOn Prime meter and blood sugar test strips. Among
U.S. senior citizens aged 65 years and older, 10.9 million, or 26.9%, had diabetes in 2010.
The retailer will offer the ReliOn Prime meter for $16.24 and ReliOn Prime blood sugar test strips at $9 for 50-ct
strips, or 18 cents per test. People with diabetes use meters and blood sugar test strips daily to test their blood sugar levels and determine
when they need to take insulin.
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Walmart will provide increased savings on a variety of items to help patients ease the cost of diabetes management.
ReliOn items that will see reduced prices include gloves, lancets, syringes and more. Walmart also offers ReliOn insulin products at the
everyday low price of $24.88 per bottle.
“Many people with diabetes struggle to manage their disease due to its terrible financial burden,” said John Agwunobi,
M.D., president of Walmart U.S. Health and Wellness.
“We’ve worked closely with our suppliers and found a way to significantly reduce the cost of diabetes products for all of
our customers, whether they have insurance or not, so they can better manage their disease.”
The American Diabetes Association recommends that people who take insulin to treat their diabetes should test their blood
glucose levels a minimum of three times per day to appropriately manage the disease. And, many people on oral medications also test their
blood glucose, which can result in expensive out-of-pocket costs.
People with diabetes spend as much as $1,000 each year on blood glucose monitoring test strips alone, regardless of
whether they have insurance. Switching to ReliOn Prime test strips can save each diabetes patient as much as $784 a year.
The Walmart Foundation has donated more than $2 million to diabetes-focused organizations across the U.S. over the last
fiscal year, including the American Diabetes Association, Diabetes Today Advisory Council, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and
Southeastern Diabetes Education Services.
ReliOn Prime is the latest offering from Walmart that reinforces the company’s commitment to provide Americans with
affordable healthcare solutions:
● The introduction of its Affordable Prescription Program in 2006, which has saved Americans more than $4.8 billion,
forever changed the pharmaceutical landscape by forcing competitors to meet lower costs on generic medications and in turn set new, lower
price levels for medications in America.
● Walmart’s Medicare prescription drug plan launched with
Humana Inc. in 2010 has become the third largest plan of
its kind, with 1.4 million enrollees, and introduced a straightforward plan option with one, low premium across the United States.
Comparison data with sulfonylurea to be presented at the American Diabetes Association 72nd Annual Scientific Sessions that
opened yesterday - June 9, 2012
Researchers say preventing diabetes can lower the incidence of leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma - see video - June 5, 2012
Should YOU be tested for diabetes?
Anyone 45 years old or older should consider getting tested for diabetes. If you are 45 or older and overweight-see the
BMI chart -getting tested is strongly recommended. If you are younger than 45,
overweight, and have one or more of the
risk factors, you should consider getting tested. Ask your doctor for a fasting
blood glucose test or an oral glucose tolerance test. Your doctor will tell you if you have normal blood glucose, prediabetes, or diabetes.
● Among U.S. residents ages 65 years and older, 10.9 million, or 26.9 percent, had diabetes in 2010.
● Diabetes affects 25.8 million people of all ages - 8.3 percent of the U.S. population
> DIAGNOSED - 18.8 million people
●> UNDIAGNOSED - 7.0 million people
● About 215,000 people younger than 20 years had diabetes—type 1 or type 2—in the United States in 2010.
● About 1.9 million people ages 20 years or older were newly diagnosed with diabetes in 2010 in the United States.
● In 2005–2008, based on fasting glucose or hemoglobin A1C (A1C) levels, 35 percent of U.S. adults ages 20 years or
older had prediabetes - 50 percent of adults ages 65 years or older. Applying this percentage to the entire U.S. population in 2010 yields an
estimated 79 million American adults ages 20 years or older with prediabetes.
● Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure, nontraumatic lower-limb amputations, and new cases of blindness
among adults in the United States.
● Diabetes is a major cause of heart disease and stroke.
● Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States.
Healthier lifestyles, better disease management are helping people live longer; Among U.S. seniors 65 and older, 10.9
million, or 26.9% had diabetes in 2010. - May 23, 2012
Over 10 years, the lifestyle and metformin interventions resulted in health benefits and reduced the costs of inpatient and
outpatient care and prescriptions…
‘Participants with a greater than 4 inch increase in
waist size from baseline to the third follow-up visit had a 70 percent
higher risk of type 2 diabetes…’
“We’ve worked closely with our suppliers and found a way to significantly reduce the cost of diabetes products for all of
our customers, whether they have insurance or not, so they can better manage their disease.” 
Humana Inc. in 2010 has become the third largest plan of
its kind, with 1.4 million enrollees, and introduced a straightforward plan option with one, low premium across the United States. 
Men lose even more hearing regardless of diabetes or age; women lose less if diabetes controlled
Researchers say current recommendations by diabetes association nor statin guidelines should change
- Jan. 10, 2012
