Insulin and Non-Insulin Injectable Diabetes Medications: Practical Information for Pharmacists
At some point in your career, you've probably encountered questions from patients or health care team members about diabetes medications' stability and how the products are supplied.
At some point in your career, you’ve probably encountered questions from patients or health care team members about diabetes medications’ stability and how the products are supplied.
The following tables are intended to serve as practical guides, providing information on the various insulin vials (Table 1), insulin pens (Table 2), and non-insulin injectables (Table 3) currently available on the market. Please read individual package inserts for more details and updates as they occur.
Table 1: Insulin Vials
Insulin Type
Drug Name
How Its Supplied
Unopened Stability
Opened Stability
Rapid-Acting
Apidra (glulisine)
10 mL
Refrigeration: expiration date
Room temp: 28 days
Refrigeration /room temp: 28 days
Humalog (lispro)
3 mL, 10 mL
Refrigeration: expiration date
Refrigeration /room temp: 28 days
Novolog (aspart)
10 mL
Refrigeration: expiration date
Refrigeration /room temp: 28 days
Short-Acting
Humulin R (regular)
3 mL, 10 mL
OTC
Refrigeration: expiration date
Refrigeration/room temp: 31 days
Humulin R (regular)
U-500
20 mL
Refrigeration: expiration date
Refrigeration/room temp: 40 days
Novolin R (regular)
10 mL
OTC
Refrigeration: expiration date
Room temp: 42 days
Room temp: 42d
Don’t refrigerate
Intermediate-Acting
Humulin N (NPH)
3 mL, 10 mL
OTC
Refrigeration: expiration date
Room temp: 31 days
Refrigeration/room temp: 31d
Novolin N (NPH)
10 mL
OTC
Refrigeration: expiration date
Room temp: 42d
Don’t refrigerate
Long-Acting
Lantus (glargine)
10 mL
Refrigeration: expiration date
Room temp: 28 days
Refrigeration/room temp: 28 days
Levemir (detemir)
10 mL
Refrigeration: expiration date
Room temp: 42 days
Refrigeration/room temp: 42 days
Premixed
Humalog 50/50
(lispro protamine/lispro)
10 mL
Refrigeration: expiration date
Room temp: 28 days
Refrigeration/room temp: 28 days
Humalog 75/25
(lispro protamine/lispro)
10 mL
Refrigeration: expiration date
Room temp: 28 days
Refrigeration/room temp: 28 days
Humulin 70/30 (NPH/R)
3 mL, 10 mL
Refrigeration: expiration date
Room temp: 31 days
Refrigeration/room temp: 31 days
Novolin 70/30 (NPH/R)
10 mL
Refrigeration: expiration date
Room temp: 42 days
Room temp: 42 days
Don’t refrigerate
Novolog 70/30
(aspart protamine/aspart)
10 mL
Refrigeration: expiration date
Refrigeration/room temp: 28 days
*Products U-100 (100 units/mL) unless otherwise noted.
Table 2: Insulin Pens
Insulin Type
Drug Name
How Its Supplied
Unopened Stability
Opened Stability
Maximum Units per Dose (allowed by device)
Rapid-Acting
Apidra SoloStar (glulisine)
3 mL
Package of 5
Refrigeration: expiration date
Room temp: 28 days
Room temp: 28 days
Don’t refrigerate
80
Humalog KwikPen (lispro)
U-100, U-200
3 mL
U-100: Package of 5
U-200: Package of 2
Refrigeration: expiration date
Room temp: 28 days
Don’t refrigerate
60
Novolog FlexTouch (aspart)
3 mL
Package of 5
Refrigeration: expiration date
Room temp: 28 days
Don’t refrigerate
80
Afrezza (human insulin) inhaled
3 cartridges/strip
5 strips/card
2 cards/foil pack
Foil pack: Refrigeration expiration date
Cards/strips: Refrigeration x30 days
All: room temp x10 days
Strips: room temp x3 days
If at room temp, don’t return to fridge
Available in 4, 8, 12 unit cartridges
Can combine
Short-Acting
Humulin R KwikPen (regular)
U-500
3 mL
Package of 2
Refrigeration: expiration date
Room temp: 28 days
Don’t refrigerate
300
Intermediate-Acting
Humulin N KwikPen (NPH)
3 mL
Package of 5
OTC
Refrigeration: expiration date
Room temp: 14d
Room temp: 14 days
Don’t refrigerate
60
Long-Acting
Lantus SoloStar (glargine)
3 mL
Package of 5
Refrigeration: expiration date
Room temp: 28 days
Room temp: 28 days
Don’t refrigerate
80
Levemir FlexTouch (detemir)
3 mL
Package of 5
Refrigeration: expiration date
Room temp: 42 days
Room temp: 42 days
Don’t refrigerate
80
Toujeo SoloStar (glargine)
U-300
1.5 mL
Packages of 3 or 5
Refrigeration: expiration date
Room temp: 42 days
Don’t refrigerate
80
Tresiba FlexTouch (degludec)
U-100, U-200
3 mL
U-100: Package of 5
U-200: Package of 3
Refrigeration: expiration date
Room temp: 56 days
Room temp: 56 days
Don’t refrigerate
U-100: 80
U-200: 160
Premixed
Humalog KwikPen 50/50
(lispro protamine/lispro)
3 mL
Package of 5
Refrigeration: expiration date
Room temp: 10 days
Room temp: 10 days
Don’t refrigerate
60
Humalog KwikPen 75/25
(lispro protamine/lispro)
3 mL
Package of 5
Refrigeration: expiration date
Room temp: 10 days
Room temp: 10 days
Don’t refrigerate
60
Humulin 70/30 KwikPen (NPH/R)
3mL
Package of 5
Refrigeration: expiration date
Room temp: 10 days
Room temp: 10 days
Don’t refrigerate
60
Novolog FlexPen 70/30
(aspart protamine/aspart)
3mL
Package of 5
Refrigeration: expiration date
Room temp: 14 days
Don’t refrigerate
60
Ryzodeg FlexTouch 70/30 (degludec/aspart)
3mL
Package of 5
Refrigeration: expiration date
Room temp: 28d
Room temp: 28 days
Don’t refrigerate
80
*Products U-100 (100 units/mL) unless otherwise noted.
Table 3: Non-Insulin Injectables
Product
How Its Supplied
Refrigeration Stability
Room Temp Stability
GLP-1 Agonists
Bydureon (exenatide ER)
2 mg
Syringe: package of 4
Pen: package of 4
Suspensions
needles included
Expiration date
28 days
Must be injected immediately following reconstitution
Byetta (exenatide)
5 mcg, 10 mcg
Pen: 60 doses
Expiration date
30 days
Tanzeum (albiglutide)
30 mg, 50 mg
Pen: package of 4
Suspension
needles included
Expiration date
28 days
Use within 8 hours of reconstitution
Trulicity (dulaglutide)
0.75 mg, 1.5 mg
Package of 4
Auto-injector
Expiration date
14 days
Victoza (liraglutide)
6 mg/mL
3 mL
Packages of 2 and 3
Expiration date
30 days
Amylin Analogue
Symlin (pramlintide)
1000 mcg/mL
60: 1.5 mL pen for 15, 30, 45, & 60mcg doses
120: 2.7 mL pen for 60 & 120 mcg doses
Package of 2
Expiration date
30 days if pen in use
30 days
