Health Care

Calif. state-run drug program eyes expansion to vaccines, diapers, GLP-1

Newsom discussed CalRx’s potential moves while announcing a discounted insulin pen.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom announces CalRx-branded insulin glargine pens available next Jan. 1, 2026, at a suggested retail price of no more than $55 per five-pack, or $11 per pen, during a news conference at Cedar-Sinai’s Mark Goodson pharmacy in Los Angeles Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

California’s first-in-the-nation program selling low-cost pharmaceuticals could soon expand to include vaccines, diapers and even blockbuster GLP-1 drugs, officials said Thursday. 

Speaking at a press conference announcing the latest addition to the state’s CalRx lineup of generic drugs — an $11 insulin pen — Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) said he believed the state had found a strategy that could help put a dent in the skyrocketing drug prices that have vexed policymakers across the country. 

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