A diabetes prescription usually holds two kinds of medicine. Insulin is given by injection. Tablets are swallowed, and are often several medicines pressed into one tablet. Most people with type 2 diabetes stay on the same list for years, which makes the monthly refill as much a part of treatment as the medicine itself. This article explains what the names on that prescription mean, why the same list can cost different amounts at different counters, and how to keep a supply from running out. People who search for diabetes medicine online are usually solving that last problem.
What the medicines on a diabetes prescription are
What a medicine does depends on its active ingredient, the salt or molecule, and on the class that ingredient belongs to.
Name on the packClassRecorded useHuminsulin 30/70Biphasic human insulin: fast-acting soluble insulin mixed with longer-acting isophane insulinBlood glucose control in adults with diabetes mellitusInsulin glargineLong-acting insulin analogue, a laboratory-made insulin absorbed slowlyType 1 and type 2 diabetes (WHO Essential Medicines List)The glimepiride, metformin and sitagliptin combinationThree classes in one tablet: a sulfonylurea, a biguanide and a DPP-4 inhibitorType 2 diabetes in adultsDapagliflozin combination tabletsAn SGLT2 inhibitor paired with another glucose-lowering medicine, commonly metforminType 2 diabetes in adults
Those classes are as recorded by MedlinePlus and the approved labels. DPP-4 stands for dipeptidyl peptidase-4 and SGLT2 for sodium-glucose co-transporter 2. The two numbers in the first name describe a mixture, not an amount to take.
Saroglitazar shares many of these prescriptions without being a diabetes medicine. The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology records it as a dual PPAR alpha and gamma agonist, marketed in India since September 2013 for diabetic dyslipidaemia and high triglycerides not controlled by statins in type 2 diabetes. Triglycerides are fat in the blood.
Why the same prescription costs different amounts
A generic medicine is the same active ingredient sold under its chemical name instead of a brand name. What changes is the packaging, the marketing and the price.
India's drug regulator, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation, sets what a medicine must meet before sale, including the rules for bioavailability and bioequivalence studies under the New Drugs and Clinical Trials Rules, 2019, and publishes the fixed dose combinations it has approved. Bioequivalence means the body takes up a medicine in the same way as the product it is compared against.
Medkart has sold generic medicines through its own stores and online since 2014. Its Compare Medicines tool puts a branded medicine beside its generic equivalent with both prices on screen, so the gap for a named molecule can be checked before anything is ordered. Medkart says customers save up to 85%. That comparison is what a search for diabetes medicine online is usually trying to make. Whether a generic suits the medicine in hand is the prescriber's or pharmacist's decision.
Getting refills on time when ordering diabetes medicine online
Running out is a common problem in long-term treatment. The prescription is filled, the month passes, and the next trip to the chemist slips by a few days. For a daily medicine that gap matters, and for insulin the supply question also involves storage and transport.
- A photograph of the prescription and pack keeps the exact name, strength and manufacturer to hand.
- Counting back from the day the pack runs out, and reordering during the last week, leaves room for a delay.
- Checking the name and strength on the arriving pack against the prescription catches a mismatch early enough to raise with the pharmacist.
- For insulin, how the medicine is stored and shipped is a question for the seller before ordering.
Medkart takes repeat orders through its online ordering page.
What to ask the doctor or pharmacist
Nothing above is a reason to change a prescription. A pharmacist can answer most of these in a few minutes.
- What is the active ingredient in each medicine here, and which class does it belong to?
- Which of these is for blood sugar, and which is for something else, such as blood fats?
- Is a generic of this exact medicine available, and is it suitable in this case?
- How should this insulin be stored at home, and what changes when travelling?
- What should happen if a pack is delayed and the supply is close to finishing?
Closing
The names on a diabetes prescription describe classes of medicine. The instructions belong to the prescriber, and this article has deliberately given none. What is left is still worth having: knowing which medicine does what, seeing whether a generic of the same molecule costs less, and reordering early enough that a pack never runs down to its last day. Anyone buying diabetes medicine online can compare prices for the molecules already prescribed, then take these questions to a pharmacist.
FAQ
What does the 30/70 in Huminsulin 30/70 mean? The numbers describe the mixture inside the product, soluble human insulin and isophane human insulin, as set out in the approved label for this type of premixed insulin. They are not a dose.
Is insulin glargine the same as a premixed human insulin? No. One is a long-acting analogue, the other a mixture of two human insulins, and WHO lists them separately on its Essential Medicines List. Which type suits a patient is a prescriber's call.
Why does saroglitazar appear on a diabetes prescription? It is licensed in India for diabetic dyslipidaemia and for high triglycerides not controlled by statins in type 2 diabetes. Its licensed use is for blood fats rather than blood sugar.
Can a generic replace a branded diabetes medicine already prescribed? That decision belongs to the prescriber or pharmacist, who can see the whole prescription. A comparison tool shows the price difference for the same molecule, which is useful to bring along.
Disclaimer
This article is general information about medicines and how they are supplied. It is not medical advice and is not a substitute for the judgement of a doctor or pharmacist who knows the patient. It contains no dosage, timing or administration guidance, and none should be inferred from it. No medicine should be started, stopped, substituted or changed in any way except on the instruction of the prescriber. Anyone worried about a diabetes medicine, a missed supply or a symptom should contact their doctor or pharmacist.
References
- Humulin 70/30 (insulin isophane human and insulin human) injectable suspension, prescribing information. DailyMed, US National Library of Medicine. https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=e245e0c5-b2d6-418b-baa4-1c3324292885
- Long-acting insulin analogues, type 2 diabetes mellitus. WHO Electronic Essential Medicines List. https://list.essentialmeds.org/recommendations/1288
- Glimepiride. MedlinePlus, US National Library of Medicine. https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/meds/a696016.html
- Metformin. MedlinePlus, US National Library of Medicine. https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/meds/a696005.html
- Sitagliptin. MedlinePlus, US National Library of Medicine. https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/meds/a606023.html
- Dapagliflozin. MedlinePlus, US National Library of Medicine. https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/meds/a614015.html
- Dapagliflozin and metformin hydrochloride extended-release tablets, prescribing information. DailyMed, US National Library of Medicine. https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=eaf135b6-e378-4f62-a1e7-db45e23668c7
- Fixed Dose Combinations approved by DCG(I), January 2023 to December 2023. Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation. https://cdsco.gov.in/opencms/resources/UploadCDSCOWeb/2018/UploadApprovalMarketingFDC/FIXED%20DOSE%20COMBINATIONS%20APPROVED%20BY%20DCG(I)%20From%20January%202023%20to%20December%202023%20.pdf
- The New Drugs and Clinical Trials Rules, 2019. Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation. https://cdsco.gov.in/opencms/resources/UploadCDSCOWeb/2022/new_DC_rules/NEW%20DRUGS%20ANDctrS%20RULE,%202019.pdf
- Drug approvals in India. The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, correspondence. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/landia/article/PIIS2213-8587(15)00478-7/fulltext
