New to ProZinc... why is SO expensive??? Alternatives?

Hello Everyone,

My name is Norma. My kitty Cleo (9 years old) was just diagnosed 2 days ago. We noticed a weakness in her hind legs and after bloodwork was diagnosed with diabetes. Our vet prescribed 2 units of ProZinc (U-40), twice a day. I have some experience with diabetes in humans and once I found out about Cleo's condition I've done a lot of reading!

My question is why is ProZinc so expensive (vet charges $120 for a 10ml vial) I looked around on he internet and prices were not much better when shipping is included. I understand that it is a brand name medication especially formulated for cats, but is it the best option for the money? I want to take the best care of my furbaby but I would like to do this without breaking the bank.

What is the best source for ProZinc? What other alternative insulins are there that are more cost effective?

Thank you in advance for any help!!!
Norma and Cleo

 

Hi and welcome to our group!

Unfortunately all of the recommended insulins are about the same price. There is a compounded PZI insulin that is less expensive but it is becoming harder and harder to get and the potency from batch to batch can be inconsistant.

Some Costco's can order Prozinc for you, the cost at my Costco was $77, and I was able to leverage that to get the vet to price match.

Why is the vet starting Cleo on 2 units? The Prozinc web site recommends starting at 1 unit twice a day and that is the recommended starting dose here as well.

Welcome aboard.

 

Also keep in mind that your vial holds 400 units of insulin. That's a three month supply at this dose, so a bit over a dollar a day? Less at a lower dose.

The most cost efficient choice would be lantus or levemir sold in pens. The problem there is that the pens are usually sold five at a time, and your "up front cost" would be roughly twice as much. And it's possible that the pens could reach the expiration date before you use it all up.

The problem is, you don't know how long you will need to give insulin. My cat was only on the juice for 10 weeks, and I never emptied the first vial of pzi. I'd bought a second one, and ended up giving it away so it could be used by someone instead of expiring.

Carl

 

Thank you for your replies Carl & Bob and Rob & Harley,

I called Costco pharmacy and they quoted me $130 for the ProZinc (which was backordered anyway)

I talked to my vet again and we decided to go with BCP PZI from www.bcpvetpharm.com (1 unit 2x a day) which costs $44 for the U-40 10ml vial. I just didn't want to start her on ProZinc if I wasn't sure It would be what I would continue using. I am much happier with this price point and according to the research I've done, Bovine Insulin is the closest match to a cats.

I will take whatever advice you wiser kitty parents can bestow upon me.

I hope Cleo takes well to the insulin. Tomorrow will be our first time using it.
I will stay on top of this forum for support and information

Thanks again!
Norma

 

Norma,

Compounded PZI is the same insulin I used with Bob and for him it worked really well. I got mine from a different pharmacy (VPA) but they no longer make it. BCP is supposed to be one of the better places to get it from though.

The 1u twice a day dose is a great place to start too. It's a good idea to hold a dose for 3 days at least to get an idea of how it works. If you can test before every shot, and then try to get some tests if possible in the 5-7 hours after the shot range, you'll get an idea for how long it takes for the PZI to reach it's peak effect (called the "nadir"). Bob's nadir usually happened around +5 hours, but every cat is different.

Carl

 

Hi Norma. When Grayson was on ProZinc, we bought it at my vet's office and it was $120 as well. Due to another condition, we switched to Levemir. It was cheapest at Walgreens with their Prescription Savings Club card ($35), which paid for itself on the first purchase. The pens were $189, and the vial $106. Sounds like you found a less expensive option.

Wishing you & your kitty well. You're in good hands with the folks here at PZI!

Lu-Ann

 

Norma thank you for mentioning this I will be sure to mention this to my vet. It is much cheaper than Prozinc at $98+tax with my vet. The cheapest I have found Prozinc online is $93.50. With my husband on disability any savings we can get to help our Candi will be great.

 

This is a 5 year old thread so the prices might not be valid any longer.

 

I emailed them to find out how much their insulin costs.

 

Update I had a friend check into the cost with Costco and they were 122.00 for Prozinc. I did find it Here for 93.50 which is cheaper than our Vet. Will be taking this to him when we take Candi next month for her followup.