Insulin vials on the way out: moving from syringe-and-vial to pens
Several Eli Lilly insulin vials are being discontinued through the first half of 2026, while the cartridge and pen versions of the same insulins remain.
If you draw your insulin up from a vial with a syringe, some vials are being discontinued through the first half of 2026: Humulin I, Humulin S, Humulin M3 and Humalog Mix25. Here is the reassuring part: these are not disappearing as insulins. The same insulins stay available as pens and cartridges, so this is a change in how you take your dose, not a change of medicine. Some people prefer vials and syringes, so if that is you, it is worth raising at your next review so any device change and dose check happen together, with your team rather than alone.
- The insulins affected are Humulin I, Humulin S, Humulin M3 and Humalog Mix25, in their 10ml vial form.
- The same insulins continue as cartridges and pens, so you are not losing the insulin, only the vial format.
- The vials run out at different points in the first half of 2026 (some by the end of April, some by the end of May).
- Moving from a vial and syringe to a pen changes your technique, so it is worth doing with your team.
- Raise it at your next review so a device change and any dose check happen together, not in a rush.
What is being discontinued, and what stays
Eli Lilly is discontinuing the vial form of four insulins, Humulin I, Humulin S, Humulin M3 and Humalog Mix25, through the first half of 2026. The vials go at slightly different times: Humulin I and Humalog Mix25 are expected to be used up by the end of April 2026, and Humulin M3 and Humulin S by the end of May. These are the 10ml vials that people draw up into a syringe.
The important word is vials. The insulins themselves are staying: each one continues to be made as cartridges and as pre-filled pens. So nobody is losing their insulin. What is changing is the container it comes in, and therefore the way you get it out and take your dose. That is a real change if you have always used a syringe and vial, but it is a change of method, not of medicine.
Moving from vial to pen, done well
Plenty of people have used vials and syringes for years and get on with them, so it is fair to feel a bit put out by having to change. A pen works differently: you prime it and clear the air first, dial the dose, inject, and hold it in for a few seconds before removing it. None of that is hard, but it is worth being shown properly rather than picking it up on the hop, so you reliably get your full dose every time.
The sensible way to handle this is to bring it to your next routine review rather than sorting it in a hurry. That way a device change and any dose check happen in the same conversation, with your team, and you can ask to be shown the technique on the actual pen you will use. There is time before the vials run out, so this does not need to be rushed. If your numbers seem different after a device change, flag it, because technique can affect how much insulin you actually take in.