PDGN has been tracking the rise in insulin costs and alarming stories appearing in reputable publications about patients rationing their insulin and fears of future shortages.
In the USA there is growing anger over the rising cost of insulin leading to some people with diabetes not taking it as directed.
According to Reuters a survey conducted at the Yale Diabetes Center in Connecticut, found one in four people using insulin taking less of it than doctors recommend because they can’t afford it. These patients may have a higher risk of complications than individuals who always take their medicine, researchers say.
Separately there are growing concerns that the world could run out of insulin leaving millions of people with diabetes without the most appropriate treatment for their condition.
Newsweek magazine reports speculation that with rates of Type-2 expected to rise by more than 20% worldwide in the next 12 years, a point may be reached where insulin will be beyond the reach of around half of the 79 million adults who will need it by 2030.
Should access remain at current levels parts of the world may face particular problems. Significant shortages are being predicted for Africa, Asia and Oceania—regions.
PDGN urges members to join the call for strategies to make insulin more widely available and affordable. Newsweek URL: https://www.newsweek.com/world-running-out-insulin-shortages-could-leave-millions-diabetics-without-1229125
Caption: Accounting for inflation, a vial of insulin that cost $1 in 1967 should cost $16.43 today — not the $300 US patients are having to pay