100 years after discovery, insulin still out of reach for many: WHO

By Peter Kenny

GENEVA (AA) – Insulin, a hormone used to treat people with diabetes, is still out of reach for many with the disease, 100 years after its discovery, a new report by the World Health Organization on Friday found.

The WHO report highlights the dire state of global access to insulin and diabetes care and finds that high prices, low availability of human insulin, few producers dominating the insulin market, and weak health systems are the main barriers to universal access.

“The scientists who discovered insulin 100 years ago refused to profit from their discovery and sold the patent for just one dollar,” said WHO Director-General, Tedros Ghebreyesus ahead of World Diabetes Day, Nov. 14.

“Unfortunately, that gesture of solidarity has been overtaken by a multi-billion-dollar business that has created vast access gaps. WHO is working with countries and manufacturers to close these gaps and expand access to this life-saving medicine for everyone who needs it.”

Insulin is the core of diabetes treatment, turning a deadly disease into a manageable one for nine million people with type 1 diabetes.

Diabetes is on the rise in low- and middle-income countries, yet their consumption of insulin has not kept up with the growing disease burden.

“More than 420 million people are living with diabetes, with the number of people with diabetes, having quadrupled since 1980, and it is expected to rise far beyond half a billion by the end of the decade,” said Bashier Enoos, with the WHO noncommunicable diseases department, at a UN press conference.

Type 1 was previously known as insulin-dependent, and it is characterized by a person being deficient in their insulin production.

And for more than 60 million people living with type 2 diabetes, insulin is essential in reducing the risk of kidney failure, blindness, and limb amputation.

Type 2 diabetes is mainly due to excess body weight and physical inactivity, said Enoos.

- 1 out of 2 does not get insulin

However, one out of every two people needing insulin for type 2 diabetes does not get it.

Diabetes is on the rise in low- and middle-income countries, yet their consumption of insulin has not kept up with the growing disease burden.

The report highlights that while three in four people affected by type 2 diabetes live in countries outside of North America and Europe, they account for less than 40% of the revenue from insulin sales.

The global market shift from human insulin, produced at relatively low cost, to the pricier analogs (synthetic insulins) imposes an untenable financial burden on lower-income countries.

In general, human insulin is as effective as analogs. But analogs are at least 1.5 times more expensive than human insulins, and in some countries, three times more expensive, said the WHO.

“Three multinational companies control more than 90% of the insulin market, leaving little space for smaller companies to compete for insulin sales,” said the WHO without naming the organizations.