Some notes on the cost of insulin in the US compared globally - 12 times more expensive for the same solution compared to Norway?
World Whale and Dolphin Day July 23, 2023 - Sunday
Looks complex. Makes you wonder why “gain of function” couldn’t apply to some sort of mRNA instruction to produce it, right – obviously will get shouted down by all and sundry! I won’t even mention gene editing ,nano-bots and organoids!
From here, over year ago, March 2022:
Insulin Prices: How Much Does Insulin Cost and Why? (verywellhealth.com)
“The original brand name insulins went through the drug pathway rather than the biologic pathway. This meant competitors could not introduce a biosimilar insulin.19
In March 2020, the FDA moved to label insulins as biologics, which opened the door for new biosimilars.”
“Insulin prices in the United States have tripled in the past decade.1
In July 2020, former President Trump signed an executive order aimed at lowering insulin, as well as other drug prices for Americans.2
On June 16, 2021 the Biden administration published their plan to rescind former President Trump's 2020 rule for various reasons.3
On November 19, 2021, the House of Representatives passed the Build Back Better bill which would cap insulin prices at $35 for a 30 day supply beginning in 2023.4
There are drug-makers that rule the market on insulin—an issue that has driven cost.
“Over 37 million Americans have diabetes, a group of conditions where there is too much sugar in the blood.6 Of those patients, over 7 million require some form of insulin, a medication based on the naturally made hormone that helps regulate blood sugar.”
The reasons cited by the Biden administration to rescind Trumps executive order, see how many yu can spot that actually related directly to the person needing insulin and how many to bureaucracy:
It created high administrative costs for impacted health centers.
Impacted health centers had difficulty maintaining new rules to determine patient eligibility for receiving medications at lower prices.
The new rules led to a decrease in staff available to help with critical and emergency services.
Covid-19 added additional stress to these impacted health centers.”
In any event the Republicans in the Senate blocked the BBB $35 price cap, leaving legislation the same as it was before Trump signed his Executive Order.
GOP senators blocked a $35 insulin price cap: What to know - The Washington Post
“The Senate passed a sweeping budget package Sunday intended to bring financial relief to Americans, but not before Republican senators voted to strip a proposal that would have capped the price of insulin at $35 per month for many patients.”
So, 7 million people need insulin – the cost in the USA?
“.. most patients need about two vials of insulin per month or one to two packs of insulin pens. Each pen pack is equivalent to about one and a half vials. As of March 2022, the price for a vial of insulin ranges from $50 to over $1,000, and a pack of pens ranges from $45 to over $600.”
7 million users – paying between 2x$50 and 2x$1,000 for the two vials they need each month or 2 vials per month/1.5 equivalent per pen pack times somewhere between $45 and $600,
7 million users paying between $100 and $500 bucks a month = say $8 billion to 42 billion bucks a year.
Note: Washington State imposed a one year price cap of $35 for 2023. Perhaps other States have also and I have missed them.
Governor Signs Temporary $35 Cap on 30-Day Insulin Supply (usnews.com)
Who supplies the market?
“Three pharmaceutical companies—Novo Nordisk, Sanofi-Aventis, and Eli Lilly—control the market. The big three produce 90% of the global insulin supply and close to 100% of the U.S. insulin supply,”
Hmm, just three and they supply 90% of the global insulin market?
How much does insulin cost around the world if they supply 90% of it?
From here:
Cost of Insulin by Country 2023 - Wisevoter
So, same three suppliers - Novo Nordisk, Sanofi-Aventis, and Eli Lilly – and the cost in the US is 100 bucks and the cost in Norway (home of Novo Nordisk?) us less than 8 bucks.
In my past life, to beat your competition, you had to be faster, smarter, better connected to better information and contacts , better able to make more money within risk parameters AND prove it – without causing a massive admin and tax pile-up.
Otherwise, you were out on your ear and the next cab on the rank took your place. No bullshit, no virtue signalling, no whining and quite the exhilarating pursuit of excellence. All this within a global peer group striving for the same goals, using the same tools.
Here it seems the opposite applies. What should a Food and Drug Administration be doing all day? Ensuring massive, unexploitable arbitrage with massive opacity in this modern well connected world? Same goes for the WHO.
Is insulin formulated differently for each ethnicity?
I will leave that to the medics!
Onwards
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If talking about Type II Diabetes, this is reversible with a change in diet.
Doctors should be telling their patients about this, conducting classes on
nutrition, sharing books and videos, educating patients how to reverse diabetes.
Also, Health Care Centers could have potlucks once a week to educate people how to cook and shop for food.
A doctor who prescribes a pill first without educating and challenging their patients to take control of their health is not a healer.
When I was diagnosed with Type 2 in March 2022, I asked my doctor to let me try nutrition before going on Metform or Insulin. She said I will check your A1C again in 3 months and give you the opportunity.
Here are the results.
10.5 > 5.9> 5.6> 5.2
No drugs just eating right Keto and Intermediate Fasting.
Now I only see her once a year and she wrote cured. It can be done but you have to be willing to let go of processed foods and high carb foods. One you get use to a new way of eating it was easy, took me about 2 weeks where sugar cravings ceased.