Time to bust these three myths hurting people with diabetes – Doctors Without Borders

One hundred years ago, in 1921, a monumental medical breakthrough was made with the discovery and first use of insulin. It would transform the lives of people living with diabetesa chronic disease that occurs when the body cannot produce enough insulin toregulatethe levelof blood sugar.

The scientist who discovered insulin, Frederick Banting, sold the patent for the drug to the University of Toronto for just $1 because, in his words, insulin does not belong to me, it belongs to the world. Yet today, half of the 463 million diabetics worldwide currently cannot access treatment.

This lack of access is partly due to insufficient health care options, poverty, displacement, and conflict. This is particularly true in some of the same low- and middle-income countries where diabetes is on the rise but where diabetics often have limited access to the medication and treatment they need to stay healthy.

As with many global health issues, the challenges faced by diabetic people living through humanitarian crises is not only logistical. In fact, its often profit-driven policies that stand in the way of people accessing lifesaving treatment.

Theres a widely held belief that people with diabetes need to keep their insulin in a refrigerator, which is a clear obstacle when a person doesnt have access to refrigerationeither due to poverty, limited electricity, or because theyve been forced to flee to a refugee or displacement camp. This is especially true in many of the places where Doctors Without Borders/Mdecins Sans Frontires (MSF) works, as temperatures often exceed the recommended storage range for insulin.

However, from experience, we know that guidelines from pharmaceutical companies need updating. In February 2021, the results of a study led by MSF and the University of Geneva proved that insulin could be stored at up to 98.6F [37C].

Meanwhile, simple storage solutions, such as basic clay pots, have also been found to be an effective way of keeping insulin at cool and stable temperatures, meaning patients no longer have to travel twice a day to a health care clinic to receive their treatment, eliminating transportation costs and the need for people to travel in unsafe settings like conflict zones.

Pharmaceutical corporations want us to believe that insulin is an incredibly expensive drug to produce, but it isnt.

The problem is that just three Big Pharma companiesNovo Nordisk, Eli Lilly, and Sanoficontrol 99 percent of the entire insulin market. With such a monopoly, the unfair prices set by these large corporations impact millions of people with diabetes around the world.

This cost to produce insulin can be up to $145 [102] per person per year. However, the price of insulin available to MSF projects ranges from $312 [220] to $1,276[900] per person, depending on the injection device and type of insulin our teams need for their patients.

There are several companies working to improve market competition and produce generic unbranded insulin. This would significantly lower the cost for people with diabetes and health care organizations. However, they face tough regulations to have their insulin approved.

MSF is campaigning to enable these generic companies to enter the insulin market and working to improve the package of tools available to people with diabetes around the world.

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Time to bust these three myths hurting people with diabetes - Doctors Without Borders