Baby formula is just the tip of the supply chain shortage iceberg.

Over 400 million people are living with diabetes today. More than half are in the United States, China, and India and are between the ages of 20 and 79 years old. These numbers are expected to increase to more than 500 million by 2030.

The demand for insulin is projected to increase by 20% by 2030. A recent study in the Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology journal says that nearly 80 million people with diabetes will require insulin by 2030.

The FDA announced just before the pandemic began that there would be a pharmaceutical drug shortage including insulin due to the initial COVID outbreak in China. In the last 20 years, insulin prices have soared by over 600%.

About half of those who need insulin at this moment in time do not have access to it. The majority are in Asia and Africa.

The drug is costly for most due to the high mark-ups, taxes, and supply chain costs that have increased the drug price.

Even in the United States, out-of-pocket expenses for insulin have increased by 89% between 2000 and 2010. This is still the case for adults who have insurance. The price of insulin increased from $40 a vial to $130 a vial. Each vial only lasts a few weeks, at most.

A few states including California, Maine, and Washington have made efforts to prevent this crisis by passing legislation to produce their own insulin.

According to Dr. David Henri Beran of Geneva University Hospitals and University of Geneva, the issue stems from the fact that countries have a small number of suppliers to choose from because of the global control of the insulin market.

“Globally, problems of affordability and availability of insulin are threats to life and challenge the very concept of a right to health,” says Dr. Beran.

Many are questioning why insulin, which was discovered almost 100 years ago, is still not available as a low-priced generic. Drugs typically become cheaper and more accessible after their patents expire, but this did not happen with insulin.

Scientists Jeremy Greene and Kevin Riggs believe this is due to the complex nature of insulin, which is a hormone produced by living cells. They say it is “harder to copy.” Apparently, generic drug companies have not considered it “worthwhile” to do so.

Biosimilar insulins, which are similar to insulin, are available and offer more competitive prices but still fall short of a generic version.

I guess Big Pharma didn’t think ensuring the supply and affordability of insulin was enough of a priority for something as life-threatening as diabetes.

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