WHO chief Tedros says 100 years after discovery, insulin still out of reach for millions

Insulin remains out of reach even after a century of its discovery, according to a report released on Friday by the World Health Organization (WHO). Director-General of WHO Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated that the scientists who discovered insulin 100 years ago refused to profit from their discovery and sold it to the patents for one dollar. He further said that now, unfortunately, that act of solidarity has been eclipsed by a multibillion-dollar corporation, as per the reports of UN News.

Having access to insulin makes type 1 diabetes, which is often known as juvenile diabetes and is a chronic illness in which the pancreas produces very little or no insulin, a manageable condition for the nine million people who live with it around the world. Adults are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes. It happens when the body develops insulin resistance or produces insufficient amounts of the hormone.

Insulin is critical for over 60 million people

According to UN News, insulin is critical for over 60 million people with type 2 diabetes to avoid renal failure, blindness and amputation, according to the WHO. While the prevalence of diabetes is rising in poor and middle-income nations, insulin usage has not kept pace with the rising disease burden. Despite the fact that three out of four patients with type 2 diabetes live outside of North America and Europe, they contribute for less than 40% of insulin sales income.

To create competition and lower prices of insulin, actions include increasing human insulin production and supply and diversifying biosimilar manufacture. According to the WHO, worldwide markets have changed away from human insulin, which can be generated at a low cost, and toward more expensive synthetic insulins, which can cost up to three times as much. The WHO also advocated for better affordability by regulating pricing and markups through pooled procurement and more price transparency, as well as boosting local manufacturing capability in underserved areas.

WHO has worked with the industry to resolve some of the barriers to insulin

Through talks with business associations and manufacturers, WHO has worked with the industry to resolve some of the barriers to insulin, related drugs, and technology availability. According to WHO, the industry has made a number of promises, including creating a policy roadmap for improving access to insulin biosimilars and participating in the WHO's prequalification programme for insulin, glucose metres, test strips and diagnostic tools.

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