Certifying Generic Versions: the Solution to the Skyrocketing Cost of Insulin

The New York Times had recently published a news story: To Drive Down Insulin Prices, W.H.O. Will Certify Generic Versions, in accordance with the World Health Organization’s (WHO) decision on Wednesday, November 13, 2019, to begin on testing and approving generic versions of insulin. The skyrocketing price of insulin for the last two decades in the United States had been unbelievable, with the price of a vial rising from $35 to $275.

Diabetes, Type 1 and Type 2

Based on the National Diabetes Statistic report for 2017, cases of diabetes have risen to an estimated 30.3 million, or 9.4% of the U.S. population.

Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disease characterized by high blood sugar levels that result from defects in insulin secretion or the body’s ability to use insulin. There are two types of diabetes: type 1 and type 2.

Type 1 diabetes happens when the pancreas cannot produce insulin. This type of diabetes needs a regular injection of insulin, a hormone to control the blood glucose levels. Meanwhile, Type 2 diabetes is more of a result of insulin resistance, a condition where cells are not able to use insulin effectively. People with Type 2 diabetes can control their blood glucose levels by following a healthy meal plan and regular physical activity. Another way is by injecting insulin too.

The Treatment

The primary objective in treating type 1 and type 2 diabetes is by controlling the blood sugar levels within the normal range.

Type 1 diabetes is treated with: insulin, exercise, and a type 1 diabetes diet.

Type 2 diabetes is treated with: weight reduction, type 2 diabetes diet, diabetes medications, and if other drugs don’t work, insulin.

If you noticed, type 1 diabetes needs regular injections of insulin, which means insulin manufactures profited with millions of dollars every year, especially with the skyrocketing price.

The Cause

Currently, only three insulin manufacturers are serving in the U.S. market: Novo Nordisk, Sanofi, and Eli Lilly. As expected, market oligopolists happened for the price of insulin. In the United States, established manufacturers would file suits claiming patient violations to drive generic competitors out of the marketplace. Diabetes patients then were forced to buy whatever cost the insulin companies place in the pharmacies.

The Solution

Having the World Health Organization (WHO) to consider the alternative of legalizing the generic version of insulin would give a lot of advantages for diabetes patients. Generic itself means a consumer product having no brand name or registered trademark, which means that any drug the manufacturer would be able to produce insulin. Having more manufacturers entering the market will then force significant manufacturers to lower down their prices since more competitors are in the market. 

Further Research Needs

Different from conventional medicines that have cheap generic forms, insulin is classified as a biological product instead of a chemical one. Hence, the innovation costs a lot of money on research and development because it is expensive to develop and test new drugs when there is a need to biologically replicate a human hormone rather than just creating a chemical medicine for the body. In other words, a chemical formula can be copied, but with a biological product, the process is much trickier. Thus, since there is a lot of diabetic patient in the United States who don’t have medical insurance, scientists are still finding ways to find the alternative for the skyrocketing cost of insulin. 

Looking Through the Christian Lenses

When God created the human body, everything was good. However, fall entered the picture, causing diseases to enter the Earth. Human bodies are then prone to endure disease, pain, and death. Diabetes is just one of the many illnesses that human bodies are susceptible to get. Even though the ongoing redemption by Jesus is still happening until now, there is no guarantee that healing will always occur. As said in James 2: 17, “In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead” (NIV). Indeed, it is necessary to have faith that Jesus has the power over every disease, but this does not mean that we don’t do any actions to keep our bodies healthy and find solutions to the diseases. If the price of insulin is too high for people to access, then it’s time to use our goodness from God and find alternatives to insulin (maybe a generic version of it?)