Psimpler to handle than a syringe, more precise in dosages…, insulin pens are today used by 60% of diabetic patients, according to a report from Médecins sans frontières (MSF) published this Wednesday, May 8. Problem: this device has a cost that is difficult to afford for many patients, particularly in certain countries, as the NGO deplores.
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In this sense, the latter calls on pharmaceutical laboratories – mainly Sanofi, Eli Lilly or Novo Nordisk – to lower their prices. “While insulin pens are the standard of care in high-income countries, their high price means they are almost never available to people in low- and middle-income countries, and are rarely used by humanitarian agencies,” notes MSF.
Price differences
The NGO points out the price differences depending on the country. Insulin pens are sold for three dollars in South Africa (2.79 euros), 28 dollars in the United States (around 26 euros), while their manufacturing cost is only 1.30 euros for manufacturers.
READ ALSO Lose weight: the revolution in anti-obesity drugsThe prevalence of diabetes (type 1 and type 2, diagnosed and undiagnosed) has continued to increase over the past twenty years. It affected 537 million people worldwide in 2021 (including 24 million in Africa), according to the French Diabetes Federation, which warns that nearly one in ten adults could be affected by 2045. Faced with this observation, the The NGO also asks laboratories to transfer their patents to allow competitors to manufacture generic insulins in the future.
