The absurdly high cost of insulin, explained

[longknife]

As one who uses a lot of insulin on a daily basis, this is of serious interest to me. I read where the hurricane that devastated Puerto Rico destroyed a major insulin provider.

The cost of the four most popular types of insulin has tripled over the past decade, and the out-of-pocket prescription costs patients now face have doubled. By 2016, the average price of insulin rose to $450 per month — and costs continue to rise, so much so that as many as one in four people with diabetes are now skimping on or skipping lifesaving doses.


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One clear solution to the problem would be to bring a generic version of insulin to the market. There are currently no true generic options available — though there are several rebranded and biosimilar insulins — in part because companies have made those incremental improvements to insulin products, which has allowed them to keep their formulations under patent, and because older insulin formulations have fallen out of fashion.

Much more @ The absurdly high cost of insulin, explained

Yes, some insulin is made from pigs. And cows. But the major source comes from labs.

Firstly, the human gene responsible for producing insulin is extracted. This is then inserted into the genetic material of bacteria or yeast cells. As these cells replicate and multiply, they produce insulin. In the end, the insulin they produce gets purified and is ready for medical use

From Where Does Insulin Come From and What Does It Do? - GlycoLeap