3 ms·

There should be an alternative way of getting the insulin bypassing the big pharma... Any organizations trying to make that happen?

Robotbeat 7y ago
Dunno why you were downvoted, but here's one such organization: http://openinsulin.org/ http://openinsulin.org/
Broken_Hippo 7y ago
"Big Pharma" isn't really the issue here. I mean, it is, but going around "Big Pharma" is a high hurdle to jump over, if you can jump it, and it isn't such an issue in other countries - which leads me to think this is a regulation problem. First things first, though, simply "bypassing the big pharma" means you need to jump through regulartory hurdles. You need to produce insulin in a manner that won't kill folks, test the finished product for strength, and get it to the patients safely without the product spoiling. You'll need to invest in logistics. To get it to the final patients, you'll either need to hire pharmacists and support and send insulin directly to the patient, making sure you keep records as the FDA requires. Or you'll need to make sure that you can supply pharmacies with your products. This will often be shipping your product to warehouses. The second one is more difficult to control costs, but the first option - direct to consumer - means you hire more folks yourself and have more risk. None of this stuff means your insulin will be used instead of the more expensive ones. This is likely especially true if you are using an older version of the drug - though I doubt one would bypass using bacteria to produce and use animals instead. And then, after all this investment, why in the world would you, the new insulin maker, charge a reasonable amount for your drug when your competitors are charging outrageous prices? But again, this isn't the issue. Really. From the article: " The three pharmaceutical companies that manufacture insulin—Lilly, Novo Nordisk, and Sanofi—rake in billions in profits annually from insulin sales alone, with the U.S. market accounting for 15 percent of global insulin users but almost 50 percent of its worldwide revenues. Insulin ranks among each company’s top-selling drugs; one BMJ study showed that prices could be slashed considerably and the drugs would still be profitable." US patients are paying a lot more for the drug. This is, in part, because of the fragmented health care system and I'm guessing it is, in part, regulation. In a small way, it might be patents, but at one time, folks were shy to enter the market since there wasn't as much being made. Seriously, this calls for a legislative fix instead of "bypassing the big pharma". Sure, they raised their prices but only because the legislative environment allows it to do such things. It isn't just in the US, by the way, as folks in some parts of Africa pay more for basic, not-as-effective medicines, but it seems to affect the average HN reader more. And it isn't like this is something special to "Big Pharma" either - other countries gouge folks on any number of things and take advantage of folks.

Robotbeat 7y ago

Dunno why you were downvoted, but here's one such organization: http://openinsulin.org/ http://openinsulin.org/

Broken_Hippo 7y ago

"Big Pharma" isn't really the issue here. I mean, it is, but going around "Big Pharma" is a high hurdle to jump over, if you can jump it, and it isn't such an issue in other countries - which leads me to think this is a regulation problem. First things first, though, simply "bypassing the big pharma" means you need to jump through regulartory hurdles. You need to produce insulin in a manner that won't kill folks, test the finished product for strength, and get it to the patients safely without the product spoiling. You'll need to invest in logistics. To get it to the final patients, you'll either need to hire pharmacists and support and send insulin directly to the patient, making sure you keep records as the FDA requires. Or you'll need to make sure that you can supply pharmacies with your products. This will often be shipping your product to warehouses. The second one is more difficult to control costs, but the first option - direct to consumer - means you hire more folks yourself and have more risk. None of this stuff means your insulin will be used instead of the more expensive ones. This is likely especially true if you are using an older version of the drug - though I doubt one would bypass using bacteria to produce and use animals instead. And then, after all this investment, why in the world would you, the new insulin maker, charge a reasonable amount for your drug when your competitors are charging outrageous prices? But again, this isn't the issue. Really. From the article: " The three pharmaceutical companies that manufacture insulin—Lilly, Novo Nordisk, and Sanofi—rake in billions in profits annually from insulin sales alone, with the U.S. market accounting for 15 percent of global insulin users but almost 50 percent of its worldwide revenues. Insulin ranks among each company’s top-selling drugs; one BMJ study showed that prices could be slashed considerably and the drugs would still be profitable." US patients are paying a lot more for the drug. This is, in part, because of the fragmented health care system and I'm guessing it is, in part, regulation. In a small way, it might be patents, but at one time, folks were shy to enter the market since there wasn't as much being made. Seriously, this calls for a legislative fix instead of "bypassing the big pharma". Sure, they raised their prices but only because the legislative environment allows it to do such things. It isn't just in the US, by the way, as folks in some parts of Africa pay more for basic, not-as-effective medicines, but it seems to affect the average HN reader more. And it isn't like this is something special to "Big Pharma" either - other countries gouge folks on any number of things and take advantage of folks.