Millions left behind as diabetes drives surge in insulin demand
- by Ruby West
- in Health Care
- — Nov 23, 2018
Sanjay Basu, Stanford Assistant Professor of Medicine, and colleagues, modeled the prevalence of type 2 diabetes in 221 countries between 2018 and 2030.
By 2030, about half of the 79 million adults around the globe predicted to have type 2 diabetes won't have access to insulin, a study said.
"These estimates suggest that current levels of insulin access are highly inadequate compared to projected need, particularly in Africa and Asia, and more efforts should be devoted to overcoming this looming health challenge", said Dr Sanjay Basu, assistant professor of medicine at Stanford University in the U.S., who led the research.
Editor's note: Eating a healthy diet low in carbohydrate, sugar and processed food can help to lower blood glucose levels, and people with type 2 diabetes have been able to put the condition into remission, coming off all their diabetes medication, by following a healthy eating plan.
Insulin is essential for all people with Type-1 diabetes and some people with Type-2 diabetes to reduce the risk of complications such as blindness, amputation, kidney failure, and stroke. Symptoms of type 2 diabetes include increased thirst and urination, increased hunger, fatigue, blurred vision, sores that take time to heal, numbness and tingling, and unexplained weight loss. Around 33 million people who require insulin presently have no acquisition to the drug.
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Only three companies now produce insulin: Novo Nordisk, Sanofi and Lilly.
The vast majority have Type 2 diabetes, the kind linked to obesity and lack of exercise, and cases are spreading particularly rapidly in the developing world as people adopt more Western, urban lifestyles. The quantity of grown-ups with type 2 diabetes is estimated to surge throughout the following 12 years because of urbanization, development, and related changes in eating routine and physical activities.
The Guardian quoted Dr. Sanjay Basu from Stanford University in the U.S., who led the research, as saying the current levels of insulin access are inadequate especially in Africa and Asia, requiring more efforts to overcome this shortage. Between 2002 and 2013, the price of insulin tripled although there were only minimal increases in costs associated with the development of the treatment.
Sanjay Basu also added that governments should begin effective initiatives to make insulin affordable for patients all across the world.
Diabetics in African and Asian countries will be impacted the most.
