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Prices of insulin medicine in the US have led to unimaginable suffering and people’s incapability to sustain their needs. By: Francesca Crestani - BBC Insulin prices in America have brought death, suffering, poverty and illness to plenty of US citizens. Companies that rule the insulin market today, such as Elli Lilly, Novo Nordisk, and Sanofi, are responsible for it, not only in the US but globally. Because of the rising preference for certain insulin analogues that aren’t based on animal or human insulin, prices have risen up to a place where most of the population can’t afford it.  Protests for the availability of affordable insulin. (Luo) In 1972, an insulin vial cost around $ 9 USD, whilst in comparison to nowadays scenario where an insulin vial from Novolog costs $367.69USD, we can witness how prices sky-rocketed and how a context like this can affect public accessibility to this life-saving drug. Furthermore, people like Laura Marston says she has already sacrificed almost every item she possessed in order to keep up with insulin’s cost, she mentions: “I was spending $2,880 a month just to keep myself alive - that was more than I was making even working 50 hours a week,", she also says she had to give up her apartment, furniture, car and even her 8-year-old dog, amongst other things. Additionally, the country’s minimum wage is $7.25USD per hour, making a monthly salary of $1218USD, and if there is a 10% payroll tax, leaving people with $1096.2USD, and the average monthly expenses of $3,323.7USD, it is clear that not everyone is able to afford to live without creating monstrous debts or needing to sell everything they own. On top of that, if a diabetic person doesn’t apply their insulin daily, their blood sugar levels will increase, and that can lead to diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), meaning that the person will feel extremely unwell and can be fatal. Moreover, countries like the UK, India, Canada and Brazil are examples of countries where the public healthcare system covers essential drugs, and should serve as an illustration of how this should be dealt with.
The insulin crisis is affecting more people each time, especially in the US, where 11.6% of its population is diagnosed with diabetes, because of the country’s fame for people’s poor health, this disease will become each time more dangerous and fatal if insulin isn’t available for everyone in need of it. Bibliography:
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