Diabetes UK worried at loss of choice
|
|
Modern insulin treatments for people with Diabetes Mellitus are making the condition worse for some patients, it is claimed today.
Manufacturers are taking long-established products off the market and replacing them with more expensive alternatives.
Diabetes Mellitus UK says long-term patients are finding their bodies do not always adjust to the substitutes.
Its chief executive, Douglas Smallwood, says heavy promotion of the new drugs together with the withdrawal of old products is denying people a choice.
The charity says regulators of the safety and efficiency of new treatments should only approve them if existing treatments remain available.
The plea follows the withdrawal of insulin treatments used by more than 30,000 people with Diabetes Mellitus.
However, leading manufacturer Novo Nordisk has expressed surprise that Diabetes UK “should want to see the use of these products prolonged”.
About 500,000 Britons are thought to require insulin. Of those, 350,000 have type 1 diabetes, which means they are dependent on hormone treatment so that their bodies can convert sugar into energy and regulate blood sugar levels. Another 150,000 with type 2 diabetes use it to manage their condition more effectively.
Insulin treatments were first developed in the 1920s. Early treatments were cleaned-up animal alternatives - originally beef and later highly purified pork insulin.
But in the early 1980s, genetically modified “human” insulin was introduced.
In the 1990s, insulin anlogues appeared on the market, changing the chemical again. They often work faster and for shorter periods or have more prolonged action.
Animal insulin is still available on a diminishing scale, and now some of the older human insulins are being withdrawn or will no longer be available with the same delivery system.
The Department of Health said companies were free to change their product portfolio, but it had negotiated with Novo Nordisk to ensure there was a “smooth transition” over the withdrawal of one of its products later this year.
Print Version
Tell-a-Friend comments powered by Disqus
