The pharmaceutical industry and insurance companies have used diabetics as puppets to hang from their diabolical strings. Diabetes is known as a disease where the pancreas cannot produce enough insulin. Insulin stabilizes their blood sugar levels and helps diabetics use the sugar in their body effectively. Without insulin, many will experience the absolute turmoil that this disease brings; blurred vision, vomiting, and a slow painful death. In recent years, insulin prices have skyrocketed 15 percent. Due to this, many have resorted to rationing insulin, buying through the black market, or playing russian roulette by creating their own “insulin”.
Diabetes has two types; Type 1 and Type 2. Type 1 Diabetes is less common amongst individuals. It is an autoimmune disease that attacks pancreatic beta cells which stops their body from producing insulin. Therefore, type 1 diabetics have to take insulin every day or they could die in less than a month. However, Type 2 has a different effect. It occurs when the body is not able to process enough insulin. The main difference between these two is that type 1 diabetics cannot produce insulin at all but type 2 are able to. Unfortunately, it can’t be produced effectively. Additionally, The three main insulin manufacturers Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk, and Sanofi have offered cheaper versions of insulin. However, cheap doesn’t always equal good quality. According to a Commonwealth Fund Study “Americans with diabetes are more likely to be using older, less costly (and less effective) formulations of insulin compared to those with private insurance or Medicaid. Sixty-eight percent of uninsured patients pay the full list price for insulin, while 9% of privately insured and 3% of Medicaid beneficiaries do. Consequently, the uninsured are much more likely to report being unable to afford prescription medicines, by a 38% to 10% margin.” The text is significant because it indicates that the cheaper version these manufacturers are trying to promote as effective are actually making things worse for the patient. Considering type 1 and type 2 are different. They each come with different responsibilities, consequences, cures, and more. Diabetics are not a monolith and have complexities that affect them in numerous ways. Sadly, low income individuals are not the only ones who suffer. Science has discovered that African Americans are more likely to have diabetes. In addition, religion is prominent in African-Americans and POC. By making insulin less affordable, it almost becomes a mass genocide for people who struggle with this disease, especially minorities. According to a Springer Study “Use of insulin is also influenced by the patient’s socioeconomic status, poor knowledge of diabetes, traditional beliefs, use of traditional medicine.” This text is significant because it shows the impact that FDA and pharmaceutical companies have on someone’s well being. Also, it signifies the flaws within the United States healthcare system and how they have no compassion for anyone but the cash burning in their pockets. Seeing that the government has been useless, “Open Insulin Project'' is a non-profit organization that was created in 2015. Their work began in a community biology lab in Oakland, CA but as donations rolled in, they were able to build community biology labs worldwide. Also, they produce high quality insulin for communities in need. “Open Insulin Project” will slowly but surely gain access to protocols and developing organisms to create an insulin that will sustain for a long period of time. Additionally, they are working with the FDA to try and reduce the costs of insulin without putting the health of others aside. Many diabetics have to make a go fund me to pay for insulin or ration just to get by. However, with the help of this organization, they may change the world and save millions from dying.
As I previously stated, diabetics' lives are under the control of big pharmaceutical companies and FDA who get to decrease or increase the price however much they like. Access to insulin is a human right and should be taken seriously because it’s a life-saving, essential medicine. It’s become transparent that big pharmaceutical corporations have no disregard for disabled individuals, especially diabetics. Corporations are out for blood and cash, they don’t want to put any action to improve the conditions of disabled individuals' health. The lives of diabetics should not be a game of “Who wants to auction off my life?” It’s time for the FDA to be held accountable for the damage they have done.
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