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0 pointsoutworlder3y ago0 comments

> Newer versions of insulin are "better" than generic insulin: easier to take, fewer side effects, etc.

Even that is debatable. At least Sanofi has been known to fund some rosy articles about their Lantus® product. When the EU looked into it (for similar initiatives) they were not able to find the large 'performance' gap that was suggested between that insulin and alternatives.

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davikr3y ago

As far as I know, the major difference between insulin types is not their performance, but how long they take to act, when they peak and for how long they have an effect. Some types of insulin, like glargine (as in Lantus®) can be more convenient due to their long-acting response that lasts for an entire day.

I suppose off-patent insulin could be produced with some degree of inconvenience to the consumer because they might have to take more doses per day, but they should work nonetheless.

basch3y ago

Long acting insulin is exactly what this entire debate has always been about. Generic standard insulin has been cheap at walmart forever. They even sell cheap rapid acting ReliOn.

People want long acting insulin cheap. (short-, intermediate-, rapid-, and long-acting, ultra-long-acting (42h) insulin are the main categories.) Long acting insulin was the product that had a price jump at the end of 2017.

I am pretty sympathetic to the non long acting stuff not being good enough. Expecting people to monitor hour after hour, and only calling it an inconvenience really downplays how tedious it is to stay alive.

zaroth3y ago

T1D patients use both types if they are self-injecting. The long acting covers your basal rate (baseline) and the fast acting covers carbs you eat.

Or if you have a pod or pump then you can use only the rapid acting and the software will drip it slowly to cover your basal need over the 24h.

Trying to use just the fast acting with self-injections doesn’t work because you go high overnight while you’re sleeping, and even during the day you would have to be injecting every 3 hours to keep up. (E.g. when your pump controller dies on vacation and all you have on hand is rapid-acting)

Source: I have two kids with T1D.

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