My dad has had diabetes and ten years ago he could afford it just fine, but now he can only afford a few bottles a month (for reference a single bottle is maybe the size of 6 dimes stacked on top of each other)
Fun fact- the two guys that discovered and patented insulin sold the rights for $1 because they thought everyone should have access. They did not try to monetize their work.
Unfortunately their method of manufacturing insulin was- and correct me if I’m wrong cause I haven’t slept and I’m going off memory- was based on extraction from animal parts. Beef pancreas I think? Not sure on that.
The problem is that years later, a pharmaceutical company (Eli Lilly I think?) discovered how to make synthetic insulin, and patented that process. And the companies that hold these patents now keep making minor changes to the process in order to keep it under patent.
Basically, it’s like if someone was selling dish soap. Then to keep the patent it was foaming dish soap. Then dish soap with aloe. And so forth. There’s no real change, no change in efficacy.
KoopaTroopa43 on July 30th, 2019 at 16:25 UTC »
My dad has had diabetes and ten years ago he could afford it just fine, but now he can only afford a few bottles a month (for reference a single bottle is maybe the size of 6 dimes stacked on top of each other)
RiflemanLax on July 30th, 2019 at 17:13 UTC »
Fun fact- the two guys that discovered and patented insulin sold the rights for $1 because they thought everyone should have access. They did not try to monetize their work.
Unfortunately their method of manufacturing insulin was- and correct me if I’m wrong cause I haven’t slept and I’m going off memory- was based on extraction from animal parts. Beef pancreas I think? Not sure on that.
The problem is that years later, a pharmaceutical company (Eli Lilly I think?) discovered how to make synthetic insulin, and patented that process. And the companies that hold these patents now keep making minor changes to the process in order to keep it under patent.
Basically, it’s like if someone was selling dish soap. Then to keep the patent it was foaming dish soap. Then dish soap with aloe. And so forth. There’s no real change, no change in efficacy.
may_yoga on July 30th, 2019 at 18:16 UTC »
Can you go to Canada, buy insulin and be able to bring it back in the States?