Insulin should be cheap. Here’s why it's not.
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 18 พ.ย. 2019
- The cost of insulin has skyrocketed over the past few years, putting increasing pressure on millions of diabetics who rely on the drug to survive. We look at how insulin is made today, explore what’s preventing it from being produced more cheaply, and visit a DIY lab where biohackers are trying to “brew” their own insulin to change the game for diabetics everywhere.
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Have you or someone you know had trouble with access to insulin?
I lived in the US as a student for a couple of years and I couldn't believe how expensive insulin was. Instead of buying locally, I had anybody that was coming from my country just bring in as many Insulin Pens as they could.
From India My Uncle Had It It's Too Costly
My grandma just got put on it
And had to pay over 700$ for it
Nope, I live in a country that has free health care :D
My father takes insulin, but thank God it's cheap here in Syria.
Evergreening is a horrible way of abusing the patent system... :(
Great way to convince people to eliminate medical patents. These corporations are shooting themselves in the foot.
It's cheating.
@@runningfromabear8354 medical patents should not exist, period.
@@Manganization in that case the market for new medical technologies would lack investors and development on better and new treatments would slow down
So lets keep the medical patents
CursedUsername Nah the cost of drug discovery is so high and so long. Patents are basically what keeps investors from investing in an otherwise risky market.
Insulin should be cheap in the US. Here's why it's not cheap in the US.*
@Cupri so basically, free the market for new companies to produce and compete
@@mrlino5261 How? Invite new insulin? What prevents the new corporate to collude with old company to monopolize the price?
verge is a us company with mostly us viewers, so its sort of assumed
@@miniyodadude6604 such a broken logic. you're probably from states too
@@yjeeeek how is that broken logic? i wouldnt expect a news company in portugal talking about the effects of drug decriminalization to be about anything other than portugal. The us insulin price epidemic is well known in the us
Just checked and a month's supply of insulin costs $6 in Australia
No such thing as goverment funded. It's all tax funded
@@pbj4184 he didnt say that it's govt or tax funded.
@@fixit3967 The only other way to artifically make it cheap without increasing supply is to cut into the profit margins of the seller and make them sell it at low prices WITHOUT subsidy. That is arguably even more sinister. The injustice of forcing someone to sell something at a fixed rate is worse than subsidizing it
@@pbj4184 First of all, the comment you're replying to never mentioned about Government Intervention, or tax, or Price Ceiling. Second, I don't get why you're defending against cutting profit margins, or how you're calling it sinister. The cost to produce insulin isn't even that high. The ones to blame here are the corporations primarily driven by greed and self-interests.
"When inventor Frederick Banting discovered insulin in 1923, he refused to put his name on the patent. He felt it was unethical for a doctor to profit from a discovery that would save lives. Banting’s co-inventors, James Collip and Charles Best, sold the insulin patent to the University of Toronto for a mere $1. They wanted everyone who needed their medication to be able to afford it" (Belluz, 2019)
You can also blame it on the lax regulatory rules imposed. People are demanding corporations to price Insulin Fairly and Reasonably. If you compare Insulin prices between US and Canada, you'll see a huge gap between that.
@@fixit3967 Absolutely well said!
When the entire GDP of your country is based on how hard you can swindle your sick...
The people in this country keep voting into office the same corrupt idiots. It is our own fault. We need term limits - get rid of each congressman after one term - before they have the chance to get too corrupt.
@@Brian-xu9di unfortunately, the lobbyists hired by the large companies will continue bribing the congresspeople
*puts on tinfoil hat* maybe they're doing this expensive healthcare thingy in US so they can purge the population there.
@@Brian-xu9di what they need to eliminate is the corporate lobbying. That's just legalized corruption.
@@glorifiedtoasterwithlegs2294 we have an oversupply of labor, so its not so much that they are purging people on purpose, its just that human life is not valuable to them.
I think video is limited to United States's experience
In Europe and many other countries, the prices of many drugs and medicines are regulated by the government. In America, the companies are free to just put any price tag they want. They don't even have any reliable health insurance yet, so it is not surprising that many people are left to die without treatment.
@@ardaunaltay8763 That may be true but drugs and medicine in general are expensive worldwide
And i DO NOT mean diabetes antibiotics but medicine and antibiotics in general
But I'm sure... It is a 🇺🇸 reality
Arda Unaltay all of the healthcare system need regulations, especially in hospitals where they charge u for everything they use on u, but it’s not regulated so if u get an IV that trip might cost u $1000. Smh.
Im so happy that i dont live in the US tbh
This,Private Healthcare,Guns everywhere
Im pretty happy in Europe
2 vials of Patent Insulin in USD (from the same manufacturing facility)
Mexico: $20.00
Canada: $36.00
USA: $340.00
As of 03 Aug 2019
aaannnnnd the price of insulin is around 8 bucks in Thailand
$4 in Kerala, India for two vials.
And in Mexico we have generic insulin, for way cheaper
The US profits pay for the cheap drugs in the rest of the world.
$20 in philippines
My mom has been a type one diabetic since she was 6 years old. Our family spend a fortune on something she never asked to have, something needs to change
I had it sense i was 3... i dont get why i have to pay so much money for something humans produce on their own
Fellow type 1 diabetic and I agree. It's ridiculous that insulin has to be so expensive.
@@caioaugusto3138 let me repeat what they said. Type 1 diabetes. What they eat didn't matter. They just can't process sugar because of no insulin
@@AmirulSyafiq1 dont Care about him, he is just a troll.
I'm Brazilian and type 1 diabetic since i was 15. Been getting insulin, glicose measuring and medical appointments once every month for free
I never asked to have to drink water or eat food, but alas I easily spend 100 a week on those things because I have too.
"Stay away"
What a pharmaceutical company would literally say to start ups lmao
A quick google search will show you that Irl B. Hirsch is a consultant for and receives grant support from the companies that hold insulin patents
ofcourse hes gonna try gatekeep anyone who could hurt their big money revenue
India supreme Court banned evergreening of patent when there is twick in formula . This way India sell cheap generic drug to the world . Patent r necessary for invention but it shouldn't become tool to monopolize the whole product .
Are you into indian patent drafting by any chance?
But insulin is still not cheap in India too..!!
@@thecritic9389 But the price in India it's consider very cheap for Americans. American insulin price is RIDICULOUS.
@@jeffreysetapak Everything's costly in the US expect the fact Indians earn much less than what an average American does ..!! So the point here is a life saving medicine is not available to all sects of the society..!!
@@thecritic9389 But insulin in Canada and Mexico are at least 60%-80% cheaper than USA. Insulin in France and UK are also much cheaper than USA. America is ridiculous.
Im surprised at how expensive Health care is in the US. I have heard stories of people begging others not to call an ambulance after an accident because they cant afford it .
In the US, only the rich deserve to live. It’s never about lives to them, it’s always money.
IV bags cost a dollar to make yet the hospitals charge 400$ for it.
I live in the US and can confirm that even with a decent job here, it’s well known in my group of friends and family you only get an ambulance if you’ve lost a limb or something disastrous. Other than that, someone drives you to the hospital, if you must go. I nearly died from an ectopic pregnancy due to avoiding the doctors too long and even when things were critical, we drove. I refused the ambulance.
Kimberly Dameron
Even a perfect pregnancy will cost around $10k in the USA.
Yeah. I called the ER last night because I woke up suffocating because of my tonsils being swollen and the hospital was so overcrowded by people who could barely afford care that the receptionist was snappy towards me and not helpful at all.
I have the choice of paying $550/month for good health insurance or paying $400 out of pocket every month for medications. Not eligible for state health insurance because I'm considered above the poverty line working full time at my minimum wage job.
This country is a fucking joke sometimes.
Insulin should be cheap. Here’s why it's not:
"This is America"
Lol😂 I'm waiting for the "so you would rather pay high taxes🤕" replies
so you would rather pay high taxes?
@@HoangAnh-jk9pl yes and taxes aren't much higher( or should say even lower compared to some states) than amount i would pay in us . while medical products are cheap and getting apartment is lot cheaper .
@@HoangAnh-jk9pl ….yes, I can happily break my arm and now I’ll not go into debt. So yes I would rather pay higher taxes
@@HoangAnh-jk9pl It's difficult to compare taxes (and cost of living). Different states have different taxes. Generally speaking, an American family with 2 working parents and 2 kids living in a house in a nice neighborhood will pay more than same family in Canada if you add health premiums, FICA and property tax. Property taxes are about 1% and Canadian public schools are ranked in the 10 ten worldwide.
in Spain we get the same box that costs you in the US 500$ for 5€ (6$ aprox)
so its worth flying over to Spain and buying a vile every month lol
@@testaccount4191 Before the US/Canadian border was closed due to the #Plandemic, lots of Americans just did that on a regular basis: crossing the border to get their prescriptions filled at a Canadian pharmacy.
As a pharmacy tech I feel terrible every time I see patients paying for insulin every week, especially out of pocket. Hundreds of dollars every week sometimes.
Hey why not do your job and tell them to cut spending on useless junk like mcdonalds every day. Also did you ever ask how much your patients drink water. Of course you haven't, doctors and pharmacists don't actually care in the slightest. America is killing its people by whispering sweet nothings in their ear and telling them they happy because of it.
@@DrawinskyMoon Yea you can't do that... It's called sympathy. Everyone is in a different position. Our pharmacists almost always tell people how to improve their lives but never scold them. Also we have no idea of their water intake.
My point was the evilness of the pharma companies and insurances not the fact that the country is eating insufficiently
@@DrawinskyMoon you have an unfortunate view of the world
@@DrawinskyMoon type 1 diabetes isn't the result of poor diet. Type 2 diabetes is. Type 1 just happens. I've always eaten healthy and been very active and got type 1 at age 24.
@@DrawinskyMoon that is the shittiest, least empathetic, most asshole comment I've seen in *checks watch* two hours?! Oh right, this is the internet.
insulin is like 3 dollars for a huge box, poor americans
Arsey we don’t have to pay tons of money for taxes either
Tret 14 actually we do lol
Here in Finland it is cheap too. But only to the patient. The state pays the rest. And the manufacturer is collecting huge profits.
no
@@tret1491 your probably on the wrong tax bracket if you think that
Short answer: Governmental laws.
The USA's Patent office: "Only these 3 companies can make this type of insulin"
The USA's FDA: "We don't trust a newcomer to make insulin, so we won't allow it until you pass 10000 tests"
FDA is the biggest problem
Exactly right 💯
Yet if only a company would produce it and sell it here anyways. Then when they have their day in Court for violating "patent laws" (among various other ones) that is when the People on the Jury simply apply the use of JURY NULLIFICATION and come the time to share their verdict they simply state "Not Guilty" and there's absolutely NOTHING that the Judge or the Court System can do about it. *GAME OVER*
@@nhlsens3880 that is why we need to abolish the FDA, who the hell needs those pesky socialist regulations in our drugs?
Those companies lobby to keep it that way. Abusing patent monopolies is how pharma makes most of its money.
And to pass those tests it will cost a whole lot of money which limits the players to a few. $2.6B to develop a new drug. so they say
5:05 Why insulin is expensive:
"patent renewal-monopoly scam" and "government law protects companies, not the people"
ask Trump to pass new LAW, banning patent renewal over less than 10% changes
I just saw this comment, and I feel like a more equitable system (and one in keeping with the original design of the patent system) would be for a patent to only protect the changes themselves, so whether it's a 1% change or a 50% change, the unchanged part is unprotected.
ROFL, as if Trump would have ever done anything good for the US people.
@@filonin2 He has done plenty. You don't need to resort to exaggerated lies to project your hatred dude.
@@filonin2 Trump actually did passed an executive order that would lower insulin price but biden signed it out on day one before it would take effect.
@@filonin2 You gotta make compromises in this country. You cant say no to a life saving bill just because you hate the politicians backing in. How delusional are you.
We have people, in America who die from lack of funds to get their Insulin, if a patent is a gate keeper to a life then I believe that patent has outlived its usefulness in its current iteration.
or that the healthcare system in the US is complete and utterly broken.
the us healthcare system is sociopathic
No one cares about what you think. 😂
4f52 does the truth hurt? that america isnt the best country?
@@4f52 truth hurts don't it the health system in the US is a giant scam private insurance companies the government pays proves it
Diabetes: *exists*
Companies: it's free real estate
:(
The best solution is for Americans to stop eating so much food and carbs.
@@biplav32 dude, what about people with diabetes type 1? They are born with it
@@hypapowah They are like 1 in 300. If rest of the population didn't need insulin, the price would go down.
@@hypapowah For vast majority of Americans, they should really stop eating so much sugar and carbs and they won't need insulin.
Biplav Shrestha insulin isn’t the first treatment option for type 2.
You seriously have to question the intellect of those that gave this video a thumbs down.
As they always say, “Some people want to watch the world burn.”
The video is bad, because it doesn't speak about how insulin is dangerous and is causal in virually any non-communicable disease.
You are right that T1 diabetics need insulin and cannot survive without. However T2 diabetics should not be put on insulin, because high insulin is what caused T2D.
Also T1D can reduce their insulin need by simply removing the carbs and sugars from the diet.
So it is stupid to cry how insulin is expensive if it is your fault that you need too much insulin because of your crappy diet...
@@btudrus my guy, in some cases diets are just not enough, while i do agree that taking to much insulin is dangerous in other cases it's literally what a person needs to survive, and having at this price it's just unfair
I'm super interested how they're using that Ender 3 3d printer as a auto-pipet at 8:30 . that's really cool use of cheap open-source technology.
If it looks stupid but it works, it aint stupid.
@@M43L57R0M socialists look stupid and don't work, so they're stupid.
Let me save you 8 minutes: Greed.
by greed you mean people that want to be paid for their time and investments and not just do everything for others for nothing in return... yeah, those damned greedy bastards not wanting to be slaves!
Duh.
@Anton Zuykov The point is to still make a profit while helping thousand of people live on this planet. I know, a very abstract concept there...
its not greed, its capitalism
@@OVXX666 No, it's not capitalism at all.
Insulin is cheap.
Oh...you're in America. Well...sorry about that.
Where ever you come from, you are forced to pay for it through taxes then pay for it again through the company. In America, we don't pay anything. Have you heard of something called insurance? Ignorant and uneducated, what a surprise.
Excuse me? We don't pay anything? I'm on Medicare and have two supplemental insurance policies to attempt to afford and cover my medical costs. I can't afford 75% of my medications so I only buy what will keep me alive. I buy insulin. I have a brain tumor w/chronic migraine... I can't afford my migraine medication. I can't afford any medication for my severe spinal degeneration. Insurance costs money and it doesn't cover everything.
@@Tony-nl6pf if you don't pay any taxes, you are REALLY breaking the law and you shouldn't be advertising that on social media
@@Tony-nl6pf Except you do pay for everything... Even just the public expanse (paid by your taxes) on your health system is bigger than every single payer/universal health care system in the EU (on a per capita basis), when you add the private systems in there your broken health system costs you twice the price of the most costly systems in the EU with worse outcomes.
There's nothing to defend about the US health system, it's just an unmitigated disaster apart for the wealthy minority that get access to excellent care (they get the same in every other country by the way).
Bush Jr made it law that the US government (Medicare) can't negotiate the price of drugs, in every other country with a single payer, the state can and do negotiate with the pharmaceutical companies and get honest pricing (nothing less, the states don't want to stiff the companies, they would refuse or get bankrupt and stop making their drugs).
As for the argument that "the USA finance the medical research and that's why it costs them so much more", it is easy to check that a majority of pharmaceutical research is done in other countries, with grant from these states. And most of the profits from pharmaceutical companies goes to advertisements (in the USA) and dividends for the stock holders, the part dedicated to research is ever dwindling.
There’s a big difference between a tiny overall tax increase and dishing out large sums of money every time you wanna buy
It’s like £10 over 60 people a month compared to £600 over 1 person a month
God bless those open insulin guys!
When literally just living is expensive 🙄
capitalism really be tugging on the carpet
"the world is being sucked dry by money loving corporations"
Brought to you by Lexus....
Well to be fair, Lexus Isn't vital for millions of patients, unlike insulin
69 baby
This video, which rises awareness for crucial facts about overpriced Insulin, is presented by Lexus. That's a good thing, you fool.
@@IILDUDWEN one in their family suffers from this too
I don't NEED to drive a Lexus everyday.
As someone who was recently diagnosed with type 1 at age 20, insulin is frankly ridiculous. One minute I’m a starving college student, the next I’m supposed to be able to afford to manage an expensive disease.
These companies are evil for doing this, make no mistake.
the verge in 5 years teaching us how to make diy insulin: "so first you need a table..."
3:52 You gotta love how the lawyer says "It seems like..."
When you have patented the right to live of so many.
Its sad to be true
True, but if it costs, say, $100,000,000 to produce something, you'd want to protect it to make as much of the money back. If it wasn't for a patent, I could wait for someone to spend that much, copy their work for $1,000,000 and make the money off their hard work and money. Would make people want to invest in making new medications if they can't get that money back that was spent to research, develop and make something if anyone else can spend a fraction to steal the work without spending anywhere near as much.
@@badandy102 they didn't develop it privately. Those were publically funded studies, the patents for which were bought by greedy drug lord companies for free profit.
@@Clove_Parma THIS. So many people don't realize that major search engines, the internet, gps, important drugs and many other "inventions" were and are funded by taxes. We love the inventor narrative, the innovation story -- but in most cases, it's just a story that allows the American public to invest public money towards product development and then never see a return on it because all of the profits are kept in the hands of a few.
No pharma company would do research then if there was no money in return. It is just the way it works. Researching drugs and developing it is just too expensive. Patents are pretty fair in my opinion. I mean he only pays how much for his medicine and that is thanks to diabetes which is a pretty common condition. Now lets say as an estinate everyone who has diabetes contributes to the overall price (you get a lower price). Now if it was a rare disease you would pay $1000 just for a months refill (i can see why the company asks for that much because it aint cheap but if it is at the expensenof a persons health then that is when the lines blur).
I like how with most of these videos the general reaction is "wait, it's *like this* in America?"
In Russia medical care is in a terrible condition right now... But granted its cheaper.
It is worth note that while Eli Lilly is American, Sanofi is French and Novo Nordisk is Danish. EU 2, US 1. Granted, nobody in Europe has to pay the US prices
@@Delheru but it doesn't matter where the companies come from. They have to adhere to the local laws and regulations so it is still a problem made in America. In the end, greed is universal. The only difference is in how governments handle/restrain greed.
Profit
That's it, everything you need to know
Thanks for coming to my TED talk
Then why's mit everything expensive?
It's actually the government
Government
If it just came down to profit, insulin would be dirt cheap due to competition.
Thanks bro, hope this goes viral without youtube interruption that is
And where I'm from, western Europe, several scientific hospitals have started to break patent laws to manufacture their own medicines because the prices were outrageous. As in: Too expensive to buy. As in: Their oaths forced their hands, they have the knowledge and means to treat their patients, so they do. Laws be damned. And so far the government is refusing to prosecute. What are they going to do? Say: "Let the poor people die if they can't afford the patented and overpriced medicines"? Of course not.
These pharmaceutical companies are criminal, murderous, dangerous.
Tht's really nice of them. Takes balls to do tht.
Thats not true, there actually are laws and legal precidents that allow pharmacists and hospitals to ignore patent laws.
@@kjeldschouten-lebbing6260 Which countries? Source?
Spain? France?
@@LukasJosai At least in the Netherlands.
Too lazy to go google all the sources again for some youtube comment.
There’s a girl in my class who has type one diabetes, when we were younger everyone thought it was so cool cause she had a phone connected to a sensor that told her when she needed insulin.
Connected to a phone?!?! Wow I did not know that before need to search it now. But, yeah a little cool basically like a cyborg we also have smartwatch no need to get that glucose meter
It's funny how we've been convinced that a broken body that needs a whole bunch of technology to keep it alive is cooler than a healthy body.
I don't get it my father has diabetes and he ain't taking no insulin.Just a lot of vegetables ,fruits and exercise and he's been doing great so far.
@@buzzyhead6415 there are two types of diabetes. Type 1 and type 2
You can google it.
@@lamyanbanaorem9890 I know I think he as two ,don't remember exactly which one.
So glad Verge is covering this issue. Great balanced video! keep up the good work! Would love to see more T1D/diabetic tech coverage in the future
I’ve had T1D since I was 7, thank you for covering this topic.
Greed, along with ignorance, is the worst and most challenging evil humanity has to deal with.
yunicorn you know I would say murder but go on
@Begin Transformation Talk for you guys, here's a tip: if you didn't allow lobbying as a legal process, maybe, who knows, it would become harder for corporations to use lobbyism?
Yeah i know it's a really wild stretch, and we will probably never know if it works, it's not like we have the crushing majority of developped countries in the world applying that with any sign of a politician receiving fonds from a private group being catastrophic to their career...
You're right, let's all live like cavemens again, who needs civilisation anyway?
69th like lets go!
Pichu Master1164 which 99% of the time stems from selfishness
Belief in an effective government is the worst and most challenging evil
This is amazing and I’m so glad Verge did this. I’ve been trying to accumulate videos discussing diabetes for a series I’m working on because 1) not enough people know about so 2) some people take the topic too lightly. Thank you
That’s crazy, you would think that some thing that is less complex would be cheap. It’s not, it’s raising. These company just wants profit it’s a cutthroat competition. It’s unfair for the people who has it and doesn’t have the proper care.
@@Jasongy827 I still would not say the process is easy but I agree it shouldn't cost that much.
a strict 900 calorie diet for 3 months can reverse insulin depended diabetes as found in a clinical trial with PEOPLE not mice. its seems fat grows around the pancreas and inhibits insulin production hence this low calorie diet makes body consume this fat and restore production...
@@esecallum im pretty sure thats type 2 diabetes
@@velocirapper8862 GOOGLE IT.
I am type 1 diabetic and i live in Finland. Our public health care system covers basically everything that i need for my diabetes. I pay 70 US$ for my insulin per year.
Finland. Greatest nation on earth where no one is left behind.
I'm so proud of Finland. I'm going to move to Espoo or Turku in 2 years
#1, Duuude. Big thanks for making this. Also Type 1, I've taken insulin for the last 47 years. You answered many questions I've had about how rDNA insulin is made. 2. You're the real deal & a fellow "sweet pee." 😉 You called yourself a diabetic and not "a person with diabetes." Thank you!! Only non-diabetic PCers call us "people with diabetes." 🤦🏻♂️
So sad to live in a world where people want to be filthy rich over millions of lives.
Oh no that's just America
@@shannalese Just America?
Tom R if you consider russia and North Korea as well being led by oligarchs then yeah
@@shannalese lol no, not just American lmao gtfo
Attack the problem, which is the abuse of the patent system. Don’t overreact and take away incentive to develop innovative drugs which, yes create profits, but also will save countless future lives.
@Verge Science: what glucose monitor was mentioned at the beginning of the video?
I would be interested in a non-invasive method of tracking bloodsugar.
this does a great job of explaining how insulin is made. Very impressed
I was angry then i remembered i'm Italian and it's free here
@Jake V. How is your comment in any way:
1. Pertinent
2. Not stupid
I'm Canadian and remember when insulin was free here. Alas, that was years ago. It is reasonably priced here still although nafta 2.0 is going to make that a thing of the past.
Bloodevil, Nothing is free. Yours and Everyone else's tax dollars are paying for your insulin.
@@jungleno. insulin is cheap to make. The prices are inflated by patent abuses. Its like you didnt even watch the video
It is NOT free ANYWHERE !!! It is paid for by your taxes!!!
Here in India my late grandma got her insulin for the same price as a regular over the counter drug. blows my mind to see the same life saving drug is so hard to obtain in a *supposedly* developed country like the US
I mean we are developed. Look at all our skyscrapers, roads, cities. Our country is flawed but it doesn't necessarily mean we're poor or still developing.
@@theebs1 "Look at all our skyscrapers, roads, cities."
Yes, because whether a country is developed or not depends entirely on the physical aspects of it. It doesn't depend at all on the resources, healthcare system etc. The fact that a drug that costs a few bucks in most places around the world costs a few hundred instead comes into the "flaws" of the US I guess.
@@theebs1 also look how many Americans are dying because they can't afford basic medical services like medicine alone in the US can bankrupt some people also US education are expensive that mere students will go in debt for their entire lives
@@theebs1 I wudnt call a country who robs its public including the ones who barely pass by for their own profit . The government could easily ban evergreening however their system is too broke and their care is too little. It's just disgusting to so such cruel and selfish.
Ok y'all are kinda missing my point here. I know America has many flaws but it doesn't necessarily mean that we are poor or still developing. I literally said America has it's flaws y'all
As a pharmacy student, I was genuinely confused why Advil and Ibuprofen are considered separate drugs - they are basically the same, as the person says.
Advil is the brand name while Ibuprofen is the drug's generic name.
They are sold as separate types: prescription (Advil) and generic (Ibuprofen) drugs - as seen in the video.
However, as an aspiring pharmacist, I wanna let people know that whichever you take, know that the therapeutic effect of either medication is the same.
Wow, here in Malaysia, I checked how much is a bottle of Insulin, it costs just RM1 (the money is for public clinic/hospital admission and the insulin is given for free). That's USD0.24 converted. There are not many things perfect about my country, but one thing I am very grateful for is the healthcare here is subsidised.
Basically a symbolic price.
Here’s why: “I like money” -anyone in power to stop this
"money can't buy happiness" -- almost no one
in reality, you don't even pay your lunch with a hug, let alone your electric and Internet bill
the point is medical tratments are expensive and those who develop new treatment and medicals to it cost them a really great great great amount of money and takes a long time
@@electronresonator8882 money does buy happiness to some extent yes. But when people start making millions a year their happiness doesn't grow. So I've heard
Salary also goes up every year too tho.
@@DavidGarcia-nx2gj That's fine for other fields in medicine, but we've had working, reliable, cheap-to-make insulin for decades. Pharma has created conditions to artificially raise the price well past recovering their costs and a big subsequent profit. Now they're just raping diabetics.
Living in Scandinavia I thought: "Wait... I know for a fact that insulin is completely free for diabetics." And then I understood: "Ah, the United States! That explains everything."
yeah I was confused for a sec cause I live in Canada and it's REALLY cheap here like 30 bucks a year on insulin
Imagine thinking it's free when you spent 70% on taxes
@@CommaGaming Imagine having your taxes go towards your own healthcare, rather than killing brown people halfway around the globe. 🤔
Comma Gaming
And what. Tax is tax!! I really don’t give a shit how much I pay cause at the end of the day what happen with the money. Oh yeah it goes back to ‘us’. Having a system were I will never need to play for health care is amazing.
Oh and btw tax is only 20% and on income more that 40,000, I believe it is 40%
@@MysticalDork Killing brown people? Why bring race into a non racial issue. Lmao you're mental
I have t1d and I think this is a great video
I will search up an update for this
Didn't the inventors of the first insulin give up the patent for free so anyone can use it? Why is Open Insulin not using that one?
The original patent is for the extraction of mammalian pancreatic enzymes. It's actually a very fascinating patent to read, as it goes into pretty good detail on how to make animal-based insulins. But it's far different from the rDNA insulins that are manufactured today. The original insulin patent can be viewed here: patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/38/07/26/fabb57fc648e4c/US1469994.pdf
Thanks for watching! - Cory
@@VergeScience Could people trying to make diy insulin not go back to this method? Obviously, I'm thinking more in extreme circumstances bc obviously it's not ideal
@@MsBhappy that means a step backward. The allergies issue is still alarming.
@@chaist94 Actually that $25 insulin is the old pig insulin, and it can present issues with allergies and is absorbed differently than the rDNA insulins. It can make managing diabetes more difficult as it was before 1978.
@@chaist94 Ah, you are correct. The point I was trying to remember and what is salient is it acts differently than analog insulin. It is still absorbed differently and can result in major glucose swings and still not as effective as analog insulins which most type 1s are prescribed. Do you use it? If so, what has been your experience on it?
As someone who works in the insurance industry I see this all the time. I have had one person who needed drugs that cost 54k. It's not just for insulin. It's the entire drug industry.
great video. would you be able to cover orthodontic negligence victims? there are some horrific cases of lives being destroyed and then covered up
I produce insulin in Biocon biologics and I know this problem. I didn't know all of this knowledge. Thank you so much ❤️
In other words, intellectual property has gone from a compensation to reward benefiting society to an entitlement to be abused to its fullest.
Greed....
well what else you coud expect under capitalism when profit is main priority
it woud be strange if something like that didnt hapen
Well said.
@TAPriceCTR Spot on
@@norbertrog8207 The way I see it, the problem is more with a cultural system than an economic one. Capitalism is simply a system where stuff is owned by individuals or groups rather than the country as a whole (keeping in mind that in systems where stuff is owned by "a country as a whole," it's really effectively all owned by the people running the country since they're the ones who effectively decide how it is appropriated).
Now, if you look again, you'll notice that this definition of capitalism doesn't say anything about whether profit should be the main priority or not. That's up to the people to decide, when they choose what priorities THEY will live out with their economic resources. And if they think that other people are simply there to be used, and don't feel any moral or spiritual responsibility to their fellowman, that's a cultural issue rather than an economic one. And just as surely as that culture of greed poisons capitalism, it would just as easily poison socialism or communism.
No medicine should have a a patent that last 100 years. It should last at most 5, so that the people that created the drug can have some return, but that's it.
No, 20 years I can get, 5 is a little short. 100 is overkill
@@randomuser5443 5 years is an incentive for them to always discover new medicines
@@FranciscoAreasGuimaraes that's no how it works xd they patented it at the beginning (before making it), but take like 10 years to for the studies, then 2 or 3 for the legal approval and market sales so they actually have like 8 or less years to sell them...but anyways... this is f* dirty.
@ you should only have the patent after you have the substance. Or I will patent tomorrow the cure for cancer
@@FranciscoAreasGuimaraes again, that's no how it works... 🤷🏻♂️ There are things that are patented not created yet. How? You describe the process, could be complex, could be expensive, coulb be not viable, but you can patent that, or a piece of all the puzzle, and then nobody can use it, because that essential piece is yours.
I can remember when insulin was at the enormously expensive price of $2.50 per vial, I was on beef insulin and pork insulin was the same price. The disposable syringes were the expensive part, I had to learn how to sterilize and use a glass syringe when I was 8 years old. I also had to learn how to sharpen the needle with a honing cloth as well.
Just received my new insulin pump yesterday - a Tandem T-slim X2 with Control IQ. The cost was $10,551.72, of which I paid $289.66. Talk about a rip-off. I think my last Tandem pump cost about 5 or 6K. Thank God for insurance.
Glad we have an actual working healthcare system in Germany
That is until you notice that your health insurance service team has no fucking clue what their company is doing...
Sure, I can get my insulin, Freestyle libre etc without going poor, unlike in the USA...
But they went like "you already got a Freestyle libre? Yeah, fuck that, get a second device for measuring with stripes because that is cheaper than the stripes for the device you already own. Fuck convinience, and most importantly, you gonna call support? Well, they not gonna know shit and ask their superior... Who by the way knows nothing either!"
agree, when i see what people of other first world countries have to go through to not die each day because of greed is mindblowing...
It’s not only the healthcare. In Germany there are limits to how expensive you can make a medication. In the U.S. it’s a free market.
@@M0N60 I know. But healthcare should already make change, right?
@@mbnhiphopmusik6429 I think you are forgetting one key benefit of the German health care system. Nobody is stopping you from getting private health insurance similar to what you'd get in the US. There's just ALSO public healthcare so that, you know, you dont have to pay 5000$ for an ambulance ride.
Is this some issue that I'm too European to understand
@A J Lol no, we just value more human life above money, that's it
@@MarianaSilva-kh4io The US has a patent problem, and it's not restricted to just the medical profession. No politician cares enough because it's not a hot topic item that gets you elected. If a presidential candidate comes out and says he's going to fix patents, people will look at him funny and ask him about his beliefs on abortion and gun control.
The people as a whole are distracted by divisive issues and no Mr. Moneybags would be willing to finance a candidate like that.
@A J It's the US companies that are freeloading on public US innovation. Were do you think the method used to make insulin were developed? In university were a large part of the research is publicly funded. Not in those companies. What they did was realizing they could mass produce insulin after hiring people who studied those processes in universities and patent the methods and profit out of it.
@A J Being mad at europeans (with some conspiration-andy level of stupidity) instead of the billions dollars US labs that are actively buttfucking you for profit. Typical american.
A J Your argument is ridiculous, you can’t get a patent if it’s already been patented somewhere else in the world so no European could randomly steal it. Everyone is allowed to use reverse engineering to figure out a cheaper and simpler way to use something and there’s no point in you defending a few American corporations that are scamming millions of Americans.
10 Years of Diabetes now. Started from 7 now 17! Can't explain how bad I feel for the people in the USA because I live in the UK where there's free healthcare and I don't have to worry about this.
Good video still and learnt a lot from it. Keep it up bro!
Every documentary is incomplete without a phone call recording.
bruh here in italy you can have a monthly supply of insulin for around 20€
Because Italy has the government regulate the prices of life saving drugs. You know, like a government should.
You can get insulin at Walmart for $25
@Wicked Jester I am a pharmaceutical engineer.
It's sad to see that money is worth more than a human's life
Depends how much money
So water should be free?
Food?
Shelter?
Power?
Gas?
Where do you draw the line?
@paul w wrong. It can't be capitalism if the government controls the market.
Or it's an issue with supply and demand. If every human on the planet needed insulin, just imagine how difficult it would be to manufacture that amount of genetically modified product.
Pokemonfeak1 it has nothing to do with supply and demand. It has to do with price gauging which is only possible due to intentionally made regulations
Is there a follow-up to this with any updates?
Can I please know what brand is this glucose sensor? I'm interested in buying one but I can't find
In South Africa, a developing country, it costs $0.00. "The greatest country in the world" doesn't care to keep its citizens alive?
Yep land of "freedom"
In finland it's like 30 dollars for a multipack if you dont have recipe
Well it doesn't cost $0.00 in SA. The government deemed it a prescribed minimum benefit. It still cost around $10 per pen of Humolog but it is paid for by government or private medical aid depending on you love of ques, and income. Private medical aids have declared war on these prescribed minimum benefits. Only time will tell. But it is absolutely not free ☝️
It is the greatest country in the world, but like everything it has its flaws.
USA = the Ferengi Alliance.
Before watching this video (I will later but im at work at the mo), is it safe to say the main reason it's so expensive is due to the greed of big pharma?
You already woke, no need to watch the video
Without that "greed" insulin and millions of inventions wouldn't exist. Making money from the production of valuable goods and services is moral. Nothing wrong with that. High prices are the result of 1) a flaw in the patent system that fails to protect actual intellectual property 2) government forbidding consumers from chosing to use biosimilars.
@Martin Shepherd there is no demand without supply. Capitalism gotta love it or hate it
@@maximemeis2867 i don't know, "not dying" is enough of a motivation to invent a lot of these medical things.
@@rotinoma sure and researchers and investors are happy to work and provide capital for no wages and no returns. Also if «not dying» is a big incentive, how do you explain that the US produces more than half of the medical innovation in the world?
Hi, Can the verge please post a link to the glucose sensor ?
In Philippines 1 vial of insulin (short acting) costs Php 300-320, while branded ones Php 550-600 (not that different from the generic, they work the same, my doctor said). Btw, 1 USD = 48-50 php (march 26 2020)
Here in Kuwait, My mom gets free insulin pen and the insulin solution, hope that everyone who needs insulin eventually gets it
I really like that there is so much push for generic drugs in India.
I would fund a open-source insulin company in a heartbeat. My younger brother has Type 1 diabetes, and the centralization of the insulin indusrty is distgusting to me on a personal level.
Can someone suggest a good continuous glucose monitor please?
Jokes on you america. We Malaysians get the insulin at less than $1* price tag.
*thank you for correcting my dear Malaysians.
Edit: Some of you really need to learn to differentiate between America and Americans. I solely directed my 'joke' comment to America Healthcare.
Anyone living in any developed country gets it for an acceptable price - well, any developed country other than the US that is.
Jokes on you Malaysian who the fuck wants to live in Malaysia??
@@southernsmokey7102 why people dont want to live in malaysia maybe because government corrupt?
@@southernsmokey7102 Who doesn't want to live in Malaysia? www.cntraveler.com/gallery/beautiful-photos-of-malaysia It's freaking beautiful! I'm jealous.
I'm guessing that the insulin price is still expensive in Malaysia. It is presented and sold cheap in Malaysia because the government paid for most of it.
When you dont understand a video because you come from a civilized country that has free healthcare
"Free"
You sound like a Nazi
Sorry, us American's are completely braindead exhibit A being the 2 comments above me.
Elizabeth Hammer oh wise one, please do explain....
If you think it's free, ask your parents how much they are taxed yearly. There is a reason why income in Western Europe (except Luxembourg) pales in comparison to the income of American families.
2 vials of the same Humalog patent insulin costs in the range $20 -24 in Pakistan, that too after a massive price hike last year.
I live in the Philippines, a developing country, and insulin is readily available here from $10 per 10mL vial, which works out to $0.01 per unit.
Here in India it's 5-6$
i live in Bulgaria and i use the exact same insulin. I pay every month around 20 extra dollars because my doctor doesn't write me prescriptions since she thinks i should just use less.... it doesn't work like that....
Get a different doctor, what the hell is wrong with her?
Bad doc.
Maybe change your lifestyle?
Diabetes is controllable with diet and exercise hope you know that.
@@bullseye6969 Ya really said that when type 1 diabetes exist?🤨
@@bullseye6969 not type 1 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is when the immune system destroys the pancreas. No diet will help you with that one
To the elite, their greed is more important then your life. That in itself is bad enough, but even worse, the people simply let them.
Why I hate autocratics
the are two things to blame :
the broken patent system and those who are evil enough to abuse it
To play devils advocate, if you spent tens of millions to produce something, then someone came in and could make a generic of your product as soon as you release it, there's no way of having a chance to make back what you spent. It's part greed, but it's also the fact that people won't want to research new treatments for things if they won't make the money back.
@@badandy102 You nailed it my friend....it is the system itself that is corrupt and it cannot be reformed. In truth much of the research is done at Universities paid for with tax dollars and then given to the corporations to exploit us with a drug that in fact the people paid to create. You can try to justify it all you want...but the entire system is designed to exploit without a shred of morality, basic decency or dignity
That's capitalism for you.
People will make money the easiest way they can, and it doesn't matter how many people die.
It is proof that most people don't have a conscience. If someone were to be rewarded with a million dollars for killing you, then they would.
Capitalism brings out the worst in people.
'open source insulin'- i love it!
more of this please!~
Q: What Glucose secor was that? It looks waaay more robust in that it would never fall off prematurely.
Thanks in advance.
Insulin _is_ cheap. Away from the US of A.
Also, DIY artificial pancreases are really damn awesome- at least for people with some tech saavy.
what is a diy artificial pancreas other than a home made pump?
@@punkisinthedetails1470 A sensor and a software.
@@jannikheidemann3805 ah so adafruit and python
and thanks for the response btw I do appreciate it
Insulin dose trial revolution
They are heroes of this world. Going against a multi billion dollar company and people literally saying, “stay away.” I pray that they have a breakthrough and find their version of insulin, and who knows, an even better one! Prayers and blessing to you guys. 🙏🏽❤️
Excellent work!
I’ve heard so much about insulin prices. This is the first video/source that is educating real truth! Keep it up!!!!!
Good video, just don't listen to the morons on here that think they get everything for free (their taxes pay for it).
@@Brian-xu9di Also, don't listen to the morons that think the government is paying as much money for your insulin as the average American diabetic is paying for insulin. (The government comes to a fair price agreement that the manufacturer can't break so it doesn't become a strain on taxes).
"here's why it's not cheap..."
Me: *Human Greed*
EDIT: damn, look at all you commenters! Seems we whipped up quite a storm!
Now explain why it exists in the first place.
Seeking a profit is not greed.
@@scrutchplate2512
Lol ok.
Exploiting the world we live in for materialistic items for our brief enoyment in the short period of time we can get them isn't greed.
You ... _do know what_ the definition of _greed is right? _
Just want to make sure...
And everybody knows this and lets it happen. The greed of the few and the cowardly lazyness of the many.
Obesity is skyrocketing over the decade that would change the demand curve.
Why is bread cheap than?
And there is a underground market for smuggling insulin from Canada...
I'm in Canada, been a diabetic almost my entire life... and I'm (well, my work health benefits are) still paying close to $200 a month for Insulin and basic diabetic supplies. I don't think Americans realise that Canadians still have to pay for medication and some therapy on their own.
The only thing 'free' in Canada is whatever is done to you in a Hospital/Doctors office. You get dismissed with a prescription once deemed not an 'emergency' by the medical staff... and then you have to go to a pharmacy and get your prescriptions filled. At that point you're at the mercy of your work/job's health plan. It's not uncommon for someone in Canada to spend their life savings on Cancer treatment/medication, only to die broke a few years later.
That isn't unique to the US, or Canada either ...but we're right on par (as far as medication pricing goes) with the US.
I have seen stories of Americans going south of the US (Cuba mainly) for super cheap insulin, even compared to Canada's prices.
Sorry for the novel haha ughh
@@Paqqqman You are not on par with the US in insulin pricing, not even close. Average diabetic here would spend $700/month US (depending on what source you read it ranges from about $400-$1000) if not covered by some insurance plan as opposed to your CAD $200.
You win, America leads the world in every statistic imaginable.
@@Paqqqman I would happily lose here. It's shameful
Justin Paq our prices are high but we do have a set cap by the government so that the prices don’t get too high, in my opinion they are still higher than they should be. However compared to the USA we have much better prices
My dad has a type 1 diabetes for 8 years, and all the insulin he is using was just given for free at our local health center. I just can't believe you are paying that price just for insulin. Although you need to buy your own needle, a box of single-use syringes is just 4$ and can last up to a month. It's worth it.
Hi, Did you get my previous text? Thank You
Here's what I got out of this video: patent laws have prevented competition from driving down the cost of insulin. Sounds like the best way to handle the problem is to rewrite the laws that have allowed "evergreening."
@@chaist94 "Funny" thing is that only about 5-10% of Type 1 diabetics need said "designer insulin".
@@chaist94 It is a small part of an already small fraction of the population,but there are specific cases where normal insulin doesn't do the job as well and can lead to complications.
@@tunnar79 nice to hear facts that both video and angry comments forgot to mention :eyeroll:
we should start calling patents what they were called 100 years ago. It's more honest: "grants of monopoly".
But without patents there wouldn't be any innovation in the pharmaceutical branch either ....
@@factcat6847 I would argue that too extensive patents don't cause innovation either because they can just renew their patent by making a minuscule change that doesn't do anything.
@@thepope2412 of course there needs to be a balance but it needs to stay profitable for pharmaceutical companies to come up with new drugs. For example: Right now we have the problem that many companies don't try to make new antibiotics because they wouldn't get a profit out of it
@@tiagoporsch first of all the company would only make money if they have a patent that lasts long enough to get the money back on the research they put in. Researching one drug costs 3-5 billion dollars. With antibiotics there is the added problem that new antibiotics are held back from use because they are the last line against antibiotics resistant bacteria. So really the company won't make money in the first years and then it's almost to late to make all the money back before the patent runs out. Once the patent runs out there is almost no money to be made
What a great video! I have always wondered where the heck insulin comes from. I assumed animals, crazy to find out it's different. Awesome video!
Should talk about regulating needle distribution
You know you're in trouble when you rely on a group of rag-tag people attempting to create their own generic drug...
ZacAttack
It’s like a movie, where this small team is the good one on it.
I wouldn't call them "rag-tag"-people. They are still highly qualified persons.
Been Type 1 Diabetic since I was nine, I live in Scotland and I’m thankful every day that I get all my medication and insulin for free
In my country it's free but it's hard to get it prescribed they keep you on pills until you get up to 20+ blood sugar
That might be part of this thing called insuline resistance. With type 2 diabetes in the beginning stages your body still produces insuline it's just that your cells have become resistent to it and don't react to it aswell as they did before. The good thing is that this resistance is reversabel by living healthier and with the pills you get. Now if your docter immediatly prescribed you insuline and didn't give you advice on healthier living you would only get more insuline resistant and your longterm symptoms would worsen. That's why they keep you off insuline for as long as possible because if you start with insuline there is no way back. This explanation bought to you by Belgian nursing student
Great vid. I've had type 1 diabetes for 30 years. This is the most I've learned about how insulin is produced. The stuff that actually keeps me alive. I guess take it for granted since it's a daily norm, just like brushing my teeth. Sadly I would never be able to afford it if not for medicaid. ( I use Basaglar and Admelog)