
March 15, 2006
Insulin
Question from Towson, Maryland, USA:
I have a stakeholder who takes daily injections of animal insulin. Eli Lilly announced that they will stop producing it in April 2006. What are this person’s options if she cannot take regular or synthetic insulins?
Answer:
The bigger question is why she cannot take the other insulins. For most people, this is not a problem. The synthetic insulins are so similar to the animal insulins of beef and pork that it would be very uncommon to not be able to use them. To make things easier for everyone, it might be reasonable to try those other insulins again to see if she can use them. I do not think Lilly is under any obligation to continue making them. I do not think there are other insulin manufacturers making animal insulin.
JTL
[Editor’s comment: There is a British pharmaceutical company Wockhardt UK that still has animal insulins. Your acquaintance might be able to obtain insulin from this company.
BH]