Diabetes: The Uncertain Future of the latest generation of drugs

In recent years, insulin analogs have gained considerable popularity. However, their high price has set policymakers the challenge, or benefit from the use of analogue insulins are able to outweigh the cost.

Despite the high expenditure incurred on clinical tests, the company Novo Nordisk does not intend to impose the highest possible price for your new insulin with a very long time operation: Degludec and DegludecPlus that just hit the markets in Europe and the USA - informs the portal in vivo ( Insulin pricing: Let The battles begin .) Counting the cost even if the main reason for this decision is to return the global recession, the prices of insulin for some time are subject to actions intended to reduce the cost of treating diabetes. It is irrelevant that the fight against this disease is still far cheaper than treating cancer, or that properly treated diabetes saves the long term. 

The problem seems to be that mature insulin are both cheaper and much less effective than new generation drugs. In recent years, insulin analogs have gained considerable popularity. But are more expensive than their human counterparts. According to an analysis published at the end of September. in the British Medical Journal * , in 2000-2009 the NHS (the British equivalent of the NHS) could save 625 million pounds, were men of the doctors prescribe to patients instead of human insulin analogues. Previously, a similar conclusion reached at home, Germany - Institute IQWiG questioned whether the benefits of analogue insulins are able to outweigh the cost. In the UK, representatives of the local equivalent of AHTA - Institute NICE (National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence), evaluating new technologies for drug-drug for England, Wales and Northern Ireland, recalled recently that in the first instance recommend the use of human insulin. reversal of the trend in recent times the number of people in the UK diagnosed with diabetes rose to 2.8 million. As many as 90 percent. cases of type 2 diabetes In their calculations, the British assumed that patients who switch to human insulin will be given the same amount of drug. 

In England alone, the cost of insulin analog in 2004-2005 amounted to nearly 110 million pounds, representing 55 per cent. total cost of all insulins. In 2009-2010, this amount has already exceeded 255 million pounds and 85 percent. overall costs. A similar trend was observed in the 80s, when the human insulin began to rapidly displace the animal, which was, moreover, despite the lack of evidence for the superiority of new over old. Overall, in 2000-2009 issued to refund NHS prescriptions for diabetics 2.732 million pounds. 59 percent. this amount, or 1.629 million pounds of cost insulin analogue. Contrast, human and animal insulin, respectively 1.056 million (39%) and 47.2 million (2%). Total cost of the refund of all insulin increased from 156 million in 2000 to 359 million pounds in 2009, an increase of 130 percent. During this period, the annual cost of an analog of insulin increased from 18.2 million pounds (12 percent. Refund the cost of insulin) to 305 million pounds (85%). The cost of human insulin has fallen from 131 million pounds (84 per cent. Refund insulin) to 51 million pounds (14%). field maneuvering here to the problem of the latest products Novo Nordisk.

 If some officials are not convinced even the so-called. modern insulins on the market for 15 years, still prescribing drugs available since the 80s last century, the fate of Degludec? Representatives of the company several years ago suggested that this product may be a limit to achieve in the field of injectable insulin. This is confirmed by experts Sanofi Aventis, according to which further successes in the treatment of diabetes will depend mainly on factors such as education, increase convenience and improve delivery systems drug. Even though Novo Nordisk ensures that Degludec is more effective, the data on the decline in the number of nocturnal hypoglycaemia do not have to convince everyone. 

Meanwhile, parallel to the maneuvers on the line producer-price payer takes the rivalry between corporations. For example, when last year, Novo Nordisk withdrew (prematurely, as it turned out) human insulin from the British market, Eli Lilly reduced prices of their products in this category to quickly take over a group of customers, who suddenly was no medicine. In addition, in 2015 the patent protection expires on analog Lantus (Sanofi-Aventis) and the emergence of biosimilar medicines in the following can affect the price reduction and other insulins base, including Levemir (Novo Nordisk).