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LIVING
regulatory approval is challenging.
This means the drop in price is not as
great as you might hope. According
to Diabetes UK, the NHS pays
between 6% and 20% less for them
than for the originals.
There are several biosimilar
insulins available in the UK, including
biosimilar versions of insulin glargine
called Abasaglar and Semglee, and a
biosimilar version of insulin lispro,
Insulin Lispro Sanofi. Others are in
development.
But, in the end, biosimilar
products risk being left behind
as biotechnology to create new
and better insulins, and diabetes
technology to deliver them,
surge ahead.
EDITORS NOTE
People who started out with
Type 2 may end up on insulin, at
which point they are more-or-less
indistinguishable from those with
Type 1. They inject, blood test,
can have hypos. 'Going on insulin'
used to be perceived as a 'failure to
control', which is utter nonsense. It's
simply that insulin is the best way to
handle the condition as, over time,
many people end up tolerating other
Type 2 diabetes medications.
- Sue Marshall, editor
GLOSSARY
Nanoparticles
Smart insulin
Further reading
Read more about the future of insulin
on healio.com and at UK-based
charity DRWF.
www.healio.com
www.drwf.org.uk
Susannah Hickling is an experienced
health writer with a particular
interest in diabetes, having worked
with Diabetes UK.