Insulin pens are preferred by diabetes patients due to their ease of use and precision, but Novo Nordisk will continue to supply insulin in vials instead.
No other company has put forward a bid to supply the 14 million insulin pens needed for the next three years.
Novo Nordisk, the company that supplied South Africa with insulin pens for a decade, did not renew its contract when it expired last month.
South Africa is experiencing a severe shortage of human insulin pens due to pharmaceutical companies prioritizing weight-loss drugs over insulin pens.
The switch back to vials and syringes has caused concern among patients and healthcare professionals, particularly for small children, the elderly, and visually impaired people.
South Africa is currently facing a severe shortage of human insulin pens, which are crucial for diabetes patients. This crisis has arisen due to pharmaceutical companies prioritizing weight-loss drugs over insulin pens. Novo Nordisk, the company that supplied South Africa with insulin pens for a decade, did not renew its contract when it expired last month. No other company has put forward a bid to supply the 14 million insulin pens needed for the next three years. Novo Nordisk cited manufacturing limitations and high demand for their weight-loss drugs Ozempic and Wegovy as reasons for not renewing the contract. These drugs are more profitable, with a month's supply of Ozempic in the U.S. costing around $1,000 compared to about $2 per insulin pen.
Insulin pens are preferred by diabetes patients due to their ease of use and precision, but Novo Nordisk has stated that they will continue to supply insulin in vials to South Africa. The switch back to vials and syringes, which were phased out in 2014, has caused concern among patients and healthcare professionals. The National Department of Health in South Africa has instructed clinicians to reserve the remaining pen stock for those who will struggle most with vials and syringes, such as small children, the elderly, and visually impaired people.
The global shift towards more profitable weight-loss drugs has left many diabetes patients in low- and middle-income countries struggling with outdated and less convenient insulin delivery methods. Clinicians in crisis zones such as Gaza and Ukraine are also reporting difficulties as patients transition back to vials and syringes, further emphasising the need for accessible and user-friendly diabetes treatments.
Are there any other companies that can provide insulin pens as a viable alternative in the short term?
Is the high demand for Novo Nordisk's weight-loss drugs Ozempic and Wegovy the sole reason for their decision to end insulin pen supply in South Africa?
Novo Nordisk opted not to renew its contract for supplying South Africa with human insulin pens.
No other company has bid on the contract to supply 14 million insulin pens for the next three years.
Accuracy
Novo Nordisk opted not to renew its contract.
Current manufacturing capacity limitations may result in limited access to human insulin pens in some countries including South Africa.
Deception
(30%)
The article by Stephanie Nolen contains selective reporting and emotional manipulation. The author focuses on the fact that South Africa has run out of insulin pens for diabetes patients due to pharmaceutical companies shifting production priorities to weight-loss drugs. However, she fails to mention that Novo Nordisk, the company supplying insulin in vials instead of pens, did not bid on the contract. This omission creates a misleading impression that Novo Nordisk is solely responsible for the shortage and is prioritizing profits over patient care. Additionally, the author uses emotional language such as 'widening gulf in standard of care' and 'limited access to human insulins in pens' to manipulate readers' emotions.
They're shifting the focus on the more profitable line.
The company did not reply to questions about which other countries are affected.
South Africa's public health care system has run out of human insulin pens due to the pharmaceutical industry shifting production priorities to weight-loss drugs.
, Novo Nordisk opted not to renew its contract which expired last month.
No other company has bid on the contract to supply 14 million insulin pens for the next three years at about $2 per pen.
Current manufacturing capacity limitations may result in limited access to human insulin pens in some countries including South Africa.
Novo Nordisk's weight-loss drugs Ozempic and Wegovy are sold in single-use pens produced by many of the same contracted manufacturers who make multidose insulin pens.
Eli Lilly is struggling to keep up with demand for its weight-loss drug Zepbound.
South Africa’s National Department of Health instructed clinicians to teach patients how to use vials and syringes instead of pens as a temporary solution.
Accuracy
Novo Nordisk, the company that supplied South Africa with human insulin pens for a decade, opted not to renew its contract which expired last month.
Deception
(30%)
The article reports that South Africa's public health care system has run out of insulin pens due to the pharmaceutical industry shifting production priorities to weight-loss drugs. The author states that Novo Nordisk, the company that supplied human insulin in pens for a decade, opted not to renew its contract and did not reply to questions about which other countries are affected. This selective reporting implies that only South Africa is experiencing this issue when it may be a global problem. Additionally, the author quotes Khadija Jamaloodien stating 'They're shifting the focus on the more profitable line.' This statement is an example of editorializing and pontification by the author.
They’re shifting the focus on the more profitable line.
Novo Nordisk dominates the global market for insulin in pens and has supplied South Africa since 2014.
South Africa’s public health care system has run out of the human insulin pens that it provides to people with diabetes, as the pharmaceutical industry shifts production priorities to blockbuster weight-loss drugs that use a similar device for delivery.
Fallacies
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Bias
(80%)
The New York Times article reports that South Africa's public health care system has run out of insulin pens due to the pharmaceutical industry shifting production priorities to weight-loss drugs. The author mentions Novo Nordisk's decision not to renew their contract and the lack of bids from other companies, implying a monetary bias towards producing weight-loss drugs over insulin for diabetes patients. Additionally, the author quotes Khadija Jamaloodien stating that 'They're shifting the focus on the more profitable line.' This directly supports my finding of monetary bias.
Novo Nordisk opted not to renew its contract, which expired last month. No other company has bid on the contract – to supply 14 million pens for the next three years, at about $2 per pen.
They're shifting the focus on the more profitable line.
