Why treating diabetes keeps getting more expensive • Hacker News Board

Re: Why treating diabetes keeps getting more expensive

#61

Post by calvano915 » Thu, Jan 25, 2018, 7:31 AM UTC

bruxis wrote: post #9

As a type-1 diabetic of 17 years now, I can confirm that the price of Insulin has been steadily rising over the years. I can also state that the majority of my medical expenses go to insulin pump supplies, not insulin itself. On average, I'm paying roughly $250/mo out of pocket, after 90% insurance coverage for the whole diabetic kit-and-kaboodle. I would be quite troubled if I were to lose my job and/or medical insu…

Thanks for sharing your experience. I have a close friend with type 1 who feels quite trapped in his profession because of dependence on insurance for supplies. It's difficult to see it from afar and not have any solution to offer. Is this a problem unique to the US health care system, or in every first world country?

Re: Why treating diabetes keeps getting more expensive

#62

Post by loverofthings » Sat, Jan 27, 2018, 10:29 AM UTC

bruxis wrote: post #9

As a type-1 diabetic of 17 years now, I can confirm that the price of Insulin has been steadily rising over the years. I can also state that the majority of my medical expenses go to insulin pump supplies, not insulin itself. On average, I'm paying roughly $250/mo out of pocket, after 90% insurance coverage for the whole diabetic kit-and-kaboodle. I would be quite troubled if I were to lose my job and/or medical insu…

T2 diabetes can be resolved with a high carb diet too, but people dislike eating vegetables. There's nothing as satiating as fibre filled meal filled with slow release/absorption carbs. No sugar spike, nothing, after 1500kcal cooked beans meal.

Re: Why treating diabetes keeps getting more expensive

#63

Post by pja » Sun, Jan 28, 2018, 9:27 PM UTC

shadowtree wrote: post #41

pja wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Generics still require FDA approval, which costs on the order of single digit $millions to obtain. Plus you’ve got to set up the plant to create the drug, which costs more $. Would you invest $millions in a product when a competitor (who probably already has plant capacity from when they made the drug while it was under patent) could come in and undercut you at a moments notice? Obviously not - so the system ends up…

Only true for rare and ultra-rare diseases.

As far as I’m aware, all generic manufacturers must prove what the FDA calls bioequivalence: https://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DevelopmentApprovalProcess/HowDrug...