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Biohackers take aim at big pharma’s stranglehold on insulin

freethink.com

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Re: Biohackers take aim at big pharma’s stranglehold on insulin

#3
This is sort of meta, but it's cool to see Free Think popping up here. It's a great publication that I think would really be of interest to this community.

More germane to the article, it will be interesting to see what happens over the next 10 years as bio-tech becomes more accessible to hacker types and hobbyists.

Re: Biohackers take aim at big pharma’s stranglehold on insulin

#6
I really wish this would be a higher priority for the current class of billionaire philanthropists: open source science.

Medical research guided by the idea of preventing disease rather than creating expensive life-long treatments, and prioritizing the diseases that cause the most amount of suffering rather than present the best opportunity for profit. And not just medicine, but just about any industry could benefit.

Re: Biohackers take aim at big pharma’s stranglehold on insulin

#8
This is bogus.

Wal-mart sells insulin for $24.88 a vial without prescription currently.

It's only the newer 'guchi' insulin brands that are crazy expensive. Stuff from 1996 that is compared to in this article is actually cheaper than it was in 1996 (adjusted for inflation).

Re: Biohackers take aim at big pharma’s stranglehold on insulin

#9
Insulin is a solved problem, in first-world countries the sale price is fixed and there's public healthcare.

But in America you are supposed to take "personal responsibility" for your own health and biohack your way ouf of type 1 diabetes?! Srsly?

This s a political, not a scientific problem. Call your congresscritter.

Re: Biohackers take aim at big pharma’s stranglehold on insulin

#10
post #8

This is bogus. Wal-mart sells insulin for $24.88 a vial without prescription currently. It's only the newer 'guchi' insulin brands that are crazy expensive. Stuff from 1996 that is compared to in this article is actually cheaper than it was in 1996 (adjusted for inflation).

it’s “Gucci”, like the luxury brand
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