Insulin is way too expensive. California has a solution: Make its own

As someone with little actual knowledge of different insulin, I've been told that the cheaper one that Walmart sells is significantly harder to manager and you tend to end up going through lots of spikes & dips with it, which while enough to still live for some is pretty debilitating.

Hopefully California is planning on doing a different style of insulin that better manages that?

America's reluctance to "socialize" things has created a nightmare with our infrastructure + social utility system.

I hope this is done well.

This is the more modern insulin analog, insulin aspart (sold branded as "Novolog"). It is fast acting, and has a different treatment approach than traditional human "regular" insulin. Using it incorrectly or recklessly definitely risks a hypoglycemic incident, which can be fatal. Selling this under the ReliOn brand is new, and it is relatively affordable compared to the sticker prices for the branded versions (upwards of $300 for a box of 5 pens, vs. the $73 walmart is offering)

Walmart also sells, and has for a while, "regular" human insulin under their "ReliOn" brand, which is $25/vial. This is an older style of insulin, less flexible and reactive, and requires a more restrictive lifestyle to make it work . Not following this restrictive diet schedule and rules can put you at risk of a hypoglycemic incident, which can be fatal.

There are other kinds of insulin analogs, including a "slow acting" variety called insulin glargine (sold under the brand names Basaglar, Lantus, etc). It serves to smooth the overall curve of blood sugar on a given day. My own treatment regime includes both insulin aspart and insulin glargine. I do not believe Walmart sells any insulin glargine (yet?)

For what it's worth, as an additional piece of information, a Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM) is another modern tool in the treatment arsenal. They are also incredibly expensive, especially without insurance, but have saved my life several times when I made mistakes or just had bad luck with a dose of insulin aspart, and went very low. Being able to see myself starting to go low, rather than simply reacting when it is too late and I am already affected, is a significant aid.

I think a part of the trick here too is that this report does not appear to discriminate between Type 1 (where insulin is required, and the amount required varies significantly and often increases with age) and Type 2 (where insulin, if it is required at all, is often required less).

Folks in the Type 1 boat are in a much rougher place without insurance than the far larger, and growing, population of Type 2s. And I imagine, skew any reporting that does not make the discrimination between the two.

(This all intended as a supplement to your very good point)

> Though insulin generally costs less than $10 per dose to produce, some versions of the drug have a list price above $200. This is in part because, in the US, a warped market has allowed three companies to dominate the insulin business.

> With California leading the way, a handful of states are considering trying to disrupt the market for essential medications, starting with insulin. The plan would be to manufacture and sell insulin themselves for a price that is roughly equivalent to the cost of production.

I feel like I'm missing something here. My understanding of why insulin is so expensive: laws are created and enforced by the government preventing people from competing in the space.

If you try to make your own insulin, and you take it to market with 3rd party analysis and certification of it being medical grade (and safe) insulin, you'll start seeing an escalation of the state against you. First angry letters from lawyers and eventually, if you continue head strong and ignore everyone telling you to stop, government officials (possibly with guns) will come and forcibly shut you down.

Is California just going to ignore these laws? How will the state not be liable for damages when individuals are?

I'm all in favor of revoking the legal structures that pick the winners in this market. It seems like there are plenty of people passionate in this space that would/could make insulin at near-cost if permitted to.

It's just that, by my understanding, it's the government that doesn't permit them to. It's weird that people in the government (at the state level) are stepping in to do what people in the government (at the federal, but possibly also the state level?) won't let people in the market do.

Edit: substituting “intellectual property laws” with “laws” as it seems there’s more to it than just IP.