Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has issued a strong call to major pharmaceutical companies Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk, and Sanofi, urging them to take immediate action to improve access to insulin and diabetes care in low- and middle-income countries.
In a statement released on the eve of World Diabetes Day on November 14, MSF highlighted the urgent need to make insulin pens available at a significantly reduced price of $1 per unit (0.94€) to address the growing crisis of accessibility.
The call follows recent data published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Network Open, which suggested that insulin pens could be sold at a price of just $0.94 per unit while still ensuring a profit.
The demand for this price reduction has been further fueled by Novo Nordisk’s announcement of halting production of human insulin pens, which will further limit access to this essential method of administering insulin.
Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk, and Sanofi, which currently dominate the global diabetes market, have faced criticism for their pricing strategies, which critics argue artificially inflate costs and restrict access to affordable treatments.
MSF has stated that these practices hinder millions of diabetic patients from accessing the care they need, particularly in humanitarian settings and low-resource countries, where 80% of people living with diabetes reside.
Dr. Helen Bygrave, MSF’s non-communicable diseases advisor, pointed out the stark contrast between the original intent behind the discovery of insulin over a century ago and today’s situation: “More than 100 years ago, the scientists who discovered insulin wanted everyone with diabetes to have access to treatment.
They sold the patent for just $1.
But today, only half of the people who need insulin worldwide can access it.”
Insulin pens, first developed over 40 years ago to make diabetes management more accessible, are the standard of care in high-income countries but remain largely out of reach in many other parts of the world.
According to MSF, 82% of people with diabetes prefer insulin delivered via pen over syringes due to its accuracy, ease of dosing, and reduced stigma.
As a result, insulin pens have become an essential item on the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Model List of Essential Medicines.
Recent price disparities are stark: in South Africa, insulin pens are priced at $1.99, while in India, they cost $5.77, $14 in the Philippines, and $90.69 in the United States.
MSF’s findings suggest that a reasonable price target for human insulin pens would be as low as $0.94, a price that could significantly increase accessibility in low-income regions.
The shift in Novo Nordisk’s production focus toward higher-priced drugs for diabetes and obesity—such as Ozempic and Wegovy—has prompted serious concerns about the future of insulin access.
As the company redirects its resources to the more profitable GLP-1 treatments, patients in countries like South Africa, which pioneered insulin pen usage in the public sector in 2014, are being forced to ration their insulin pens or revert to less convenient insulin vials and syringes.
This growing inequality in access to vital medical tools for managing diabetes has sparked urgent calls for action.
MSF’s campaign emphasizes the importance of corporate responsibility in ensuring affordable, equitable access to life-saving treatments for all, regardless of geographic location or economic status.
