Insulin 4 All: Obtaining Drugs From Other Countries

Abstract

Alec Raeshawn Smith. Shane Patrick Boyle. Antavia Lee Worsham. Seely Weatherell. Danielle DeShae Dunbar. What do these 5 people have in common? They’ve all lost their lives because of the outrageous cost of insulin in the United States. Sadly, these are just a few of the names of people who’ve died in recent years, as the cost of insulin continues to soar. When I was first diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 1999 at the age of 13, my insulin cost around $20. Today, that same vial is around $340, and I go through 2 vials a month (I wear an insulin pump). And this is just ONE of my diabetes prescriptions. Over the years, I’ve become increasingly more passionate about this topic as the sticker shock has touched me personally and I’ve read the devastating stories of others who struggle to afford their insulin—including some that die because they can’t.