Diabetes sufferers to finally get free insulin pens
The social policy ministry is expected to rectify a long-standing, and painful issue for sufferers of diabetes.
In three months’ time, diabetics aged over 16 are expected to be able to benefit from free insulin pens that will do away with the need of injecting syringes up to some five times daily.
Under the free medicine benefit, diabetes sufferers who use insulin solutions Lantus and Aspart have to use syringes, unless they are under 16 years of age. The latter benefit from free pen cartridges.
An insulin pen is used to inject insulin for the treatment of diabetes, thanks to a cartridge that measures the dose that needs to be administered. Unlike syringes, insulin pens offer easier handling and accuracy, and are more discreet to use for diabetics. They also have a 24-hour duration, unlike syringes, where up to five injections could be administered by diabetics every day.
Diabetics had long complained over the lengthy introduction of the pens for the new insulin solutions Lantus and Novo Rapid. For diabetics who had already been using pens with other brands of insulin, changing over to Lantus and Novo Rapid meant having to revert to syringes.
The situation changed in 2008, when MaltaToday reported the story of Bridget Giusti, a mother who campaigned for the introduction of Lantus pens in the list of free medicines, when she instituted a court case against the health department.
Only two weeks ago, the president of the Malta Diabetics Association reported that in June 2009, Lantus and Novo Rapid insulin pens had only been introduced for children under 16 years of age.
“Recently one of our members – a 19-year-old youth – was stopped at a road block and was nearly taken in for questioning because he had a syringe in the car… the prompt intervention of a policeman on duty saved the day because he recognised the syringe as one used for insulin,” Anna Zammit McKeon said. “It is no joke to inject four to five times daily – all we ask for is to be provided with the tools to make life that little bit easier.”
A spokesperson for the parliamentary secretariat for health has now confirmed that the government is waiting for all its stock of phials (syringes) to be finally exhausted before a new order is made for insulin pens, which will be made available to everyone, irrespective of age.
“To decrease the inconvenience to children, we decided to give the pens to under-16s, but we are waiting for the current stock of phials to finish before dispensing the cartridges to everyone,” the spokesperson said.
The Giusti case The beneficial effect of the insulin pen was the reason why Bridget Giusti had taken her case to court in order to secure her son Michael with free insulin pens.
She said that when in 2004, her son was given Lantus, his blood sugar levels were better controlled. “Before he needed to inject four times daily and he still wasn’t stable.”
With the new insulin also came new costs – Lm25.90 (€60) – which would last for 50 days. So her consultant made a request to the authorities for Lantus to be dispensed on the state formula, a request which six months later was denied.
“Personally I thought this was unfair since two patients were already being supplied with the insulin due to recommendations by foreign consultants. And the fact was made clear by the former minister of health Louis Deguara himself.”
In 2006 she instituted a court case against the health division. No sooner had she deposited her court fees for the case to be heard, in September 2006 the Department of Health informed her that it would be issuing a protocol for Lantus to be put in the national formula.
The health department finally decided to provide the insulin for free and her son was one of the first patients to be provided with this insulin, a victory that earned diabetics the right to an insulin that was already being dispensed by the State for free.
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