Insulin for the world's poorest countries

In the industrialised world, type 1 diabetes rarely results in death from k etoacidosis. The same is not true in many countries in the developing world where insulin availability is intermittent, and insulin may not even be in cluded on national formularies of essential drugs. The life expectancy for a newly diagnosed patient with type 1 diabetes in some parts of Africa may be as short as 1 year. The World Bank has identified 40 highly indebted poo r countries (HIPCs) whose national debt substantially exceeds any possibili ty of repayment without heavy impact on health and social programmes. Incid ence and prognosis of type 1 diabetes in HIPCs are lower than in most indus trialised countries, and 0.48% of the world's current use of insulin is est imated to be sufficient to treat all type 1 diabetic patients in these coun tries. A proposal is made for the major insulin manufacturers to donate ins ulin, at an estimated cost of US$3-5 million per year, as part of a distrib ution and education initiative for type 1 diabetic patients in the HIPCs. N o type 1 diabetic patient in the world's poorest countries need then die be cause they, or their government, cannot afford insulin.