IDDT Australia

INSULIN ANALOGUES AND CANCER
A possible link that needs further investigation. follow the link to the IDDT International Web site.

MAJOR AUSTRALIAN BREAKTHROUGH FOR PORCINE INSULIN!

As many of you know, our aim has always been to try to make sure that beef and pork insulins are available in Australia for people who have had adverse effects when using synthetic human insulins. In Australia beef insulin is easily available in the same way as any other medication, but people who need pork insulin have until now been importing it from Wockhardt in the UK at a high cost.

We are delighted to tell you that Aspen Pharmaceuticals has reached an agreement with Wockhardt, UK, so that Aspen can now supply Hypurin porcine insulin through the Special Access Scheme (SAS) to people in Australia.
See Obtaining natural insulins in Australia

Aspen have also assured us that they will continue supplying animal insulins as long as they are available and as long as there is a need for them, however small this need may be. This really is a great relief and it's wonderful to know that there's a pharmaceutical company that cares about the needs of individual people with diabetes, so many thanks to Aspen.

If you obtain your porcine Hypurin insulin in 3 ml injection pen cartridges, you will find that the recommended Owen Mumford Autopen is now available in Australia.
These pens are available in either 1 step graduations from 1 to 16 units or 2 step graduations from 2 to 32 units.

Replacement needles are available from the National Diabetic Supplies Scheme (NDSS).
B-D MicroFine + Pen Needle 29G (12.7mm) are free to registered diabetics.

The Owen Mumford Autopen is available in Australia from Point of Care Diagnostics based in Artarmon (Freecall: 1800 640 075). Trent Ellison of that company advised that the cost of the pen is around $55.00. Needles to fit the pen are available fee of charge from the NDSS.

updated 28 February 2009

INTERNATIONAL MEETING FOR IDDT

On 13 October 2006 at the Paragon Hotel in Birmingham, UK, I attended a meeting that was held for IDDT representatives from England, Switzerland, Germany, USA and Australia. The issues discussed were for an international approach to the problem of drug companies progressively discontinuing insulins that people are using satisfactorily! There is no guarantee that any replacement insulin can be used successfully, as has been demonstrated many times by people with type 1 diabetes; some whom have lost their life trying. All successful insulin regimens should continue, as the well being of patients is of primary concern, not the profit margin of drug companies!

Jenny Hirst is currently consolidating the suggestions and decisions from that meeting into IDDT policy. Drug companies must be held accountable for their actions!

Further details will be made available when the policy statement is completed in the near future.

Ian Kershaw
IDDTA
7 November 2006

FOR READERS IN AUSTRALIA

On August 25th 2006, the incumbent Australian Health Minister, Tony Abbott announced that following a recommendation by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee [PBAC], long-acting insulins, Lantus and Levemir will be subsidised from October 1st for treatment of Type 1 and Type 2 at a cost of $145million [over £58million] during the next 3 years. Reports describe the negotiations to achieve this as 'protracted and difficult'.
About 210,000 Australians will qualify for these insulins and the government expects about 110,000 to use them in the first year with a rise to 160,000 by 2009. The subsidised cost to patients is expected to be $9.40 for concession card holders and $59 for non-concessional patients for a years supply.

Ian Kershaw
IDDTA

Bovine insulin supplies in Australia
Important Notice - March 31st 2001

On March 22nd 2001 Australia's Chief Medical Officer of Health, Professor Richard Smallwood announced in a media release that a detailed audit of bovine insulin used in Australia has shown that some beef insulin available in Australia may contain small amounts of Dutch-derived bovine insulin. The vast majority of bovine insulin products are sourced from North America which is classified as a BSE-free country but a small number of cases of BSE have been reported in the Netherlands.

The media release pointed out that:

The NHMRC Special Expert Committee on TSE's [Transmissable Spongiform Encephathies] has reviewed this information and that available evidence and evaluation of the manufacturing processes involved indicate a very low risk of BSE transmission through these products.

It is clear that the potential risk from this product is infinitesimally small.

Nowhere in the world is there any direct evidence to link bovine insulin to vCJD. On a theoretical basis, the risk of contracting vCJD from this insulin is estimated to be one in 100 million years of treatment in the worst possible case.

However, Professor Smallwood said that on the other hand, there is a very real risk to the health of people if their current treatment using bovine insulin is disrupted. He recommended that these people should speak to their doctors about the balance of risk should they wish to change to a different form of insulin.

Mr Brian Conway, from Diabetes Australia, said that his organisation would be advising that people who have used bovine insulin in the past should not be alarmed as the risk of BSE transmission is extremely remote.

As a precautionary measure the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) moved quickly to ensure that all stocks of bovine insulin held by the supplier, Aventis, have been quarantined and that all future batches would be certified as sourced from BSE-free countries.

IDDT has contacted Wockhardt, the UK manufacturer of the bovine insulin supplied by Aspen Pharmacare and we have been assured that not all stocks have been quarantined and there will be no difficulties for people in obtaining bovine insulin supplies. If anyone does experience difficulties with supplies they should contact either Aspen Pharmacare in Australia or if necessary Wockhardt in the UK.

DIABETES AUSTRALIA - New South Wales

I am writing from Diabetes Australia-NSW to ask if you would put a link to our site from your site. Our home page URL is: http://www.diabetesnsw.com.au/

Prompted by claims from some of our members that they had been denied animal insulin, I wrote and ran an article in our quarterly publication Issues about the reactions people have had to Synthetic human insulin and information about availability of animal insulin over here.

We receive your IDDT newsletter and endeavour to provide up to the minute information for our members.

Benjamin Wilde
Communications Coordinator/Medical writer
Diabetes Australia-NSW

LOCAL LINKS

Introduction to IDDT-Australia
IDDT Australia - Agenda
IDDT Australia News - 7 July 2009 THIS PAGE
THE GM INJECTION - Special report from Jo-Ann Goodwin (UK Daily Mail August 2002)
IDDT Australia - Australian Government Indifference!
Availability of animal insulins
Obtaining natural insulins in Australia - updated 14 March 2007
Options if your diabetes is unstable on synthetic insulin and you live in Australia
Press cuttings & extracts from The Diabetes Australia magazine CONQUEST
Event Reports (dangers highlighted)
Patient experiences
Action Corner
Putting the situation into perspective
Introducing IDDT - PDF file
Diabetes Internet Resources