Insulin from plants - who cares
I know this story has been on the wires for the last few days, how a company called SemBiosys has been able to produce (human recombinant) insulin from safflowers.Then I see tonight that even Business Week is excited about the development. Look at what it might do to their stock price.
Think about the increased demand for insulin, because if you believe the numbers quoted by SemBiosys that demand will more than double in the next five years.
I think what everyone in marketplace may be overlooking is that
Insulin is not a cure.
I think that as long as the 'market' continues to get excited about these developments, it's not thinking about how to get rid of this terrible disease.
I don't want more insulin, or cheaper insulin, or purer insulin. I don't want insulin.
Insulin is not a cure
What I want is a cure.
Labels: cure, diabetes, insulin pump, SemBiosys
posted by Bernard @ 8:18 PM
13 Comments:
I dunno... I hate being dependent on a few pharmaceuticals for my LIFE, and until a cure is found, I welcome these developments. I agree that insulin is not a cure but it is also not cheap and is a struggle for many people to buy, especially in less developed countries.
I don't know if putting energy into these sorts of projects necessarily detracts from research to find a cure... possibly.
Yes, Bernard but you and the rest of the Type 1 diabetes are only a fraction of the market. Every Type 2 that lives long enough also ends up on insulin.
And I really don't see a cure for Type 2 while I can see one for Type 1 in the distant future.
None of us would argue with that, but I don't believe we'll see one ... this market is too profitable with all the meds, testing supplies, labwork, doctors appts., pump supplies, etc. why on earth would anyone really want to cure it ... its the perfect market people helplessly addicted to these products!
type 2 can be prevented
type 1 can not
if there is going to be one cured first, i certainly hope it is type 1
Bernard,
Don't forget that most of the world's population can't afford the cost of even R and NPH. A typical person with Type 2 of 10 years duration can go through 100-200 units of insulin a day depending on whether they are bolusing or not.
In the 3rd world the cost may be completely out of reach, making diabetes a death sentence.
Cheap insulin could save a lot of lives around the world.
Bernard, you might be interested in my blog about lettuce insulin at http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/5068/11951/lettuce-diabetes/
The researchers claim the method cured type 1 in mice.
We all know that mouse cures don't always translate into human cures, but they're using an approach to cure, not just produce insulin
Me too ,Bernard, me too.
Bernard, I am right with you about wanting a cure more than new insulin... of course we all want that. However until a cure is found I think researching treatment options, methods and the medications including insulin could perhaps come across something that makes our life easier. I am type I also and if they could find a insulin that works better or is easier to get into our bodies I'm all for it as long as the findings are valid, well studied and tested. I am a skeptic by nature so before I'd switch they'd have to prove a heck of a lot to me. In saying that I also want a large portion of research monies to be donated to finding a cure. Most nonprofits have a three prong mission as in education of the public, research and patient support. Insulin is not a cure, only something to keep those with type I alive until that cure can be found and to help people with type II that need insulin have better control and in some cases keep them alive until that cure arrives also. I wasn't real happy with the anomymous comment regarding that type II can be prevented because that is like blaming the illness on its victim. My sister in-law has always been health conscious and has never been over weight, her three brothers and both parents had type II and now she has it also. She honestly did everything right. I have type I but that doesn't mean my diabetes is more important to find a cure for than it is for type II. I want a cure for us all.
That last comment should have been signed "Denise" Sorry for the typo.
Amen Bernard!
Bernard I was thinking today about what you wrote and non-diabetics do have an attitude sometimes of thinking that diabetes isn't so bad because insulin takes care of the problem. That couldn't be further from the truth actually. With that way of thinking many donate their money to fund research into illnesses or diseases they view as more deadly or that they view as more dibilitating such as cancer, MS, ALS, etc. I wouldn't wish this on anyone but if they could spend one day of my life as their own they'd soon think differently. Before my diagnosis if I'd been asked if I could keep up the rigorous schedule I must keep now with shots, diet, exercise, doc appt, tests, etc I would have said "NO WAY" and I'm sure others would say the same. We may have insulin available to us but that in no way simplifies what we must go through on a daily basis. On top of that we constantly are at risk of complications. The same applies even for type II because they too must manage their medication, diet, etc on a daily basis and the risks of complications exist for them as well.
Another thing you wrote that made me really think is about how research is done. Stop and think about what a big commercial profit these companies see from patients with diabetes and their insurance. I would like to think that these researchers are doing their job because they care about those with the diseases they research and hope to find a cure as much as the patients and I'm sure many do but by the same token the companies funding the research are also in it from the business aspect... in other words to make money.
It's a matter of subtle semantics: You want insulin all right -- endogenous, biochemically-regulated insulin, however is MUCH more preferred over our current supply of exogenous, human-regulated.
Also, I'm pretty skeptical about the lack of market incentives to cure type 1 diabetes. Insurance companies certainly have a HUGE incentive for all of their clients to be healthy. I find the whole ignore 'em on the prevention side and sock 'em with expensive dialysis (which is expensive to patients and insurance companies alike) argument to be bogus.
And since type 1s make up a small share of the diabetic population, and the huge growth forecast for diabetes comes from type 2, I don't think the industry would even take much of a hit if type 1 diabetes was cured.
But this is just speculation. What do I know?
Just a thought. While I agree that there is much incentive for existing companies to maintain the status quo (i.e. NOT cure diabetes) I also think that a cure would be BIG bucks. That's why there are numerous companies pursuing a cure. We have encapsulation companies, Vaccine companies, Stem Cell companies, then there are the non-profits with their artificial pancreas, BCG cure in mice, stem cell cures, etc.
I don't know how you can say that there's no money in a cure...there's just no money in a cure for established diabetes Co.
I don't see how that's going to stop new companies, unless J&J and their buddies are out there buying up research, but I don't think that's the case.
Just my 2c.
Jay.
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