Some experts estimate that 30 million Americans have some form of diabetes or prediabetes. The Centers for Disease Control indicate that 12% of those with diabetes take insulin. That’s 3.6 million Americans to be prescribed, and to buy, insulin each year. In a recent year it was said to be a $24 billion market.

Three companies are constantly racing one another to have an insulin proven to work better, and therefore be the most prescribed (and sold)!  Consumer products  can make dubious claims in their commercials or position their products based upon slick imagery and lifestyle branding, rather than facts. For Pharmaceuticals there is at least an attempt at oversight from the Federal Drug Administration, which requires drugs and other therapies to be proven safe and effective.

Current insulins on the market are the end products of billions of dollars of research and development. Diabetes still stinks, and so-called “human analog” insulins are still far inferior to the real thing delivered by your real organs, but it’s good to remember the scale of the research that has gone in to keeping diabetes sufferers as healthy as possible.