Two formulations of insulin from Eli Lilly would be temporarily out of stock until the beginning of April, the company has said, citing a “brief delay in manufacturing”.
Both the 10ml vials of Humalog and insulin lispro injection will be in short supply, but as it continues to manufacture the vials it “will ship them as soon as we can”, reports CNN.
The American Diabetes Society says more than 8m people in the US rely on insulin to survive, and while other forms are available, it’s not always simple for patients to switch between brands.
Lilly said the company recognises “that any supply challenge may cause a disruption in treatment regimens, and we are moving with urgency to address it.”
People who have trouble getting their prescription filled should contact their healthcare provider to discuss switching to the same insulin in a prefilled pen “or other insulin treatment options”, Lilly said.
More than 6m units of insulin lispro injection, the form facing the supply disruption, were sold in the past three months, with slightly more than half of those being the vials in short supply.
Drug shortages are an increasing problem in the US and often happen with older medicines whose prices have fallen because their patents have expired – but they are still complex to manufacture.
CNN article – Eli Lilly warns of temporary short supply of two insulin products (Open access)
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