'Diabetes in the US - death sentence': why participants in the 'insulin caravan' go to Canada for medicine

The high price of insulin across the country forces people with 1 type insulin-dependent diabetes ride to Canada, where a vital drug costs 10 times less. Last weekend, a new “insulin caravan” set off towards the border. CBS News talked to its members.

Фото: Depositphotos

From 2012 to 2016 year, the price of insulin in the United States almost doubled. Last weekend, about a dozen people got on a bus from Minneapolis, Minnesota, and drove 817 miles (1315 km) to London, in the province of Ontario in Canada, to buy a drug without which they could not survive.

“For us, insulin is like air. We need it like we need oxygen,” said Deb Sauter, who has lived with Type 1 diabetes for 46 years.

A woman uses three bottles of insulin per month. Even with insurance, she pays more than 700 dollars a month for drugs, without which she will die.

“Even with insurance, it’s very, very concerning if you only have one or two bottles in your refrigerator,” she said.

Deb Souter, one of the caravan participants. Photo: video frame CBS News

Passengers on this bus traveled more than a thousand kilometers. But for them it’s not about distance—it’s much more serious. They went to Canada, where insulin was first developed and introduced to humans almost a hundred years ago.

“For some people, type 1 diabetes, diagnosed in 2019 in America, is a death sentence,” said Quinn Nystrom, who coordinated the trip.

On the subject: 'Insulin Caravan': Dozens of Americans Go to Canada for Cheap Insulin

This is the second caravan to Canada in the last two months. According to Nystrom, in the United States one bottle of the drug costs $340, and in Canada it costs only $30. The only difference in the drugs, she says, is the place of purchase.

Quinn Nystrom, trip coordinator. Photo: video frame CBS News

In May, a similar caravan already crossed the Canadian border. This time more people joined. People are forced to travel from the US to neighboring Mexico and Canada to buy medicines at reasonable prices, and they will continue to do so in the future, the woman added in an interview with Reuters.

Most of the caravan participants bought a three-month supply of insulin, thus saving about 3000 dollars each. The total savings from the trip were approximately 15-20 thousand dollars, reports Voice of America.

Insulin is cheaper in Canada, primarily because the country has a public health care system, so the government is negotiating prices with pharmaceutical companies and restricting these prices. In the US, drug manufacturers have individual negotiations with private insurance companies about pricing for uninsured individuals.

Insulin Caravan. Photo: video frame CBS News

Approximately 7,5 of millions of Americans with diabetes is only alive thanks to insulin. The drug is mainly supplied by three companies that offer their own patient care programs.

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One of these three companies, Novo Nordisk, said: "We recognize that our health care system is broken ... We know that more needs to be done to ensure insulin availability, and we strive to be part of that solution."

Some states are taking their own steps to reduce costs. Florida passed a law that would legally allow large shipments of drugs from Canada to the state, and Colorado limited insulin spending to 100 dollars per month.

Nystrom believes that the problem should not be politically controversial.

“There are diabetic Republicans, there are diabetic Democrats, and we all struggle to get insulin to people who need it,” she said. “For me this is a human rights issue.”

Nystrom says she's lucky she can travel to a neighboring country, but that still isn't a solution.

“Coming to Canada is not a long-term solution,” she said. “It’s like putting a band-aid on a gunshot wound.”

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