Biocon chief Kiran Shaw vows to cut cost of rh-Insulin

New Delhi: Biocon Chief, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Philanthropist and Founder of Biocon, recently, announced her personal commitment towards enabling universal access to high-quality insulin by offering recombinant human Insulin (rh-Insulin) at less than 10 US cents/day in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). These countries, which form most of the world, contribute to 80% of the global disease burden.

The announcement was made at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) side meeting on innovation and universal health access convened by UNAIDS Health Innovation Exchange, in the presence of the President of Ethiopia, the First Lady of Namibia, Health Ministers from Botswana and Malawi, and representatives from the Private Sector and Development Agencies. The forum on 'Accelerating Innovations and Investments for Access to Healthcare' was co-sponsored by UNAIDS and the Center for Global Health and Development.

Biocon Biologics’ recombinant human insulin has been developed using the scientific expertise and world-class R&D and manufacturing facilities that have allowed it to bring multiple biosimilar medicines to the US and Europe. The Company is committed to use its science, scale and expertise to shift the access paradigm for patients in need of insulins. Biocon is a global insulins player with over 15 years of experience in addressing the needs of patients with diabetes, have provided over 2 billion doses of human insulin worldwide, thus far.

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The announcement by Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw is guided by her conviction that a life-enabling product like insulin cannot be priced out of the reach of those that need it on an everyday basis, whether in the United States or in Africa.

Biocon’s Recombinant Human insulin offer of less than 10 US cents/day in LMICs is for vials sourced by the government directly from Biocon, assuming an insulin dosage of 40 IU per day.

Currently, the blended median patient prices in LMICs are US$ 9** per 10 ml vial translating to 36 US cents/ day. The current US list price in retail is over US$ 5*** / day.

Biocon, an India-based global biopharmaceuticals company is committed to affordability and access and will work with healthcare systems and payers worldwide to ensure that Insulin pricing is not a constraint to the well-being of individuals and of communities.

She also called upon insulin delivery devices manufacturers to join the movement towards ensuring affordable access to insulins by ensuring lower prices for the insulin pens and needles required to administer the drug.

Biocon Biologics is willing to work with governments to ensure ways to overcome price barriers, including through special pricing and setting up low-cost manufacturing facilities via public-private partnerships in order to address the huge cost burden borne by people with diabetes.

In high-income regions like the US, Biocon believes it can make a dramatic impact on the current insulin pricing crisis if its ongoing discussions with the regulators allow the Company to scientifically bridge its clinical data to US reference product. This will reduce clinical development costs and bring the product years earlier to patients who cannot afford insulin therapy.

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