By Sinjini Mitra
A Pune based patient advocate, Nupur Lalvani stated that the inclusion of rapid-acting insulin analogues and GLP-1 receptor agonists in WHO list of essential medicine will reduce out-of-pocket costs for diabetic care.
The world health organization (WHO) has added rapid-acting insulin analogues and GLP-1 receptor agonists to its Essential Medicine List (EML), a move which is hailed as a landmark in diabetic care and a victory for patient advocacy.
Lalvani, 38, the founder of the “Blue circle diabetes foundation” represented India at the WHO’s 25th Expert committee on the selection and use of essential medicines in Geneva on 5th May, where she pressured for the improvement of the access to modern diabetic therapies. Since she was 8 years old she has been living with a type 1 diabetes, and on the matter of adding diabetes drugs to the essential list, Lalvani stated that “This is a historic decision and it is going to be a proof that patient advocacy matters as the WHO’s decision finally recognizes that diabetes care is a necessity and not a luxury”.
In a formal statement on the behalf of several Indian diabetes organizations, she highlighted the urgent need for the access to rapid-acting insulin analogues and Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists, and a certain class of medications which are used to treat Type-1 and Type-2 diabetes and obesity, she prepared the whole case by keeping in mind about her own personal lived experiences and the collective voice of the community who are going through same situation as herself.
According to Lalvani, the decision follows years of global and Indian advocacy to lower out-of-pocket costs for life-saving medicine. “Millions in lower and middle-income countries has struggled to afford essential diabetes drugs, and with WHO’s recent decision all the patients will finally get some relief ” stated by Lalvani, urging the India’s ministry of health and family welfare to add these drugs to the National list of essential medicines so that people can finally feel some relief in their daily lives without any delay, and according to Nupur this update also moves us closer to universal health coverage, and it ensures that essential diabetic care is not a privilege but a simple right.
Akansha Sabharwal Shekatkar, a mother of an eight year old boy who lives with the type-1 diabetes, said that “Insulin is a necessity drug for people suffering from diabetes and it should be accessible and affordable to everyone, as it is a necessity and every human has the right to live and afford essential medication.”
The decision also sets the stage for discussion at the upcoming UN general assembly high-level meeting on non communicable diseases in New York, where Nupur and the other advocates will be representing the diabetes community.