Diabetes patients in the country have raised the alarm about the soaring prices of drugs, especially lifesaving insulin injections required for routine diabetes care by most patients.
The patients say the inability of some of them to afford the required medications is exposing them to the risk of complications.
The increasing prices of medications have been blamed on inflation, the importation of drugs, and the exit of pharmaceutical companies, among others.
The Diabetes Association of Nigeria had on January 25, 2024, petitioned the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, on the rising cost of diabetes care in the country.
DAN warned of a potentially catastrophic existential threat to the lives of over six million Nigerians living with diabetes due to the increase in the price of diabetes medications and supplies.
The association said the price of insulin had increased from N4,000 to N12,000.
The letter to the Minister partly read, “We, therefore, use this medium to bring this unfortunate development to your notice and appeal for urgent action to reduce the rising cost of insulin and other diabetes medications in Nigeria to make them more affordable and therefore stem this ugly tide of increasing diabetes-related morbidity and mortality.
“This may be achieved through government subsidy and tax waiver on the importation of insulin and possibly other diabetes medications. We also urge the honourable minister to give special consideration to people living with diabetes in the government’s intervention programmes and enrollment in the health insurance scheme.”
Findings by our correspondent on Tuesday revealed that the price of insulin injections is now from N15,000 to N18,000. Also, some insulin pens are sold for over N30,000.
Speaking, the second Vice-President of the association (South-West), Abdulwahab Dauda, said, “The prices of diabetes drugs are not coming down. The price of insulin ranges from N15,000 to N16,000 and N18,000.
“Many of our members cannot afford it, and some have to buy other medications apart from insulin. Many diabetic patients are vulnerable, some of them cannot even afford the right meal.
“The government is yet to do anything about it despite the letter the association wrote to them about this issue.”
Also, the Welfare Officer of the association, Mrs. Adenike Aregbesola, lamented the increasing price of diabetes medications in the country.
She said, “It is not only insulin that is costly. The price of the insulin depends on the brand you are buying. Glucophage that used to be N3,500 is now about N10,000.
“Sometimes, the price you buy the last time is not the price you will buy it when you go again. So, it is destabilising. Many patients cannot afford the medications they need and the government needs to wade in to save us.”
The health minister had in late February said the Federal Government would soon issue an executive order to curb escalating drug prices in the country as a short-term measure to halt soaring prices.
However, over one month down the line, the government has yet to sign the order amidst skyrocketing costs of drugs and economic hardships.