ZCZC
BFF-18
BRITAIN-EU-BREXIT-POLITICS-HEALTH-DIABETES
Diabetics stock up on insulin over Brexit fears
LONDON, Feb 26, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Diabetics and insulin providers in Britain
are stockpiling the precious medicine to avoid potential shortages in case
Britain leaves the European Union without a deal in just over month’s time.
“I started about two months ago,” David Burns, a 37-year-old teacher living
in London, told AFP.
“I used to pick up insulin once a month. Now I’m picking it up about once
every two weeks and I am just going to keep doing this until I can be
reassured that it is going to be OK.
“But it’s likely we are heading for a no-deal Brexit and our country is in
a very precarious position.”
Many of Britain’s 3.7 million diabetics, who include Prime Minister Theresa
May, depend almost entirely on insulin imports from continental Europe.
The hormone, which is usually produced by the pancreas, helps diabetics
regulate their blood-sugar levels.
A no-deal Brexit would almost certainly mean re-establishing customs and
health controls, which could lead to delays at the border.
London and Brussels have both said they want to avoid this scenario but
nerves are fraying as the March 29 departure date looms.
“We definitely do hear that people are making sure that their stocks are a
bit higher than usual,” Robin Hewings, chief policy officer at Diabetes UK,
told AFP.
– ‘May disrupt medicines supply’ –
Hewings played down fears of a “national shortage” but warned that there
could be localised issues.
Suppliers in Britain have tried to get ahead of the problem, exceeding the
government’s recommendation to have enough inventory to last six weeks.
Novo Nordisk, which supplies more than half of the insulin used in Britain,
has doubled its reserves.
“We will continue to build stock ahead of 29 March when we expect to have
around two and a half times our normal stock levels (roughly 17 weeks) in
readiness for a potential no-deal Brexit,” the group said.
French group Sanofi, which produces insulin near Frankfurt, Germany, has
also stocked up on drugs in Britain, including enough insulin to last 16
weeks.
US firm Eli Lilly, another insulin producer, said it had “done everything
in its power to prepare for Brexit” but warned that “circumstances outside of
our responsibility may disrupt medicines supply”.
“A no-deal Brexit would result in the UK’s complete and sudden
disassociation from decades of partnership with the EU on medicines
regulation and drug safety monitoring,” it added.
– ‘Not something I want to test’ –
Diabetes UK and another group, JDRF, have called on the government to
provide more details on its preparations in case of a no-deal.
They point out that in addition to insulin, people with diabetes use other
drugs and imported products such as needles, insulin pumps, and devices used
to measure blood glucose levels.
The health ministry has sought to reassure those affected, and has welcomed
the efforts of the pharmaceutical industry.
“We are confident that, if everyone does what they should do, the supply of
medicines will be uninterrupted in the event of a no-deal,” a ministry
spokesman told AFP.
The ministry’s plans include fast-track emergency medicine deliveries by
sea and by air in case of congestion at the border.
But not all patients are comforted by the government’s words.
“If I don’t have insulin then I would go immediately to hospital because,
you know, I could be sick in a matter of days and dead in a matter of weeks,”
said Burns.
“This is not something I want to test.”
BSS/AFP/GMR/1002 hrs