– How does Insulin not have generic versions compared to something like Tylenol?

Question

– How does Insulin not have generic versions compared to something like Tylenol?

In: 531

Answer 1

There is cheap insulin but insulins are not created equally.

More advanced (analog) versions tend to be protected by patent law and pharmaceutical companies can make incremental modifications to keep those rights.

Circumventing these takes a lot of effort, both from a research/certification perspective and finances.

Creating or rebuilding an insulin is also considerably harder than simply cooking ibuprofen.
You essentially have to manipulate bacteria or yeast to produce it for you.