Apidra SoloStar supply news

Looks like Sanofi will have the supply of their Apidra SoloStar pen back to normal levels in the second quarter of 2012. Sanofi has made the FDA aware of their timetable and SoloStar users should be happy again in just a short time.

The company has produced a web page that can help a SoloStar user navigate the supply issues and they've also extended their free Apidra offer as a way to help soften the sting of this inconvenience. We've taken advantage of the free offer even though Arden doesn't use the SoloStar pen... Nothing better then free insulin, right?

Arden's A1c is at it's lowest ever since we switched to Apidra so I'm more then excited and happy to let you all know that it's out there and for a while longer, free. 

Comments

[AbbyBayer]

While this is totally great that Apidra offers free insulin, and I'm super appreciative of you getting the word out, I struggle with people who can afford insulin taking advantage of this offer. I talk to patients in my office daily who have a monthly medication budget of less than $10, who are on the verge of homeless, and who only take insulin every other day because they can't afford it. So I hope that Apidra will let this offer last, and starts to screen people who can afford it out of the program so that the ones who actually need it can benefit. I'm not being rude, at all, because before my job I didn't realize there were that many people who were so in need - but we shouldn't take free things like this if we don't need them, and leave it for people who truly do.

[Scott Benner]

Hi Abby!

You make an excellent point. I don't know what can be done over the long-term but in the here and now free insulin is available to the people that you spoke of and the offer isn't limited... by which I mean that there isn't a cap on how many people can benefit from the program. People who will be able to afford something less then lifesaving, like a dinner out becasue they got their insulin for free this month and those that you passionately spoke of can all benefit simultaneously.

There's no doubt that the insulin is currently being given away as a promotion/apology and it's difficult to accept that the companies that make medications appear to be able to just 'give' it away and don't while people suffer. I too struggle with finding a moral line. On one hand I don't want anyone to struggle in any way. But on the other hand, if medications aren't paid for then the companies that make them won't one day exist. Is there a better way, probably, but our society isn't set up to accommodate it at this time.

I will say that I've more then once considered that my charity concept should also include insulin and that your post is causing me to revisit that notion. We are submitting our application for incorporation in the coming days... maybe I need to add a few words...

Thanks for your passion!

Best,
Scott

[Scott Benner]

Abby,

I'm hearing from people who say that most, if not all, treatment manufacturers also offer patient assistant programs.

Scott