Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh recently met with International Diabetes Federation President-elect Dr Niti Pall, who emphasized the growing interest of Asian and African countries in India’s cost-effective diabetes care solutions. Dr Pall highlighted the need for alternative manufacturing hubs to address the high prices of insulin in various regions, stressing the importance of enhancing India’s capabilities in insulin manufacturing, particularly biosimilar insulins and Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) instruments.
Dr Pall also raised concerns about the concentration of insulin production among a few global companies, leading to supply chain and affordability challenges, especially for Type 1 diabetes patients. She emphasized the significance of biosimilar insulin as a lower-cost alternative to ensure the availability of quality products.
Dr Singh acknowledged India’s pharmaceutical strengths but noted the relatively limited domestic insulin manufacturing capacity. He mentioned the Department of Biotechnology’s support in enhancing insulin production capacity and discussed the potential for deeper collaboration among Indian researchers, industry stakeholders, and international partners in various areas, including clinical trials and technology development.
Dr Pall highlighted the rapid expansion of low-cost devices from countries like China, underscoring the need for Indian companies to scale up production of comparable devices, including CGMs. Dr Singh emphasized the importance of stronger industry participation and targeted support to meet the demand for such devices in the market.
