Access to diabetes care in lower-income countries still lags for children, despite pharma efforts

The article highlights the shortcomings in how the world’s leading insulin manufacturers are addressing access to diabetes care in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Citing the new report from the Access to Medicine Foundation, Silverman notes that fewer than 10% of the estimated 825,000 children and young people (CYP) with type 1 diabetes (T1D) across 71 LMICs were reached by pharmaceutical access initiatives in 2023. 

The article reports that industry leaders—including Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk, Sanofi, and biosimilar manufacturer Biocon—are supporting 11 initiatives aimed at improving access for CYP. However, more than 40 LMICs remain without any such programmes, leaving many children undiagnosed or untreated and deepening health inequalities between low-income and high-income countries. 

It also echoes the report’s central message: pharmaceutical companies must move beyond donation-based models towards long-term, sustainable solutions embedded within local health systems. The report calls for enhanced product availability, affordable pricing, and the integration of essential treatment and monitoring tools into national care frameworks to ensure that children living with diabetes are not left behind.