Today I received a press release from Lilly about their latest innovation on insulin… 3ml vials… yep… I’m not kidding…
Over the last few years, Lilly has fell behind in the area of type 1 diabetes care. After the introduction of Humalog in 1996 we are yet to see any new significant advancements from the American giant.
The last few attempts have been really disappointing. First, the introduction of the Kwikpen, which although interetsing, only replicates what NovoNordisk and Sanofi-Aventis had already done with their isulins.
And then there was the issue with the discontinuation of Ultralente. Lilly discontinued four of their very old products because there was not enough demand for them anymore. However, they did not replace them with newer products. One can only speculate on whether this was triggered by the success of what is possibly the biggest insulin seller of all times… Lantus.
It’s always sad to see reduction of competition on the diabetes market, because competition is a key driver for innovation, better products and ultimately better care. Lilly’s position is only a confirmation of the sad reality of diabetes drugs… it’s about business.
