Biohackers are attempting to make their own insulin

[Techno-Druid]

(Source)

Type 1 diabetes means that your body doesn’t produce insulin, a hormone needed to transform sugar into energy. That means you have to inject insulin or risk devastating health complications.

Unfortunately, the skyrocketing cost of insulin in the U.S. has made affording it difficult, if not impossible, for many.

That situation has led to the creation of the Open Insulin Project, a team of Bay Area biohackers’ attempt to take on Big Pharma by making their own insulin — a project that could literally be a matter of life or death.

So far, the Open Insulin Project has managed to genetically engineer yeast cells to produce an insulin precursor. If it’s able to perfect the next steps in the process, the group plans to publish a DIY handbook others could use to create their own insulin.

“You don’t require much in terms of equipment or labor to produce quite a substantial amount of insulin,” Anthony Di Franco, the group’s founder, recently told Deutsche Welle. “In the corner of a room you could make enough for 50,000 to 100,000 people.”

Still, the process of making insulin might seem simple, but that doesn’t make using homemade insulin safe.

“Manufacturing pharmaceuticals is difficult, painstaking, and dangerous,” Stanford University professor Hank Greely told DW. “If you get the dosing or the strength on insulin wrong, it’s death. If you let contaminants into the insulin, it’s possible death. If your insulin breaks down too quickly in storage, it’s death.”

Should people be permitted to make their own experimental pharmaceuticals?

[rhorle]

Should people be permitted to make their own experimental pharmaceuticals?

Why is that even a question? The only reason pharmaceuticals exist is because someone made their own. It shouldn't matter if it is a startup or an established company. In order for them to legally sell it they would need to get FDA approval. So it is really a non-issue. If they self test and die that was their choice.

[shadowmouse]

“Manufacturing pharmaceuticals is difficult, painstaking, and dangerous,” Stanford University professor Hank Greely told DW. “If you get the dosing or the strength on insulin wrong, it’s death. If you let contaminants into the insulin, it’s possible death. If your insulin breaks down too quickly in storage, it’s death.”

Missing from the quote is the part that would read something like this: "Of course, if you are Type 1 diabetic and can't afford insulin, not taking any at all is probably an early death and trying to juggle inadequate dosing could lead to losing body parts before possibly reaching death. So, it really comes down to which risk of death we expect people to accept."

To answer the question posed, they shouldn't be in that situation in the first place and in many parts of the world they aren't. Pricing in the US creates this mess. If the choice is bungeebungee or death by bungeebungee -- I mean risking homebrew vs not getting necessary medical care -- homebrew is probably the better option.

[Tidestorm]

(Source)

Should people be permitted to make their own experimental pharmaceuticals?

No. Too many safety hazards. Thats the reason the FDA was created.

Also seeing a lot of misinformation about the price of insulin in the US. A lot of fearmongering going on, although I know people enjoy that. Especially you left wing types.

A 1000 unit vial of insulin regular, NPH or 70/30 costs $24.88 at Walmart -- go look it up. Its over the counter, no prescription needed. If you had a diabetic who used 20 units per day, thats a cost of roughly 50 cents per day for the drug.

And this would be for a patient without insurance.

Although that cost adds up over time, lets not pretend that most people are having to sell everything they own and eat nothing but ramen to be able to afford insulin. Many people can afford it just fine.

[Usernameforforums]

Well we are trying to make working organs and shit, what’s wrong here?

[Goldielocks]

You wouldn’t be able to sell them reliably without the FDA’s approval, otherwise they’d be no better than weight loss supplements and the like. I don’t think it’s illegal to make the insulin but without proper protocols I’d imagine it’s more than illegal to sell any makeshift drug.

[Wyrt]

We could also just not let big pharma get away with murder and actually regulate drug prices like the rest of the developed world.

[psiko74]

I've had Type 1 Diabetes for 20 years, I was hoping there would be a cure by now.

[Calfredd]

Also seeing a lot of misinformation about the price of insulin in the US. A lot of fearmongering going on, although I know people enjoy that. Especially you left wing types.

*cough* War on Christmas *cough*

[Netherweave Cloth]

I've had Type 1 Diabetes for 20 years, I was hoping there would be a cure by now.

There probably IS a cure for diabetes and other medical issues, but once something is cured, the money stops.

Big pharma and hospitals make billions every year off of sick people, on top of all the money they get for "research", curing things takes away their profit.

[Micronetic]

No. Too many safety hazards. Thats the reason the FDA was created.

The same FDA is trying to ban flavor in vapes because of dem kidz but not flavor in alcohol etc.

There probably IS a cure for diabetes and other medical issues, but once something is cured, the money stops.

We see it in the vape market and how they trying to ban stuff there because big tobacco is losing money.

[Illuminance]

There probably IS a cure for diabetes and other medical issues, but once something is cured, the money stops.

Big pharma and hospitals make billions every year off of sick people, on top of all the money they get for "research", curing things takes away their profit.

This is incredibly ignorant. The only reason you have any treatment options at all is because of research. The medical industry also develops many "cures": antibiotics, vaccines, etc.

[smityx]

(Source)

Should people be permitted to make their own experimental pharmaceuticals?

It's becoming legal in some states in the US. Hopefully nationwide soon.

[Evil Midnight Bomber]

(Source)

Should people be permitted to make their own experimental pharmaceuticals?

If someone wants to experiment on themselves...fine.

If someone wants to experiment on their children... not so fine. There may be some room there for exceptions to be made...but as a general rule...no...people should not be injecting their children with homebrewed pharmaceuticals.

[shadowmouse]

There is the risk that some people who could afford it might try to homebrew it to save on costs.

I agree, that's why I said that the situation should not even exist. I suppose that there will always be some people who think that homebrew is somehow more natural, just plain cool, or whatever, but that such a movement exists and seems to have support suggests to me that there is a price issue for some. Then again, I don't understand anti-vaxxers either.

[Aurrora]

eat nothing but ramen

Well, there's the problem.

[unbound]

(Source)

Should people be permitted to make their own experimental pharmaceuticals?

No, but people also shouldn't be permitted to make obscene profits off the sick either. Yet, here we are...

[eoyeffteedubz]

I work in virology which involves cell culturing, aseptic techniques, sterility tests, and a lot more that the average joe just wouldn’t be able to do. Honestly if you wanted to make sterile insulin that you know is 100% safe to pump into your body the cost of renovating your trailer/basement/garage and getting supplies would be way more than just buying insulin from the pharmacy.

[Kheirn]

I actually work at a pharma company in the quality control department and drug safety is taken very, very seriously, because if anything goes wrong it could potentially risk the patient's life. We test everything for defects, contaminations, purity and more to make sure everything is as it should be. Producing drugs at home, especially if it's produced by microorganisms, has so many safety hazards I wouldn't even know where to begin. Especially since it's injected directly into your blood. If people want to do this at their own risk, fine, but I would never do it unless I was literally on the brink of death with no other option available.

[Independent voter]

The spike in insulin prices is supposed to be temporary.

They first got insulin from sheep pancreases if memory serves. Not sure how you could do this at home unless you bought a bunch of sheep pancreases from somewhere.

And the equipment that makes sure the manufactured insulin is pure and the right concentration has to cost a ton of money I assume.