Americans with diabetes who have been financially impacted because of COVID-19 can receive a 90-day supply of insulin for free.
The announcement has been made by pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk, one of the world’s largest producers of the drug.
Unlike the UK, healthcare in America is not free and many people rely on health insurance. However, during the global pandemic, jobs have been lost, which therefore means health cover may also have been compromised.
Those who wish to take advantage of the insulin initiative do not have to provide proof of income, but they are being asked to show documentation that proves they have lost their healthcare benefits.
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Doug Langa, Executive Vice President of the North America Operations and President of Novo Nordisk Inc, said: “The pandemic is taking a serious toll on the nation’s health and economy. Millions of people are losing jobs and health coverage, and that’s especially tragic if you have a chronic disease like diabetes. We already have a lot of programs to help people afford insulin but the impact of COVID-19 goes beyond that.
“We know people need more help right now and we want to do something that could make an immediate difference. We also want to dial-up our efforts to make people aware of the help that is available.
“Patients have enough issues to worry about at this moment. We don’t want being able to pay for their insulin to be one of them.”
Kelly Close, President and Founder of Close Concerns, a US organisation that aims to improve patient outcomes by making researchers, clinicians, scientists, companies, patients, and families smarter about diabetes and obesity, said: “Removing barriers is so important right now. The US healthcare system has been long overdue for intervention and this crisis brings things so clearly into focus.
“Navigating our healthcare system is hard enough as it is for people with diabetes, in addition to living in this pandemic and managing a serious chronic disease.”
Also the Founder and Chair of the Board of The diaTribe Foundation, which aims to improve the lives people with diabetes and prediabetes, Kelly added: “What Novo Nordisk is doing is absolutely critical and The diaTribe Foundation applauds this series of moves to help people with diabetes do as well as possible.”
