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The Fight To 'Save' My_Life

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> GMW:_THE_FIGHT_TO_'SAVE'_MY_LIFE

> " GM_WATCH " <info

> Wed, 1 Sep 2004 15:25:59 +0100

 

>

> GM WATCH daily

> http://www.gmwatch.org

> ---

 

IMPORTANT PART HERE******

 

> The first article below, while excellent in other

> ways, does not make clear that the problematic

> ('human') insulin is genetically engineered.

>

> The second article mostly repeats what's in the

> first but is of interest for its reference to a

> hidden " agenda " in the disappearance of animal

> insulin. No one says what it is, but could it be the

> fostering of the miserably unsuccessful medical GE

> industry?

>

> More info on the often severe problems arising from

> GE insulin:

> Bellagio report on human insulin commissioned by

> Rockefeller Foundation

>

http://members.tripod.com/diabetics_world/Bellagio_report_Animal.htm

> Also see

>

http://www.gene-watch.org/genewatch/articles/16-6romano.html

>

http://www.btinternet.com/~clairejr/Insulin/insul_1.html

> ---

 

 

 

 

 

> THE FIGHT TO 'SAVE' MY LIFE

> Exeter Express & Echo

> 10:23 - 27 August 2004

>

http://www.thisisexeter.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=137015 & command=displayConte\

nt & sourceNode=136999 & contentPK=10845676

>

> A city diabetic fears her quality of life will be

> devastated because the insulin she uses may not be

> available for much longer.

>

> Shelley Cox thought she was going to die when she

> had an adverse reaction to a human form of the

> medication. In less than a year of taking the drug

> she went from an active, outgoing woman to a virtual

> bedridden recluse.

>

> She could not tolerate bright lights, struggled with

> her concentration and memory, and had no energy.

> Mrs Cox, from Alphington, felt so ill she was

> convinced she would never feel well again. But then

> she saw an advert in the Echo promoting animal

> insulin and realised there was a choice of

> medication.

>

> Feeling she had nothing to lose she asked to be

> switched to it - and within 12 hours of taking her

> first injection she felt she had got her life back.

> But now she fears the life-changing animal insulin

> will soon not be available.

>

> One of the two companies which supplies the drug to

> the UK market has recently sent a letter saying it

> is in the process of deciding whether to withdraw

> it.

>

> Danish-based Novo Nordisk sent the letter to a

> diabetic in Sussex, after he wrote asking about

> their future plans. The company, which currently

> supplies about 15,000 of the 30,000 diabetics on

> animal insulin, said the final decision would not be

> made until next summer, and if the decision is to

> withdraw, it will not take place until 2007. The

> company has already stopped production for America,

> Canada and some parts of Europe.

>

> Although the other company, CP Pharmaceuticals,

> which supplies the remaining UK diabetics, said it

> had no plans to discontinue its supply - it cannot

> produce enough for all the Novo Nordisk users.

> Mrs Cox and her husband, Peter, the Conservative

> parliamentary candidate for Exeter, are calling on

> the Government to help safeguard the supply of

> animal insulin. And they are backed by the shadow

> health minister, Tim Loughton.

>

> Mrs Cox, who was diagnosed with type one diabetes in

> January 2003, said she could not face going back on

> the crippling human insulin, or having to try out

> one of the new breeds of analogue insulin, produced

> by genetic engineering.

>

> " Even if going back on human insulin keeps me alive,

> given the quality of life for me, I would rather not

> be alive, " she said.

>

> The effect was also traumatic for her husband. Mr

> Cox said: " I was terrified. I thought she was dying.

>

> " I was watching my wife and my world slowly

> disintegrate and there was nothing I could do about

> it, except be there for Shelley and put on a brave

> face. Total despair is the only way to describe it.

> Anyone who has lived through the illness of a loved

> one will understand what I mean. The feeling of

> helplessness was the worst part. Nobody seemed able

> to shed any light on what was wrong, that is until I

> saw the advert for the animal insulin and my despair

> turned to intense relief, then anger. "

>

> He added: " Having gone from the pits of despair to

> relief, to being on top of the world, we are now

> finding out that the animal insulin might not be

> available. It's almost worse than it was before. "

>

> The couple's nightmare began in September last year,

> when, just nine months after being diagnosed, Mrs

> Cox began to feel constantly tired and lethargic.

>

> Over the next six months her condition steadily

> worsened. She developed a strong dislike of bright

> lights, and had to wear sun glasses or keep the

> curtains shut at home.

>

> She gave up driving because of her poor

> concentration - which was so bad she would forget

> what she was saying mid sentence.

>

> She was too ill to work and underwent tests for

> everything from rheumatoid arthritis, to ME.

> Eventually she was virtually bedridden.

>

> Getting out of bed and getting dressed left her

> feeling as though she had just run a half-marathon,

> she said.

>

> " I just fell so ill all the time, " she said. " I had

> never felt so ill. I couldn't think, everything was

> cloudy. I genuinely thought I had cancer or a

> tumour. It was the worst nightmare I have ever been

> through. And not knowing what was causing it just

> made it worse. "

>

> She said she was so relieved when she found out it

> was her reaction to the insulin which caused her all

> the problems.

>

> " I thought 'Thank God I am not going mad.' " she

> said.

>

> Mrs Cox was put on animal insulin in April and,

> within 12 hours felt more energetic than she had for

> months. Mr Cox said: " Her first injection was in the

> evening, and the very next morning we went to the

> garden centre - something we had not done for

> months. The day after that we took the dogs to the

> beach and on the third day we rode our horses

> together.

>

> " The change was remarkable and almost immediate. "

> Mrs Cox added: " I felt so much better. I felt as if

> I had got my life back. "

>

> The couple have since reported their experiences to

> the diabetic clinic at the RD & E, and asked staff to

> log her reaction.

>

> Jenny Hirst, from the Insulin Dependent Diabetes

> Trust, which actively promotes animal insulin as an

> alternative to the human form, said: " It's bad

> enough having diabetes, but to live in fear that you

> may not have the medicine to keep you feeling

> alright, I think is beyond reason. "

>

> Like many new diabetics, Mrs Cox was not told about

> the animal insulin and put straight on the human

> form. However, she had no problem accessing it at

> the diabetic clinic when she asked to try it.

>

> Only three out of about 800 people treated at the

> clinic are on animal insulin, and Mrs Cox's reaction

> is regarded as highly unusual.

>

> But she would like all new diabetics to be told

> there is a choice of insulin to take - and to have

> that, a continued supply of the animal insulin needs

> to be guaranteed.

>

> The medical director at Novo Nordisk, Dr Alan

> McDougall, told the Echo that they hadn't yet taken

> any decision on supplies that would affect the UK.

> But he added: " We can never given any guarantee. We

> are aware that there are many people in the UK that

> use Novo Nordisk animal products. "

>

> He said when the company makes a decision it will

> make sure that everyone has at least 18 months'

> notice. He added: " We will make sure there is a

> solution for everybody. It may be the new analogue

> insulin. "

>

> Mr McDougall refused to comment on how much it cost

> his company to manufacture animal insulin as

> compared with human insulin, saying that was

> 'commercially sensitive.'

>

> He did say, however, that in the UK, it works out

> cheaper to supply animal insulin than human insulin.

> A spokeswoman for the Department of Health said they

> were not aware of any problems with the supply of

> animal insulin.

>

> " There are two companies supplying it in the United

> Kingdom, " she said.

>

> " We are in regular contact with these companies and

> both have confirmed that they will continue to

> supply animal insulin for the foreseeable future. "

> She pointed to the Government's committee on safety

> of medicines (CMS), which has concluded that

> although some patients experienced problems on

> transferring to human insulin and were better suited

> to animal-derived insulin, there was no evidence of

> a safety concern specific to human insulin.

>

> And she said they had no powers to force a company

> to continue to market a product if, for any reason,

> it is unable to do so.

> ---

> LIFE-SAVING INSULIN TO BE WITHDRAWN

> Exeter Express and Echo

> 12:00 - 28 August 2004

>

http://www.thisisexeter.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=137015 & command=displayConte\

nt & sourceNode=136999 & contentPK=10851169

>

> A leading politician is taking up the case of a

> Devon diabetic who fears her life is as good as over

> if the type of insulin she needs is withdrawn.

>

> As the Echo reported yesterday, Shelley Cox thought

> she was going to die when she had an severe adverse

> reaction to a human form of the medication.

>

> Within a year of first taking the drug she went from

> an active, outgoing woman to a virtually bedridden

> recluse. But within 12 hours of switching to animal

> insulin she was back to her old self again.

>

> But now she is concerned that the life-changing

> insulin will soon be unavailable after hearing one

> of the companies which supplies it, is considering

> stopping.

>

> Mrs Cox, whose husband Peter is the Tory

> parliamentary candidate for Exeter, is calling on

> the Government to help safeguard future supplies of

> the insulin for the 30,000 diabetics across the UK.

> And she is being backed by shadow health minister

> Tim Loughton, who has promised to take up her case

> with health minister Rosie Winterton.

>

> When Mrs Cox's health deteriorated she had no idea

> it was because of a severe reaction to the human

> insulin she was using.

>

> She had been diagnosed as diabetic in January 2003

> and at that time was not aware there were different

> types of insulin.

>

> It was only after seeing an advert in the Echo by

> the Insulin Dependent Diabetes Trust (IDDT) that she

> found out about the animal insulin.

>

> The charity works to promote animal insulin and also

> lobbies to safeguard its future.

>

> Mrs Cox was able to change over to this insulin

> easily at Exeter's diabetic clinic, which is based

> at the Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital - and the

> improvement in her health was immediate.

>

> But now she has discovered that the Danish

> company Novo Nordisk, one of two drug companies

> which supplies animal insulin in the UK, has said it

> may stop producing it. It has already stopped

> production in the US, Canada and parts of Europe.

>

> The final decision is due to be made next year, and

> production could stop in 2007. If it does, it could

> leave around 15,000 people across the UK without

> their preferred medication. Although the other

> company, CP Pharmaceuticals, said it had no plans to

> discontinue production it cannot produce enough for

> all the Novo Nordisk users.

>

> Mr and Mrs Cox, along with the chairman of the IDDT,

> Jenny Hirst, met with Mr Loughton in London to

> discuss their fears. He had already been contacted

> by the charity and other diabetics, and, on their

> behalf, had contacted the Department of Health.

>

> He was told then that they were not aware of a

> problem with the supply of animal insulin. Officers

> were in regular contact with the two companies that

> supply the insulin to the UK and both had confirmed

> they would be supplying it 'for the foreseeable

> future'.

>

> But after hearing the full details of what happened

> to Mrs Cox, and just how crippling an adverse

> reaction to the human insulin can be, Mr Loughton is

> set to take her case to the health minister.

> He has letters from her husband highlighting just

> how bad her condition got. Mr Cox told him how she

> was so tired and in so much pain that she could not

> get out of bed.

>

> " I was terrified - I thought she was dying, " he

> said. " I was watching my wife and my world slowly

> disintegrate and there was nothing I could do about

> it. Total despair is the only way to describe it. "

>

> And Mrs Cox said she had felt so bad on the human

> insulin, that she could not contemplate going back

> on it.

>

> " Even if going back on human insulin keeps me alive,

> given the quality of life for me on human insulin, I

> would rather not be alive, " she added.

>

> Mr Loughton will present Mrs Cox's case and ask the

> health minister for details of the safeguards the

> Government has put in place to ensure animal insulin

> continues to be made available to everyone who

> demands it.

>

> He has also backed Mrs Cox's call for better

> education for diabetics so they can choose from the

> full range of insulin products.

>

> This is especially important as the numbers of

> people expected to be diagnosed with the disease

> across the world over the next three years is set to

> increase from two to three million.

>

> Mr Loughton said the Government could not tell a

> company what drugs it should produce. However, there

> were things it could do to ensure the production of

> animal insulin.

>

> He pointed to the Government's decision in 2002 to

> buy an American blood plasma supply company for

> about GBP50m, to prevent the threat of variant

> Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD), a brain-wasting

> disease, being spread through blood products. Mr

> Loughton is also trying to find out why Novo Nordisk

> is now considering stopping its supply.

>

> The company's medical director, Dr Alan McDougall,

> has already said that in the UK, it works out

> cheaper to supply animal insulin than human insulin.

>

> " If it was a cost factor that animal insulin cost

> five times more than human insulin, we could see why

> they might want to do it, " said Mr Loughton.

>

> " But there's no reason why. It's bizarre. There's

> some other agenda there which I don't fully

> understand, " he added.

>

> The national charity Diabetes UK has its own opinion

> as to why the company is currently reconsidering its

> supply.

>

> A spokeswoman said: " A decline in usage is likely to

> be the reason Novo Nordisk will be looking at the

> possibility of withdrawing its animal insulin

> range. "

>

> The human insulin has only been introduced in the

> last few decades and it is the one most new

> diabetics are prescribed.

>

> Diabetes UK believes more could be done to make

> doctors and patients aware of the other insulin

> available.

>

> " If people with diabetes are struggling to control

> their condition with one particular insulin they

> should be aware of the range of options available to

> them, including animal insulin, " said the spokesman.

>

> " We'd much rather Novo Nordisk continued to produce

> animal insulin and this is the position we continue

> to put to them. The more choice for people with

> diabetes the better. "

>

> But Mr Cox believes the company is taking advantage

> of the fact many patients do not know about the

> choice of animal insulin. He said: " The time will

> come when demand for animal insulin has gone down

> and the company can say that it's not commercially

> viable. "

>

> This is a view shared by the IDDT, which is also

> concerned that the vast majority of diabetics are

> only offered human insulin and are not told about

> the animal variety. By not offering an alternative,

> fewer patients will request animal insulin, the

> demand for it will fall, and the company can then

> justify its withdrawal, it says.

>

> Dr Mark Daly, a leading expert in the condition,

> based at Exeter's diabetic clinic, said there was no

> particular advantage to animal insulin.

>

> " But there are patients who report that they feel

> better on animal insulin and if they feel they would

> like to try animal insulin, I feel they should have

> that choice, " he said. A number of former animal

> insulin users had successfully switched to human

> insulin, he added.

>

> Patients, he confirmed, were not given the choice of

> going on animal insulin, when first diagnosed.

> However, they were given animal insulin if they

> subsequently asked for it.

>

> Dr Daly added: " It's a worry and distressing for

> people to change insulin. If they trust and have

> faith in an insulin and have to change it, it can be

> very distressing. "

>

> He said only three out of 800 people at the clinic

> are on animal insulin and that a reaction as bad as

> Mrs Cox's to human insulin is highly unusual. The

> choice of insulin can also be governed by which type

> of injection pen the patient prefers as some

> versions of the drug are only compatible with a

> certain type of pen.

>

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