The Governor Gavin Newsom California will make its own insulin, the agency said Thursday, meaning many residents will no longer have to spend hundreds of dollars a month to live in decent health.
"On my first day in office, I signed an executive order to put California on a path to creating our own prescription drugs. And now it's happening. California is going to make its own insulin," the governor said in a tweet.
He stressed that "nothing epitomises market failures more than the cost of insulin."
"Many Americans have to pay between $300 and $500 a month out of pocket for this life-saving drug. Now, California is taking matters into its own hands," he added.
He recalled that he had just signed a budget for one hundred million dollars, so that California could, by contract, manufacture its own insulin at a cheaper price, close to its real cost, and make it available to everyone.
He said $50 million will go toward developing low-cost insulin products and another $50 million will go toward creating an insulin manufacturing plant based in California, which will provide new, well-paid jobs in a more robust supply chain for the drug.
According to the American Diabetes Association, 10.5 percent of California's adult population has some form of diabetes, which means more than 3.2 million older men and women.
In addition, almost 900,000 people in the state have diabetes, but have not been diagnosed, which increases health risks.
However, 33.4 percent of the total adult population in California has pre-diabetes, with blood glucose levels above the recommended level, but not high enough to be diagnosed with the disease.
Each year, it is estimated that more than 270,000 people are diagnosed in the "Golden State."
The organization notes that people with diabetes have medical expenses approximately 2.3 times higher than those without diabetes, while total direct medical expenses for the diagnosed condition in California were estimated at $27 billion in 2017.
Another $12.5 billion was spent on indirect costs due to lost productivity caused by diabetes.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Hispanics or Latinos in the country are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes (17 percent) than non-Hispanic whites (8 percent).
This risk is due, he explains, to genetics, diet, weight and physical activity.
In some Hispanic or Latino cultures, meals may be high in fat and calories, and family celebrations may involve social pressure to overeat, and refusing to eat something may be interpreted as being rude.
Regarding weight and physical activity, the CDC details that the Latino community has higher rates of obesity and tends to do less physical activity than non-Hispanic white people.
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