The Governor Gavin Newsom reported Thursday that California will manufacture its own insulin, which will allow many residents to avoid having to spend hundreds of dollars a month in order to live in decent health.
"On my first day in office, I signed an executive order to put California on the path to creating our own prescription drugs. And now it's happening. California is going to manufacture its own insulin," the governor noted via tweet.
He stressed that "nothing epitomizes market failure more than the cost of insulin".
"Many Americans have to pay $300 to $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 all.
He specified that $50 million will go toward the development of low-cost insulin products and another $50 million will be for the creation of a California-based insulin manufacturing plant, which will provide new, high-paying jobs in a stronger 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 is 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 range, 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 dollars were spent in indirect costs due to the loss of productivity due to diabetes.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Hispanics or Latinos in the country are more likely to have type 2 diabetes - 17 percent - than non-Hispanic whites - 8 percent.
This risk is due, precisely, 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 may be interpreted as being rude.
In terms of weight and physical activity, the CDC notes that the Latino community has higher rates of obesity and tends to be less physically active than non-Hispanic whites.
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