Insulin, discovered in 1921, was first used in 1922. At the time, it was considered medical miracle that changed the diagnosis for those living with type 1 diabetes from a death sentence to a manageable condition. Today, all those living with type 1 diabetes, and an estimated 63 million living with type 2 diabetes, use insulin. Despite the fact that insulin has been used for nearly 100 years, an estimated 1 in 2 people who need it cannot afford and/or access this much-needed medicine. Since its inception in 2015, HAI’s Addressing the Challenge and Constraints of Insulin Sources and Supply (ACCISS) Study has been working to identify and address the inequities and inefficiencies in the global insulin market. 

PHASE III (2021-2024) 

  1. Work in partnership, at the global and national levels, to advocate for improved access to insulin, diagnostics and care. 
  2. Improve the availability, price and affordability of insulin for governments and people using insulin.
  3. Ensure optimal use of insulin.
  4. Identify barriers that exist in the diabetes diagnostics market and build evidence base to address these barriers.
  5. Understand how technology might best suit the needs of people with diabetes monitoring their blood glucose in resource-constrained setting and develop next steps.
  6. Promote our evidence-base, tools and other resources, on insulin, diagnostics and improving diabetes care at international, regional and national fora.
  7. To meet these objectives we will implement activities at the global and national levels, and continue to monitor progress, adjusting as needed over the three years. 

The study is co-led by Dr Margaret Ewen and Molly Lepeska (HAI) and Dr David Beran (Geneva University Hospitals and the University of Geneva). It also brings together a large group of leading international experts as members of its Advisory Group. The study is funded by a grant from The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust and Stichting ICF.

To learn more about the ACCISS Study and our tools, please visit our Toolkit at https://accisstoolkit.haiweb.org/