Barriers to accessing insulin and related products persist due to a complex interplay of structural factors. These include: dominance of the market by a small number of multinational manufacturers, the complexity of producing and regulating insulin, a lack of transparency in public procurement prices and negotiations, limited financial capacity coupled with weak procurement and supply chain systems in many health systems, and the inconsistent application of policies on biosimilar medicines and technologies. Collectively, these dynamics give rise to significant price disparities across public procurement systems, inflating costs and making it increasingly difficult for health systems and patients alike to secure reliable and affordable access to the medicines and monitoring tools they need.
In response to these ongoing challenges, the Addressing the Challenge and Constraints of Insulin Sources and Supply (ACCISS) Study, in collaboration with the University of Geneva (UNIGE), developed a pilot survey to collect data on public procurement prices in 2023 and 2024 for diabetes-related medicines and medical devices across different countries.
This initiative aligns with World Health Assembly (WHA) Resolutions 72.8 and 74.4, which call for increased transparency of prices and strengthened efforts to reduce the burden of noncommunicable diseases through improved prevention and control of diabetes. The survey data aims to provide an evidence base for identifying price inequities, while advancing price transparency, and informing policy interventions, such as inter- country pooled procurement mechanisms, that can improve affordability and ensure more consistent access to life-saving diabetes treatments and monitoring devices globally.
This comparative price study serves two primary objectives:
- To document the current public procurement prices for various diabetes-related medical products across participating countries.
- To evaluate the feasibility of establishing a continuous monitoring mechanism for public procurement prices of diabetes-related products over time.
Through this work, the project seeks to generate evidence that can inform global and national procurement efforts to improve affordability, transparency around prices, and access to life-saving diabetes treatments and technologies.
Read the full report: https://haiweb.org/storage/2026/10/Insulin-Procurement-Price-Report-2026.pdf