WITH Australia’s cost-of-living crisis, the last thing people with chronic illnesses need is a price rise for valuable medication.
Unfortunately this is what Mallee diabetes patients are now being hit with the coming removal of the innovative and fast-acting Fiasp from the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.
I have been inundated with phone calls from distraught diabetes patients concerned they will either have to pay more for a medicine they depend on, or resort to older forms of insulin medication that are not as practical or effective.
Fiasp is the only rapid-acting insulin available for patients and allows them to deliver insulin through their pump and have it acting within minutes, before it leaves their system in about an hour.
This is unlike other diabetes medications, which take longer to start acting and remain in the body longer, making them less convenient for the user.
One Mallee diabetes patient told me that using Fiasp makes her feel normal as she can have her insulin at meal times and then go about her day – something not able to be done with slower-acting insulin.
The former Coalition Government listed Fiasp on the PBS in 2019, ensuring affordable access to this fast-acting insulin for diabetes patients.
But in this case it is not just about affordability, it is also about dignity.
People with diabetes deserve to be able to go about their lives as normal as modern medicine allows.
Australia has come a long way in regard to affordable treatments for chronic diseases. Now is not the time to take a step backwards.
