Our Vision
We believe in a world where everyone with type 1 diabetes – no matter where they live – has everything they need to survive and achieve their dreams.
Our Mission
We work towards sustainable access and affordability of insulin, diabetes supplies, medical care and education for all people living with type 1 diabetes. We do this by highlighting personal experiences, collecting better data, sharing resources and best practice, and campaigning for change. We collaborate with and support individuals and organisations on the ground that are working to make life better for people with type 1 diabetes.
Our Finances
It is our priority to be able to speak out and push for change, so we do not accept money from pharmaceutical companies or any other body that we feel might influence our ability to do this. We will always be transparent about where our money comes from and what we spend it on.
About the Issue
According to a recent WHO report, as of 2014 an estimated 422 million adults were living with diabetes around the world. The same report notes that separate global estimates of diabetes prevalence for type 1 and type 2 do not exist. This lack of data around type 1 diabetes in and of itself is a big problem.
There are estimates that more than 40 million people around the world live with type 1 diabetes. A large proportion of people with diabetes live in places with inadequate healthcare, which means there are likely hundreds of thousands of people (or more) facing death due to lack of insulin.
Key Facts
- 50% of people around the world in need of insulin cannot reliably access it because it is unavailable, unaffordable, or both (2015)
- The average annual per-patient cost of insulin in the USA has increased from $231 to $736 in the last 10 years (2016)
- In Syria, up to 77% of income can be spent on diabetes supplies (2016)
- Monthly costs for diabetes supplies in Brazil can be as much as $700, or 82% of a person’s income (2016)
- In Fiji, up to 80% of the average monthly income can be spent on diabetes costs (2016)
- Full diabetes management in Kenya could cost about $120 per month, but the average monthly salary in Kenya is $216 (2016)
- In the USA, discontinuation of insulin use was the leading cause of diabetic ketoacidosis in 68% of people in a US inner city setting (2011)
