Helena’s medicine is in short supply for the rest of the year: “Giant catastrophe”

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Helena Frizell, 66, lives with diabetes and needs to take insulin daily.

But now – and the rest of the year – there is a lack of the long-acting variant she needs.

– It’s a huge disaster! It’s the first time I’ve ever experienced this, says Helena Frizell.

  • Helena Frizell, a 66-year-old diabetic, testifies to the lack of insulin in Sweden, which she calls “a giant disaster”. The shortage of long-acting insulin variants such as Tresiba and Lantus is expected to last through the year.
  • There are alternative insulin varieties available, but switching can cause adjustment problems and difficulty maintaining the same blood sugar level, especially among children and younger people.
  • The reason for the drug shortage is described as complex, with manufacturing-related factors as well as an external situation with war and pandemic as contributing factors.

    • ⓘ The summary is made with the support of AI tools from OpenAI and quality assured by Aftonbladet. Read our AI policy here.

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    For 60 years, Helena Frizell has lived with type 1 diabetes.

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    full screen Photo: Private

    Every morning she takes a dose of the long-acting insulin – Tresiba. But when she went to the pharmacy to pick up a refill, she was told that it had run out.

    – I have had diabetes for almost my entire life and there has never been a problem with the availability of insulin like now, says Helena Frizell.

    She visited several other pharmacies but was met with the same answer.

    – That insulin dose serves as a base for me during the day. Without it, I get such high blood sugar values ​​that it becomes difficult to stay up and walk and talk.

    Lack the rest of the year

    According to the Swedish Medicines Agency, both Tresiba and Lantus are still listed. There will be a shortage of them until December 31, 2024.

    There are three other options of long-acting insulin available. Their names are Levemir, Toujeo and Abasaglar. But switching to them after using, for example, Tresiba is not always problem-free.

    Johnny Ludvigsson, senior professor at Linköping University, ranks among the very best researchers in the world on type 1 diabetes. He explains that it is possible to switch to one of the other types of insulin, but that it can cause problems.

    – It is not entirely easy to change. It causes adjustment problems for those who are used to taking a certain variant. It can be difficult to maintain the same blood sugar level which can cause problems.

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    full screen There is a shortage of several types of long-acting insulin. Photo: Getty Images/iStockphoto

    Especially problematic for young people

    When changing medications, those with diabetes need to manage a different insulin level than they are used to. Johnny Ludvigsson believes that it can be particularly problematic for children and young people.

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    full screen Johnny Ludvigsson, senior professor at Linköping University. Photo: Press photo

    – It can take several weeks to adjust and find the right level for the body. Especially when changing from Tresiba. Adults have a more regular life and eat at the same times, but teenagers and children in particular have a greater variety in life when it comes to these things. That makes it difficult, says Johnny Ludvigsson.

    He thinks it is remarkable that there is such a shortage.

    – As far as I know, it has never happened before that there was a shortage for such a long time. It is very unfortunate and strange. I hardly understand how that can be possible in Sweden.

    – Sweden as a country should be able to place orders and manage it better so that there should not be a shortage like this, says Johnny Ludvigsson.

    The reason for the drug shortage is described as complex. According to the pharmaceutical companies, this is largely due to manufacturing-related factors such as production capacity and production planning.

    Other general reasons for the increase in residually notified medicines are due, among other things, to a global situation with war and pandemics.

    “How do you even stand on your feet?”

    After going round and round to the pharmacies in the local area, Helena Frizell finally got her hands on a package of Tresiba. It gives her some peace of mind for a while to come, but she worries about what will happen when that dose wears off.

    – When I came into the pharmacy and told them, the prescriber said to me “Have you been without this for 10 days? How do you even stand on your feet?”. And that’s just as bad as it can actually be. In the worst case, you can become unconscious, and if there is no one to take care of you, there is a risk that you will not survive.

    – We are 500,000 diabetics in the country who need this daily. It needs to be arranged, says Helena Frizell.

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