The other day it became known that the world's largest producer of insulin, Novo Nordisk, the Danish company, announced the recall of holders for insulin cartridges used in NovoPen Echo and NovoPen 5 insulin pens. It is known that out of 319 parties of cartridges holders, two were delivered to Ukraine.
As the head doctor of the Regional Endocrinology Dispensary Olga Agafonova told the Ukrainian Information Service, in 2017 the Regional Endocrinology Dispensary in Odessa did not buy insulin preparations, but uses the available reserves.
Insulin pens are used in the treatment of diabetes mellitus 1-st - an autoimmune disease associated with the destruction of pancreatic cells that produce insulin. Patients with type 1 diabetes must repeatedly inject insulin several times during the day, using both syringes and insulin pens or insulin pumps.
Olga Agafonova said that the region does not buy insulin pens, but receives them free of charge from companies that produce insulin preparations.
We never buy insulin pens. They always come for free. Handles are issued for a certain number of purchased insulins and it's free of charge.. It is registered in the tender. None of the pen or the Health Department, nor did we buy. These pens are free. And the Danish company gives free of charge, and "Pharma Life", and many others. State money, not a single penny was never spent, at least for the period that I work here, and this is 14 years old, "the chief endocrinologist of the region said..
On the question of the correspondent of the USI, the handles from the party, which the Danish company Novo Nordisk is now recalling, could get into the Odessa region, the head physician answered that the region received insulin pens for a very long time.
We have not received pens for a long time. We have pens since last year. So far, they are enough, so we did not buy. Money we do not have and we will not buy, but for free - we got. This year, we just do not need. We have everything left from last year and is available in the balance, - stressed Olga Agafonova.