Pakistan is facing a shortage of the insulin brand Apidra after its German manufacturer suspended production for upgrades, the National Assembly was informed.
Parliamentary Secretary for Health Nelson Azeem said the shortage began in October after supplies from Germany were disrupted. The product had remained available in Pakistan until September.
Responding to concerns raised by MNA Syeda Amna Batool, Azeem said the manufacturer previously supplied 3,500 kits, but the number had dropped to 1,000. He warned that supplies could decline further during the company’s year-long upgrade process.
He added that the disruption was affecting several regions, including Asia, Australia, and Europe, and that supplies would resume once international production and distribution returned to normal.
The health ministry has asked distributors to arrange additional supplies, although Azeem acknowledged that securing the product would be difficult while production remained suspended.
Meanwhile, Batool expressed concern over the availability and affordability of alternative insulin products. She said alternatives were at least 20% more expensive and that many patients lacked access to doctors who could guide them through switching treatments.
However, Azeem maintained that alternative insulin products with similar dosages and mechanisms of action were available in Pakistan and could be used on doctors’ recommendations.
Earlier this week, the health ministry clarified that Pakistan was not facing a nationwide insulin shortage and that the supply issue was limited to insulin glulisine (Apidra), manufactured by Sanofi.
Health ministry spokesperson Sajid Shah said alternative rapid-acting insulin products, including NovoRapid by Novo Nordisk and Humalog by Eli Lilly, remained available nationwide. Other major insulin categories were also available across the country.
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