EMBARGO - MSF & UNIGE: Insulin can be stored out of refrigeration even in hot settings!
A team from UNIGE and MSF has shown that a vial of insulin can be stored for 4 weeks after opening and at up to 37°C, without losing efficacy
Diabetes requires an extremely precise form of daily treatment, whereby patients have to inject themselves with several doses of insulin every day, which are suited to their diet and physical activity. Patients must therefore keep a supply of insulin which, according to pharmaceutical protocol, must respect the cold chain from production to injection.
However, in some regions of the world like sub-Saharan Africa, not every household has a refrigerator.This forces people living with diabetes to go to hospital on a daily basis. Faced with this issue, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) teamed up with the University of Geneva (UNIGE), Switzerland, to test insulin storage in real conditions, that is at temperatures ranging from 25°C to 37°C for four weeks.
This corresponds to the time it usually takes a diabetic person to finish one vial of insulin. The findings published in the journal PLOS ONE, demonstrate that the stability of insulin stored under these conditions is the same as that of cold-stored insulin, with no impact on efficacy. This allows people with diabetes to manage their illness without having to visit a hospital multiple times daily.
You will find some additional information in the enclosed press release, embargoed until february 3th, 2021, 7pm GMT/ 8pm CET.