Emergency insulin shortages spark concern for diabetic patients in Iceland

Emergency insulin injections for diabetic patients are currently unavailable in Iceland, presenting a crucial concern for those living with type 1 diabetes. The needed medication, GlucaGen Hypokit, has run out nationwide, leading to increased anxiety among families reliant on it for severe hypoglycemic episodes.

Leifur Gunnarsson, the father of a twelve-year-old boy with the condition, described the situation as unfortunate after he attempted to refill a prescription only to discover that the injection was sold out throughout the country. He emphasized the dire implications, stating, “It means that if we need to deal with a serious drop in blood sugar, we don’t have the precaution on hand.”

As a means of managing the situation, Leifur said he is now monitoring his son even more closely. “My son carries a device that we can track with our phone.”

The shortage caught the Icelandic Medicines Agency off guard. Rúna Hauksdóttir Hvannberg, the agency’s director, mentioned they were only informed about the shortage of one size of the medication, with the situation being rectified promptly. Deliveries of the drug are expected within days.

Ragnar Bjarnason, a pediatrician, lamented the seriousness of such shortages, likening the necessity of having emergency supplies to owning a fire extinguisher; both are critical safety measures that should not be overlooked. “This is the last thing you need to rely on while waiting for an ambulance,” he remarked, stressing the importance of ensuring that essential medications are consistently available for those in need.