previous | next | ecoNews2000 list | ecoglobe front page | site index & keywords

True story of GM insulin for diabetics [ecoglobe is not sure who wrote the introduction to the below articles. But we think the material is worth reading and we thank the people mentioned at the bottom who posted it.] It is vital that the word is spread about the true effects of this stuff (including sudden and unexpected deaths) on many diabetics. It is vital too that pro-GM scientists in America are NOT allowed to get away with making out that GM insulin has been this great GM success story. It is far from being so. I don't recall a single instance where a diabetic has felt better on the GM insulin than the animal; I'd be glad to hear from any. Those who want to know more can go to Diabetics World Website at http://members.tripod.com/diabetics_world/ for the full disastrous story from diabetics' own mouths. See also http://www.swissdiabetes.ch/~fis2/englvers/bellagio.htm for reports from Swiss diabetics on the same issue. Note that the Diabetics World site states that although the companies pushing GM insulin are telling worried doctors and patients that the traditional animal insulin will still be available for those who have problems with the GM "human" sort, some diabetics are already finding it impossible to source the animal insulin as the companies have withdrawn it from sale. Similar story with the farmers unable to source non-GM seed. So much for consumer choice. The diabetics site also suggests, interestingly, that the companies who make this GM insulin are now spreading rumors about the possible risk of transmission of BSE from cow-derived insulin, in order to propel doctors and patients into favoring the GM insulin. While this may be a valid point (though no evidence currently exists to support it), it hardly helps those whose bodies simply react badly to the GM insulin yet who tolerate the animal insulin. If BSE is an issue, according to evidence on the Diabetics World site, pig insulin seems to be slightly less well tolerated than the cow insulin but is still MUCH better tolerated than the GM human type. 1. Transcript of article on Page 8 of The Sunday Times 26 March, 1995 by Lois Rogers, Medical Correspondent. Diabetics call for inquiry on insulin deaths. Diabetics have demanded an urgent inquiry over concerns that a synthetic version of insulin may lie behind a spate of deaths. Studies have raised fears that the use of the new insulin introduced over the past decade, increases the danger of slipping rapidly into a coma caused by low blood sugar levels. Several diabetics have died soon after switching to the genetically engineered hormone. The findings are of grave concern to Britain's 300,000 insulin-dependent diabetics. They need frequent injections of insulin because the disease stops the pancreas making its own hormone, which regulates the body's energy supply. Deborah Burbridge, from Northampton, woke up last year to find Zoe, her eight year old diabetic daughter, had died in her sleep. She is convinced the new product was to blame. "I was horrified to find there were other families in the same position. The whole thing needs to be taken much more seriously and there needs to be much more research," she said. Doctors have encouraged the move from natural insulin, extracted from pigs and cows, to the new version. However, an investigation by Sheffield doctors that monitored 20 diabetics for three months, found significant lower night time blood sugar levels when the patients used synthetic insulin, which could increase the risk of entering a coma without time to ingest life-saving sugar. Laurence Davies, 19, who had overcome the condition to start training as a doctor at Guy's Hospital, London, died at night two months after switching to synthetic insulin. The attack happened so quickly he was unable to drink the Lucozade he kept by his side. "Little did we know when we took him down there, he wouldn't be coming home again," said Dorothy Davies, his mother. "It was only afterwards that we discovered a side effect of the new treatment is loss of warning of hypoglycemic attacks." The Sheffield study, which will be presented this week to the British Diabetic Association's medical and scientific meeting in Warwick, is the first in Britain to suggest manufactured insulin may be dangerous. Critics of the new preparation, launched in 1982, said it was promoted on the assumption it would mimic the body's own insulin and be safer than existing products. But they claim it masks the tingling and sweating that warn diabetics of critical "hypo" attacks. A separate investigation uncovered eight deaths, including those of children and teenagers, that could be attributed to patients' moving to synthetic insulin. The unpublished study by the Insulin Dependent Diabetes Trust also found patients complaining of more frequent blackouts, personality changes and losses of memory. Dr. Matthew Kiln, a Kent GP, is collecting data from 1,000 diabetics. He said existing studies were inadequate and there was an urgent need to find out how many diabetics had died on the new treatment. "I don't think it is bad for everyone, but I estimate that about 20% of diabetics are worse off on human insulin," said Kiln. "Some have died because of it." Although there is no evidence that the more expensive synthetic insulin is superior to the chemical from animals, the National Health Service spends an extra Sixteen million pounds in prescribing it. The Department of Health said insulin producers were "tending to favor the use of human insulin, as is the whole medical profession". Jenny Hirst, a former vice chairman of the executive council of the British Diabetic Association believes doctors favor the new insulin because of its heavy promotion by drug companies. "One has to say more money is made out of human insulin," says Hirst, whose husband and daughter, both diabetic, suffered severe side effects when they used it. Novo Nordisk, the country's biggest supplier, said yesterday it was committed to continue animal insulin production. Tony Bragg, its medical director, said lack of sensitivity to impending hypoglycemia attacks was a natural progression of diabetes. "We are concerned about these reports, but its impossible to substantiate a link with a particular type of insulin," he said. The company is funding a three-year study of hypo-glycemic attacks in young diabetic children while they are asleep. It is hoped this will yield more clues about the mechanisms involved. 2. The following article by Paul Brown is from The Guardian March 9, 1999. The article gives an interesting insight into how scientific evidence casting doubt on the safety of GM insulin was suppressed. Though it does not mention that the "human" insulin is GE, it is. DIABETICS NOT TOLD OF INSULIN RISK Report highlighting coma dangers to 15,000 sufferers who were switched to synthetic human substitute deemed alarmist, writes Paul Brown Evidence that thousands of diabetics in Britain may have suffered a deterioration in their health from synthetic insulin has been withheld by the British Diabetics Association, whose role is to advise patients and to protect their interests. The evidence was contained in a report, commissioned by the association and completed six years ago, which highlighted dangers faced by about 10 per cent of the 150,000 diabetics who had been switched from the traditional animal-derived insulin to synthetic human insulin. Some of those adversely affected began, without warning, to go into comas, known as hypoglycaemic episodes or 'hypos'. Some suffered severe injuries, a few crashed their cars, and others believed they would have died had they not been rescued as they lay unconscious. An estimated 15,000 people may still suffer because they are injecting themselves twice a day with insulin that may not suit them. Many doctors are unaware of the problem, or have failed to put their patients back on animal insulin because they do not know it is still available. The association says it did not publish the report because it was 'too alarmist'. Simon O'Neill, head of diabetes care services, said the association agreed that up to 20 per cent of insulin injectors preferred animal insulin and had experienced difficulties with synthetic insulin. He added that the association had published a report, The Insulin Debate, which dealt with the issues, continued to keep members informed of developments, and campaigned to keep animal insulin available to sufferers. Synthetic insulin is manufactured by two major drug companies, the Danish Novo Nordisk and US giant Elli Lilly. Neither company accepts that the synthetic version has negative effects. The report was compiled following 3,000 letters of complaint over a period of two years about the new insulin from members of the association. The letters gave harrowing accounts of how lives had deteriorated after being switched to synthetic human insulin. Eight out of 10 of a sample of the complainants examined by independent researchers said they could no longer control their symptoms and had lost warning signs that they were about to lapse into comas. The main conclusions from the letters were: - Half the patients had no warning of passing out with hypos once on the new drug. - A quarter said such episodes were more frequent, and one in five said they were more severe. - Thirteen per cent said they became unconscious at night and 5 per cent suffered convulsions. - Ten per cent had memory loss and another 9 per cent were unable to concentrate. Matthew Kiln a south London GP who is an expert on diabetes, was a member of the committee of inquiry set up by the association that looked into the side-effects of synthetic human insulin. He told the Guardian: 'The association has failed in its duty to protect and represent the interests of diabetics by not publishing the committee's findings in full. I and other doctors who understand this issue have been quietly switching some patients back to animal insulin to avoid the problems but thousands of people are suffering from lack of choice.' Dr Kiln is himself a diabetic who uses insulin and has experienced the dramatic negative effects on his own health when he switched to the synthetic version. Before synthetic human insulin was introduced in the early 1980s around 150,000 diabetics in Britain injected themselves twice a day with insulin extracted from pigs and cattle in slaughterhouses. Diabetes is the result of the body's inability to produce insulin which regulates blood sugar levels but it can be successfully managed by injecting animal insulin. Synthetic human insulin, made from feeding nutrients to E-coli bacteria, was heralded as a breakthrough because it would avoid an occasional long term problem of antibodies being produced to combat animal insulin. After the association received a tide of complaints, it commissioned two independent researchers, Hazel Matthews and Natasha Posner, to analyse some of the letters. Their report concluded that many patients were suffering potentially dangerous reactions. A fuller report ordered from Dr Posner concluded that doctors and specialists had failed to listen to patients and the very real distress and dangerous symptoms had been largely ignored. The report was due to be published in the British Medical Journal in 1993 but was withdrawn. The Diabetic Association's journal, Balance, subsequently produced a supplement, The Insulin Debate, in which some of the problems of synthetic insulin were discussed. Mr O'Neill said the BDA continued to educate doctors and health professionals of the need to give diabetics the option of using animal insulin. He said: 'The message of the Posner report was right, it was just too alarmist, but it is a message we have disseminated, and it is a message we are still trying to get out. We have campaigned to stop animal insulin being withdrawn. Matt Kiln and we are on the same side.' 'There was fear of going out alone or driving' The 3,000 letters of complaint written to the British Diabetic Association by patients, their relatives and doctors concerned the deterioration in their condition since being moved from animal insulin to synthetic human insulin. After analysing nearly 400 of the letters, Natasha Posner, an independent researchers commissioned by the DBA, said: 'Many correspondents reported that a diabetic condition which had been stable and controlled over many years and allowed a full and normal life, suddenly changed and became problematic and life disrupting. For people experiencing these difficulties, the cost in terms of immediate negative effects far out-weighed any possible long term benefits of this new insulin.' The report says that in many cases where the patient had complained, the relationship between the diabetic and doctor was breaking down and there was a potential for conflict because the patient felt his fears had been ignored. The single most important complaint was the sudden onset of comas. A second problem was personality changes, mostly noticed by partners and colleagues. A third, and of great concern to the association, was a breakdown in relationship between the diabetics who manage their illness, and the professionals who advise them and prescribe their insulin. There was also strong evidence that the problems were reversible. One fifth of the patients in the survey switched back to animal insulin. Of these only 1 per cent said there was no improvement when they returned to animal insulin. Many doctors refused to change them back or told them erroneously there was no longer an animal alternative. 'Correspondents reported the consequences of loss of control of the diabetes, deterioration in general health or accidents meant increased dependence on others and loss of confidence about controlling the diabetes so that there was fear of going out alone, going to bed or driving. 'Some people had lost their job, been made redundant or found that they were unable to work. A few had been refused renewal of their driving licences. There were several reports of people who had been prosecuted by police after being involved in accidents while having a hypo,' the report said. The report concludes: 'The letters examined constitute a source of data which amount to very much more than mere anecdotes.' Patients' comments were directly quoted in the report: - 'While I was on human insulin, my life was absolute hell. There was absolutely no warning of my blood sugar going low, and I have been in several comas because of this. My clinic put me back on to animal insulin in July, and I have felt a different person since.' - 'It was only when I went on to human insulin that I thought I was not in control of my diabetes, I went into hypos almost daily with no warning whatsoever (thanks to paramedics and good neighbours plus the casualty department at the local hospital I am still here to tell the tale).' - One patient reported that his family noticed: 'The complete change of character. I was becoming moody, critical, confused, forgetful and seemed to lack concentration. But more and more I seemed to have unnoticed hypos.' - From a wife: 'There is no doubt in my mind that had be been living alone he would now be dead, Many of the hypos occur during the night for no reason.' - From a mother: 'The clinic argues that the human insulin is better for him in the long run than animal insulin - that is if he can survive.' 'Guinea pig' doctor became aggressive and forgot things Matthew Kiln unwittingly used himself as a human guinea pig to test the effects of human insulin. At first he was delighted that modern science had produced a synthetic human version which could replace the bovine and pork varieties which had been in use for 50 years. As a diabetic himself he had chosen to specialise in the illness and in his job as registrar at Torbay hospital ran a diabetic clinic. Diabetics, unable to produce insulin, keep their blood sugar levels at the correct level by twice daily injections, and can correct any problems by eating glucose tablets or other sweet foods. If they fail to act when they begin to feel unwell or dizzy they may lapse into a coma known as a hypoglycaemic episode. But Dr Kiln found that, in a few cases with human insulin, patients complained that these episodes were more frequent and occurred while cooking, or driving, without any of the normal signs of stress. Dr Kiln went on to human insulin as soon as it was available. 'I kept passing out, I had low blood sugars. I had arguments with consultants. My father noticed all this and he urged me to change back. He just said I was more obstinate and more difficult. I changed back and my condition improved. 'I tried going on to the human variety again in 1986. My wife demanded I change back: I had become unreliable, was forgetting things, and had become more aggressive.' Dr Kiln said his experiences were mirrored by patients and their carers who had written to the Diabetic Association 'an extraordinary number who could not be ignored'. He said: 'It needs a big scientific study to investigate the problems of synthetic insulin properly.' In his south London practice he has 110 diabetics who have to inject themselves twice daily. He believes that about 10 per cent have had a bad reaction to human insulin. [Source: posting to the gE@naturallaw.org.nz list 10 Feb 2000 21:59:49 from: Ivan Stevens ivanys@ihug.co.nz, originally from: Wytze de Lange geno@zap.a2000.nl to: gmo-l@cornell.edu, embo@embl-heidelberg.de] ** This material is distributed for research and educational purposes only. ** Feedback to: <welcome@ecoglobe.org.nz>

People make the difference

top | previous | next | ecoNews2000 list | ecoglobe front page | site index & keywords

27 February ecoglobe news 2000

link to this item http://www.ecoglobe.org.nz/news2000/news2000.htm#insu2720">