Access to insulin no longer just an issue for low-and middle-income countries: Should Switzerland be worried?

More than 100,000 people in Switzerland depend on insulin every day, yet global market shifts and supply vulnerabilities are reshaping the security of this life-saving medicine. What was once framed as a challenge for low- and middle-income countries is increasingly a strategic concern for Switzerland.

This policy brief examines why access to insulin demands renewed attention at national and global levels. It outlines the scale of diabetes in Switzerland, analyses the highly concentrated global insulin market dominated by three multinational companies, and explores emerging risks linked to product withdrawals, price disparities compared with other European countries, and shifts in production toward more profitable medicines such as GLP-1 agonists. The brief highlights how these trends could fundamentally alter the insulin market, particularly for people with type 1 diabetes who rely on insulin for survival and sets out concrete avenues for Swiss action.

From strengthening security of supply and supporting biosimilar competition to leveraging Swissmedic’s regulatory expertise and Switzerland’s global health leadership, the document argues for proactive engagement to safeguard affordable, quality-assured insulin both domestically and worldwide.