Pakistan Faces Apidra Insulin Shortage as Imports Fall

Pakistan is facing a shortage of insulin glulisine, sold under the Apidra brand, after international supplies of the rapid-acting diabetes medicine were disrupted. Parliamentary Secretary for Health Nelson Azeem confirmed the shortage during Friday's National Assembly proceedings.

Responding to a concern raised by MNA Syeda Amna Batool, Azeem said sufficient stocks had remained available through September, but imports from Germany were interrupted in October. He attributed the disruption to a product-upgrade process undertaken by the manufacturer and said the resulting supply pressure was affecting several international markets.

The parliamentary secretary said shipments had fallen from approximately 3,500 kits to 1,000 and could decline further during the upgrade, which may take a year. The health ministry has asked the product's importers and distributors to seek additional supplies, although Azeem acknowledged that replenishment would be difficult while manufacturing remains suspended.

Health officials maintain that Pakistan is not experiencing a shortage across every insulin category. They previously identified Apidra as the unavailable product and said insulin aspart and insulin lispro, two other rapid-acting analogues, remained accessible nationwide. Officials have stressed that patients should consult their doctors before changing formulations because dosing and monitoring may need to be adjusted.

Batool questioned whether those alternatives were genuinely accessible to every patient, saying they could cost at least 20 per cent more and that many people lacked convenient access to a physician. Switching insulin without clinical supervision can be difficult for patients who depend on a specific regimen, delivery device or dosing schedule.

The lawmaker also cited roughly 34.5 million people while discussing Type 1 diabetes. However, International Diabetes Federation data identify 34.5 million as the estimated number of Pakistani adults aged 20 to 79 living with diabetes of all types in 2024, rather than a Type 1-specific figure. The distinction is important when assessing the population directly affected by the unavailable product.

Evidence of wider international supply changes has also emerged. Australia's medicines regulator lists Apidra vials as discontinued there from May 2026 because of commercial changes, with supply reduced until remaining stocks are exhausted. That notice supports concerns about international availability but does not independently establish the cause of Pakistan's interruption.

Restoring imports and confirming the volume of alternative rapid-acting insulin available will be central to preventing treatment disruption. Patients using Apidra have been advised to contact a qualified healthcare professional instead of changing their insulin or dosage independently.