What Does Research Say About the Cost of Different Insulin Types?

When people with Type 1 diabetes choose an insulin regimen, cost matters alongside effectiveness. Newer insulin analogues—synthetic insulins designed to work in specific ways—have been available for decades, but whether they're worth the extra expense compared to traditional human insulins remains debated. Researchers from multiple countries decided to examine all published economic studies on this question to see what the evidence actually shows.

An international team searched medical databases through March 2025 for full economic studies comparing insulin regimens in adults with Type 1 diabetes. They found 35 studies covering 50 different insulin comparisons across 19 countries, mostly in Europe. The researchers converted all costs to 2024 U.S. dollars using purchasing power parity—a method that accounts for different price levels across countries—to make fair comparisons.

Both long-acting and short-acting insulin analogues were often reported as cost-effective compared with human insulins. For short-acting insulins, cost-effectiveness ranged from $88 to $7,844 per 1% reduction in HbA1c annually per patient. Long-acting insulins showed wider variation, with costs ranging from $17 to $10,940 per 1% HbA1c reduction. When researchers looked at quality-of-life measures, short-acting analogues ranged from $7,382 to $34,769 per quality-adjusted life year, while long-acting insulins showed a much broader range.

The bottom line: under study-specific assumptions, analogue-based regimens often appeared cost-effective, with quality-of-life gains valued at $4,550 to $10,720 per quality-adjusted life year.

The researchers found a significant issue: 97% of studies were computer-based models rather than real-world observations, and 86% were funded by insulin manufacturers. This matters because model-based studies rely on assumptions that may not match actual patient experiences or healthcare costs. The wide range of results across studies suggests that local factors—such as your country's drug prices, insurance policies, and how well different insulins work for individual patients—play a huge role in whether an insulin is truly cost-effective.

The authors concluded that while insulin analogues are often reported as cost-effective, this conclusion depends heavily on how studies are designed and funded. Before making decisions about your own insulin regimen, it's important to discuss costs and coverage with your healthcare team, as what's cost-effective in research may not match what's affordable or available where you live.

Source: Value in health : the journal of the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research. Evidence type: PubMed indexed literature. Type1Cure is an information and intelligence hub, not a medical advice service. This article summarizes published research and does not provide diagnosis, treatment, or personal medical guidance. Always talk to your own care team before changing anything about your Type 1 diabetes management.