Insulin storage without refrigeration
There are fewer studies suggesting reliable methods for insulin storage for people with diabetes who live in places without reliable access to refrigeration, such as refugee camps. The researchers from the international medical humanitarian organization Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and the University of Geneva conducted a study which is summarized by Munyaradzi Makoni under the title “Insulin storage without refrigeration” in The Lancet Journal. The summary of the research is below:
Objective:
To assess whether a range of insulin can be stored at warmer temperatures
Method:
At the initiation of the study, the researchers, from the international medical humanitarian organization Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and the University of Geneva visited Dadaab, a refugee camp in northern Kenya. The temperature fluctuations in this camp were measured before recreating these in a laboratory setting. The insulin formulation was analyzed after 4 weeks to study the structural and bioactive changes.
Findings:
The study reported that, after 4 weeks, there was no changes in the formulation and bioactivity of commercially available insulin vs control samples stored at 2-8°C. Thus, insulin can be stored at high but fluctuating temperatures as the cooling at night is protective of the denaturing of the insulin protein. Hence, hot temperatures and the absence of refrigeration should not be a barrier to the provision of insulin to patients in low-resource settings. Additionally, a dramatic decline in acute hospital admissions was reported in Dadaab, for patients with diabetes who were now able to inject at home.
Image Credit : World photo created by jcomp – www.freepik.com