Islamabad: Health authorities on Tuesday rejected reports of a widespread insulin shortage in Pakistan, saying an international supply disruption had affected one brand while alternatives remained available.

The health ministry and the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) issued the clarification after claims of shortages circulated on social media.

Ministry spokesperson Sajid Shah said insulin glulisine, marketed by Sanofi as Apidra, was currently unavailable because of international supply constraints.

He said other rapid acting insulin analogues, including insulin aspart, sold as NovoRapid by Novo Nordisk, and insulin lispro, marketed as Humalog by Eli Lilly, remained available nationwide.

According to Shah, all other main insulin classes were also accessible across Pakistan.

He explained that medically approved insulin falls into two broad categories. Insulin analogues include rapid acting, long acting and premixed formulations, while human insulin includes short acting and intermediate acting formulations.

Shah urged patients prescribed Apidra to consult their treating healthcare provider before changing their regimen.

He said switching formulations required individual dose adjustment and appropriate monitoring to maintain blood sugar control.

The clarification comes against a backdrop of earlier concerns about medicine availability.

In August 2025, the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) warned of a severe shortage of essential medicines, saying at least 80 important drugs were unavailable and 25 had no substitutes.

The association said the affected medicines included treatments for diabetes, cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and psychiatric conditions.

In March 2026, PMA separately raised concerns about shortages of paediatric tuberculosis and cancer medicines and called for immediate intervention.