One of the biggest concerns facing people with diabetes is what’s will happen to their healthcare under the new Trump administration. I interviewed Mary Ann Horodowicz RD, LDN, MBA, CDE, CECabout this topic on January’s Diabetes Late Nite podcast.

Mary Ann hinted that a possible silver lining to any repeals and replacement of Obamacare might be generic insulin. Most people agreed that a medication as old as insulin, which has been available since 1921, ought to have at least one generic brand. But there is not.

In their report, published March 19 in the New England Journal of Medicine, Riggs and his colleague Dr. Jeremy Greene describe how the unique development of insulin allowed pharmaceutical companies to continually improve the medication while extending patents for decades. Generic drugs cannot be made until a patent on a brand-name drug expires.

Could President Elect Trump change that?

In the midst of Time Magazine’s 6,000-word “Person of the Year” profile of Donald Trump, the president-elect said, “I’m going to bring down drug prices…I don’t like what has happened with drug prices.”

Donald Trump has stated repeatedly that he strongly wants to cut through the red tape at the FDA. If this happens it could mean streamlining pipeline for diabetes drug development and other life-saying medications given the fact that there are over 4,000 drugs awaiting approval.

The Trump administration also wants to remove barriers that hamper the importation of cheaper drugs that are made abroad. To make this work, the FDA would have to be expanded to have the capacity to investigate foreign drug-making facilities more than it already does. This idea also would require Congressional approval, and that would again most likely require Democrats to side with Trump to pass.

Hear more of my interview with Mary Ann Horodowicz by clicking HERE

Diabetes Late Nite inspired by Alicia Keys. Guests include Mary Ann Hodorowicz RD, CDE, Lori Shemek PhD, the Charlie’s Angels of Outreach and Mama Rose Marie.