IDDT International

An umbrella organisation
Canada
Germany
New Zealand
United States

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An umbrella organisation

In the years following the formation of IDDT in 1994, membership and independent financial support for IDDT in the UK increased. IDDT was contacted by people in many different countries, all experiencing problems with GM ‘human’ insulin. As a result of this in 1999 an umbrella organisation, IDDT-International, was formed. This has enabled individual people in different countries to form groups and link together to exchange information, to unite to gain recognition of the adverse reactions to ‘human’ insulin suffered by some people and to campaign for the availability of easily accessible animal insulin.

Pharmaceutical companies and the medical profession function on international levels, giving them both greater influence, power and control. For patients to even attempt to have an equal partnership in healthcare, they must unite, function and be represented internationally, so patients now have an international umbrella organisation, IDDT- International, that can function on a global basis to protect and represent their interests.

While the situations in various countries are different, the principles involved for us all are the same. We must work together to acquire the power to ensure that we succeed in achieving our ultimate goal – the right of people to have the species of insulin they need for their future health and wellbeing and to have a fully informed choice of treatment.

Goals

  • To offer care and support to people with diabetes and their family carers, especially those experiencing difficulties with GM synthetic ‘human’ and analogue insulins.
  • To ensure that natural porcine and bovine insulins remain available indefinitely for those who need them and to resist the systematic withdrawals of animal insulins and to ensure that regulatory bodies are made aware of these problems.
  • To enable people to have an informed choice of insulin treatment best suited to their individual needs. To disseminate information about synthetic and animal insulins to all those requiring insulin treatment, especially the newly diagnosed who are often not made aware of the availability of animal insulins or the possible adverse effects of GM ‘human’ insulin.
  • To assist in establishing the most efficient systems for personal importation into countries where animal insulins have been withdrawn and to help to disseminate this information directly to patients and their families.
  • To raise awareness and resist the situation that has developed, where prescribing now appears to be dictated by the pharmaceutical companies and their commercial interests and NOT by the clinical needs of patients.
  • To try to ensure that independent, large scale, long term, methodologically correct research is carried out into all the reported problems with GM ‘human’ insulin so that insulin treatment is evidence based.
  • To remain financially independent of pharmaceutical companies and especially insulin manufacturers.

Information and publications
Since 1994 we have widened our interests and concerns to cover many aspects of living with diabetes and this is largely as a result of the expressed wishes of our members and people who contact IDDT.

However, ensuring that people with diabetes receive information and the choice of treatment, especially the type of insulin, remains our main concern. We hope that IDDT can provide people who live with diabetes with information, support and encouragement to be involved in decisions about their healthcare and that we can assist them to be able to make informed decisions about their treatment, especially about their choice of insulin.

For more general information about diabetes and associated issues, go to our Home Page

For more information about how to receive the quarterly Newsletter and free IDDT information leaflets click here.

Or to request leaflets or for further information:

InDependent Diabetes Trust
PO Box 294
Northampton
NN1 4XS
tel:01604 622837
e-mail: enquiries@iddtinternational.org
website: www.iddtinternational.org