Interesting question. I found information for 2012 that shows $5.7 billion that year was spent on providing free samples to physicians. That constituted about 20% of the total 28.13 billion marketing budget.
The link below also includes this interesting statement:
Indeed, patients who are given samples ultimately have higher prescription costs than those who do not receive them because they are then prescribed the sampled drug rather than its less-expensive generic alternative.
I remember starting the thread your first post in your thread refered to as where you started the thread. And I remember somebody posting on my started thread that you should start a new thread to attract more interest. Perhaps because my title was something like, āsix months after fda approval Afrezza is now for saleā.
That was me who suggested he start he afrezza threadā¦ It wasnāt to attract more attention, it was to keep the results separate from the debate. As you can see above, for some reason everyone wants to debate about afrezzaā¦ But the results for some people are hard to dispute
Itās so groundbreaking. Consensus is often hard to reach on any subject. New drugs are hard to characterize and results can always be disputed. Iām unsure of my cough results. Was the cough so caused or was the timing coincidentally from another source? How many experiments make a certainty? I will keep it around and keep trying it because itās unbelievable.
youāre using it on a regular basis again mike? Are you dabbling with combo blouses with afrezza and whatever youāve got your pod loaded with? Although that technique was certainly not what I had in mind with my goals for afrezza initially, has turned out that Iāve seen some benefits with combining the two in some instancesā¦
Hey Sam. Still plan on BMore trip after the 1st?
Yes, using on regular basis. Donāt do a ton of combo bolusā. Havenāt really needed to with follow up bolus of Afrezza.
Mid- late February, @mikep . Iāll be there two weeks. We can put our diabetes whistles to the test at Medieval Timesā¦
I decided not to try Afrezza due to having Asthma and because of other hereditary lung diseases. For me itās not worth risking lung damage- no one knows for sure what will happen long term with habitual use. I didnāt like the idea of breathing something in several x per day and since Iām insulin sensitive I was worried about lows too. I eat low carb and the dosing would have been overkill for me most likely. If you donāt have any lung issues you can ask your doctor about it, try it and see if it works for you.
Iāve written about my experience with Afrezza before, but Iāll repeat for the sake of those that might not have read it yet.
I started with Afrezza in March 2015 as a substitute for my meal carb bolus. I use a pump and in addition to a custom basal rate profile, I deliver an immediate bolus before each meal as well as an extended bolus to cover the fat/protein in the meal.
So I covered my meal carbs with Afrezza and also corrected with Afrezza to bring down high BGs. After a month on this routine, I concluded that my overall control was actually getting worse so I eliminated the carb Afrezza bolus and now only use it to bring down high BGs quickly. Actually, I now use a combination of Afrezza with an intramuscular injection to correct. That system has been dependable for me with little to no hypos.
Iām retired and able to devote whatever time to my diabetes that it demands. I donāt find my insulin routine arduous and I often use micro-boluses and micro-carbs to nudge my BGs into a slightly better range. A lot of these techniques are listed in Ponderās Sugar Surfing.
So, for the short answer, I use Afrezza to correct high BGs only and only take 1 to 2 Afrezza corrections in a typical week. I did, however, spend the last five days traveling and I used the Afrezza to compensate for a higher than average carb consumption.
edit - changed 2012 to 2015
[quote=āTerry4, post:29, topic:47626, full:trueā]
Iāve written about my experience with Afrezza before, but Iāll repeat for the sake of those that might not have read it yet.
I started with Afrezza in March 2012 as a substitute for my meal carb bolus. I use a pump and in addition to a custom basal rate profile, I deliver an immediate bolus before each meal as well as an extended bolus to cover the fat/protein in the meal.
So I covered my meal carbs with Afrezza and also corrected with Afrezza to bring down high BGs. After a month on this routine, I concluded that my overall control was actually getting worse so I eliminated the carb Afrezza bolus and now only use it to bring down high BGs quickly. Actually, I now use a combination of Afrezza with an intramuscular injection to correct. That system has been dependable for me with little to no hypos.
Iām retired and able to devote whatever time to my diabetes that it demands. I donāt find my insulin routine arduous and I often use micro-boluses and micro-carbs to nudge my BGs into a slightly better range. A lot of these techniques are listed in Ponderās Sugar Surfing.
So, for the short answer, I use Afrezza to correct high BGs only and only take 1 to 2 Afrezza corrections in a typical week. I did, however, spend the last five days traveling and I used the Afrezza to compensate for a higher than average carb consumption.
[/quote]March 2012? Were you in the first study which was for T1?? I know it hit the market Feb 3, 2015 but had no idea that it was in use before the completed studies. Where did you get your inhalers before the RX was approved and made available?
Good catch, @karen57! Make that March 2015. I would plead brain fog from an East coast to West coast all day travel yesterday but Iām perfectly capable of these typos even when Iām well rested.
Iām one of the people who wrote about trying Afrezza in the spring. I had to clear my throat all the time, whenever I talked during those three months. I didnāt cough, though. I couldnāt make the Afrezza work as my only meal insulin. It took effect too quickly and didnāt last very long. But it is great for big corrections. By the way, before I got the prescription, I had the whole, complicated lung function series, and I passed.
Samples are quiet common. I donāt understand what you mean be not ethical. The testing has been done, itās passed the FDA, this is how Doctors find out how well it works with there patients. How do you think Drās get to see how a drug works? From what you saying, no new drug would ever be used, makes no sense to me. As far as Afrezza goes, its been tested for years, unfortunately it took very long to hit the market. Al Mann said they have people who had used it for over 5 years and they did lung scans and it reveled no changes what so ever.
I see it like this, if it takes years for smoke and nicotine both carcinogens to give you lung cancer, how long would it take something like afrezza that does not leave any residue in your lungs and is essentially insulin which is not a carcinogen and runs naturals in your body? Iām thinking itās pretty safe, but you can argue that no drug is safe, but it my opinion this is in the low risk category. Each to his own ā¦
I have mild asthma and server allergies induced asthma in the spring. No need to try Afreeza. I know it wonāt work.
I think you need to find a new doctor. That sort of try this and THEN weāll do test seems to border on irresponsible.
Do you have a medical degree or license to back up that statement?
Perhaps you meant to say"
I am not a trained medical professional but in my untrained opinion, none of that is necessary for a free limited quantity sample, only for a prescription.
I have not read the book but your regimen seems similar to mine (with the exception of the Afrezza)
You know, I thought you had a good point on how worth it is it. I think as Iāve gotten older the out of range bgs are more debilitating. And I do feel a lot better when I donāt go out of range. I just think we need a note of caution to not take it too seriously. It has just obscured to me that the techniques in āSugar Surfingā are advanced and they are more doable for a working physician, for instance washing hands before calibrating, a physician is expected to wash his hands constantly. I got a lot of low bg when I was trying to be more aggressive. The main takeaway from that book is a cgm is essential. I think thatās what I said in one of my first YouTube videos. A cgm is now essential. And the book says to glance at it 50 times a day. A lot of us old timers admit that things were too difficult before cgm technology. I mean things like dealing with unexpected blood sugars in the work a day world. But back to the good point I thought you made, we live a life, not a continuous feedback loop. My experience is when bg is high, I donāt know if I should wait or take more, and hunger decends. And I wind up being 200+ for hours and hours. Why does not Afrezza help me in that scenario. Although it has helped when I catch a forgotten meal bolus on the rise, treat it with pump and Afrezza doses and then eat before going low. Just saying. Glad your here.
Thatās what the samples are for. Thatās the whole point of samples. This is a very basic concept Iām really having a hard time grasping why seemingly intelligent people are having a difficult time grasping it.
Thatās what the samples are for. Thatās the whole point of samples. This is a very basic concept Iām really having a hard time grasping why seemingly intelligent people are having a difficult time grasping it.
If you would like me to qualify my statement, I shall,
āBased on the assumption that not all of the doctors are brazen criminals breaking the law to give me free samples, I can say with certainty that limited quantity samples are allowed.ā
I do not have a medical degree. Coincidentally though, my wife does, and Iād ask her to confirm, but sheās really busy giving patients samples of meds right now.
I am not sure why you people feel the need to pester me about this. This post is about afrezza. It works amazingly well, I feel very sorry for people like you with asthma who will not be able to reap itās tremendous benefits unless the guidelines are revised.