WRITTEN QUESTION E-2708/01 by Hiltrud Breyer (Verts/ALE) to the Commission. Availability of animal insulin.
Date: 2001-10-03
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: animal product, biotechnology, medicinal product, public health, withdrawal from the market

C 81 E/202

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

4.4.2002

(2002/C 81 E/241)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2708/01

by Hiltrud Breyer (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(3 October 2001)

Subject: Availability of animal insulin

For decades, the auto-immune disorder diabetes mellitus has been treated successfully using animal insulin.
Animal insulin is now to be taken off the market completely, in favour of genetically engineered insulin.
Tests using GM human insulin have shown that many patients suffer a massive deterioration in their
health and impairment of their quality of life after being taken off animal insulin.

1.

2.

Can the Commission guarantee the availability of animal insulin on the European market?

If so, what action will it take?

Answer given by Mr Liikanen on behalf of the Commission

(7 November 2001)

Insulin of animal origin has gradually been replaced by human insulin of biotechnological origin. It is now
almost twenty years since work stopped on insulin of animal origin. It has, in effect, disappeared from
most Member States even if it can still be found in some such as the United Kingdom or Germany.

Patients have changed over from insulin of animal origin to insulin of biotechnological origin without any
major problems other than some slight temporary imbalances. New patients are systematically put onto
insulin of biotechnological origin. Patients who do well on insulin of animal origin will not necessarily
have their treatment changed if this insulin remains available. However, in view of the fact that no new
patients are now being put onto insulin of animal origin, the use of this insulin will be phased out in the
course of time.

The scientific and medical community considers insulin of biotechnological origin to be an alternative
which just as effective and well tolerated as insulin of animal origin, with the added advantage of having a
lower antigenicity. Finally, there is, at least in theory, a lesser risk of transmitting infectious, and in
particular viral, agents.

(2002/C 81 E/242)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2713/01

by Konstantinos Hatzidakis (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(3 October 2001)

Subject: Failure to recognise diplomas from the Technical and Vocational Teacher Training Institute (Selete)

as university diplomas in Greece

The Technical and Vocational Teacher Training Institute (Selete) in Greece provides four-year courses
designed to educate and train staff to teach within secondary technical and vocational education. However,
the Inter-University Centre for the Recognition of Degrees acquired Abroad (Dikatsa) does not recognise
the postgraduate diplomas of graduates of the institute if their postgraduate studies are completed in other
European Union countries. It should be noted that other teacher training institutes (for nursery teachers,
primary teachers and professors) are treated differently.

Is the policy pursued by Dikatsa in accordance with Community Directive 89/48/EEC (1), and, if not, what
action does the Commission intend to take to ensure that Greece complies with the above directive?

(1) OJ L 19, 24.1.1989, p. 16.