There was a great disparity in the cost of diabetes supplies among the different regions, for instance blood glucose meters cost, on average, US$105 per glucose meter in the Western Pacific (WP) and US$61 in South and Central America (SACA) (see data table). Similarly, a box of 50 blood glucose strips costs US$50 in North America (NA) and US$20 in South-East Asia (SEA) while a box of 100 urine glucose strips costs US$20 in North America and US$5 in SEA (see figures below). In some countries, however, these diabetes supplies are subsidized or supplied free of charge to specific groups of people with diabetes.
The average cost of 100 insulin syringes was highest in North America, followed by South and Central America and Africa (AFR), and cheapest in South-East Asia and Western Pacific, as shown in the figure.
