SALES OF INSULIN TO BE RESTRICTED

INSULIN, the hormone used by thousands of diabetics but increasingly abused
by body builders in the false belief that it helps them enlarge their
muscles, is to be made a prescription-only drug.

To the surprise of many, including doctors, pharmacists can sell insulin
legally without prescription. Now the Department of Health has decided to
close the loophole after a 21-year-old amateur body builder suffered brain
damage last year from injecting excessive amounts of insulin.

Following recommendations from the the Committee on Safety of Medicines,
the department said that from August insulin would be available only on
prescription unless a pharmacist was faced with an emergency.

"The new regulation is partly because of the recognition that athletes are
abusing it," a health department spokesman said yesterday. "In fact,
pharmacy-only medicines can be given by a pharmacist in emergencies but
this rarely happens."

A year ago doctors at Hemel Hempstead Hospital, Herts, called for a review
of prescribing after treating the body builder. Two junior doctors bought
soluble insulin easily over the counter from a chemist without any
identification. They found that the body-building magazines and sites on
the Internet were promoting it widely.

However, in a healthy body, too much insulin will deprive the brain of
glucose, leading to neurological damage. There is no evidence that it
builds muscle.

The British Diabetic Association, which represents 1.4 million people with
diabetes, is advising diabetics to carry identification with them for
emergencies. A spokesman said: "Unfortunately if people want to abuse any
drug, they can always find a supply."