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Lifesaving Medicine

April 22, 2013

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Profile America -- Monday, April 22nd. One of world's most important medicines -- insulin --became available for general use this month in 1923, saving the lives of millions of people suffering from diabetes. Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas, and is critical in the processing of carbohydrates in the human body. It was first isolated the year before by a Canadian team led by Dr. Frederick Banting at the University of Toronto. The effect was like a miracle. One year, the disease was an automatic death sentence, the next, people -- even children -- who were affected had hopes of living full and productive lives. One of the first beneficiaries was the daughter of U.S. Secretary of State Charles Evans Hughes. Pharmaceutical manufacturing is a $142 billion a year industry in the U.S. You can find more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau, online at <www.census.gov>.

Sources: www.nobelprize.org
2007 Economic Census, NAICS 325412
http://www.census.gov/econ/industry/hierarchy/i325412.htm