Insulin pumps and more about insulin

This article has all the information...including pros & cons of using insulin pumps, recent and future developments in the world of insulin pumps. Quite an interesting read.

Some interesting facts about insulin :

1. Insulin abuse: No, I'm not talking about Munchausen's by proxy. This is when insulin is used to increase muscle mass either by itself or in conjunction with GH to increase muscle mass in body-builder types.
2. It is the only animal protein to have been made in bacteria in such a way that its structure is absolutely identical to that of the natural molecule.
3. It is currently manufactured in yeast cells.. yeah the very yeast that are responsible for the bread which raises the glycemic state of the body(Yeah- this may be a convoluted connection- but I'm amused anyway!).
4. The patent for insulin was sold to the University of Toronto for one dollar.
5. C- peptide (the peptide connecting the two chains of the human proinsulin molecule - absent in commercial insulin preparations) has been shown to increase adenosine-induced myocardial blood flow(+ 35%) and LV function (+5%), stroke volume (+7%) in type 1 diabetics (albeit in a study involving only 10 men).
6. It has also been postulated that C-peptide has a therapeutic effect on diabetic neuropathy, nephropathy and artery repair.

It somehow adds up. Why would a specialized machine like the still-altogether-mysterious human body manufacture one protein just to hold two other proteins chains together ? It seems almost logical that the third protein- in this case- the C-peptide would have a function of its own. It is not present in commercial preparations of insulin. Maybe we need to include it too in the future ?

Another question nagging away at the back of my head - is it ethical for patent laws to apply to insulin manufacturers ? Isn't it sadly inhumane to hold on to 'trade secrets' that prevent newer forms of insulin from being cheaper and more accessible ?