There&#x27;s nothing &quot;dubiously long&quot; about the patents here. Drug companies are lucky to get 10 years out of a patent (in a field where things change <i>far</i> more slowly than people in the tech industry are used to). Injectable insulin is long out of patent. What&#x27;s patented are the iterative improvements to manufactured insulin drug manufacturers have been developing over decades: <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.medscape.com&#x2F;viewarticle&#x2F;841669" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.medscape.com&#x2F;viewarticle&#x2F;841669</a>.