A self-described 鈥渃aravan of Americans鈥� with Type 1 diabetes travelled into Canada over the weekend to get dramatically cheaper, life-saving insulin. And they say this won鈥檛 be the last time they cross the border.

"We're on a #CaravanToCanada because the USA charges astronomical prices for insulin that most people can't afford," diabetes advocate Quinn Nystrom, who documented the .

On Saturday morning, a group of six Minnesotans -- including parents going on their children鈥檚 behalf -- drove 1,000 km to get to a Shoppers Drug Mart in Fort Frances, Ont.

Nystrom told CTVNews.ca that in Canada, she bought the 鈥渟ame, exact鈥� medication -- used to regulate her blood glucose levels -- at essentially a tenth of what it would cost in the U.S.

鈥淲e got so much interest about this and so many people -- who haven't gone before -- now want to go because the insulin was 10 times cheaper in Canada,鈥� Nystrom said in a phone interview. 鈥淪o we want to go back.鈥�

She ended up paying approximately US$300 in Ontario; the same amount of insulin in the U.S. would have cost her around US$3,300. 鈥淚t was such huge discrepancy in cost with just a five-hour drive -- it was really quite crazy,鈥� she said.

Among the caravan was Nicole Smith Holt, whose 26-year-old son, Alec Smith, died because the high price of insulin in the U.S. caused him to ration his supply.

鈥淎lec would still be here today if I had known that I could come to Canada,鈥� Smith Holt said.

Nystrom said everyone saved significant amounts of money -- despite what they paid for in lodging, gas and food.

鈥淲e are very grateful to Canada for the warm welcome that we鈥檝e received 鈥� and the laws that have been enacted in Canada to keep the pharmaceutical companies in check, so they鈥檙e not price-gouging its citizens,鈥� she said.

What helps keep Canadian pharmaceutical prices for insulin and other drugs low is primarily the federal Patented Medicine Prices Review Board that sets a price cap for patented drugs.

CANADIAN PHARMACISTS ASSOCIATION HEAD 'NOT SURPRISED'

In Canada, although most insulin users obtain prescriptions from their doctors, the drug is obtainable at pharmacies for anyone who needs it.

鈥淭he shocking thing for us Americans is that we didn鈥檛 need a prescription,鈥欌�� she said, mentioning that the pharmacist did ask them if they鈥檇 taken the drug before or had any adverse reactions.

鈥淲e answered those questions and then she just asked, 鈥榃hat kind of insulin do you want?鈥� and 鈥楬ow much do you want of it?鈥欌�� she said. 鈥淚t was so easy.鈥�

Throughout the trip, she used the hashtag #insulin4all鈥� as a call to action. She wants the American government to do more to enact stronger legislation and make medication affordable for patients.

The hashtag is widely associated with a campaign from the national advocacy group, .

On their website, they say the price of insulin in the U.S. has skyrocketed by more than 1,100 per cent -- based on figures from Truven Health Analytics, which provides data to health-care organizations.

Steve Morgan, a professor of Health Services and Policy with the University of British Columbia, called the caravan 鈥渞eally great political theatre.鈥�

鈥淏ecause it draws a lot of attention to this very real problem in the United States of exceedingly high list prices of medicines and very many Americans without insurance to help them with the cost at all,鈥� he said.

鈥淚t certainly highlights the complexity of drug pricing not just in the United States but around the world. And that鈥檚 because the list prices of medicines in countries around the world often bear no resemblance whatsoever to what the public insurance systems or the private insurers actually negotiate in terms of secret prices with manufacturers.鈥�

He added: 鈥淚t also highlights the fact that millions of Americans -- and, frankly, millions of Canadians -- don鈥檛 have insurance, and therefore don鈥檛 even have access to those negotiated secret deals. And as a consequence, it puts them at a lot of risk.鈥�

Upon hearing about the weekend鈥檚 caravan, Barry Power, director of therapeutic content with the Canadian Pharmacists Association said he 鈥渨asn鈥檛 surprised because there鈥檚 a fairly wide price discrepancy.鈥�

He said people just go to where their dollar will go further. While Canadian insulin prices aren鈥檛 expected to spike due to some copycat trips from Americans, there are other issues that could arise.

The United States has roughly 10 times the population of Canada, so diabetes patients crossing the border en masse wouldn鈥檛 be sustainable.

鈥淚f even a small proportion of Americans start coming to Canada to access their insulin, it could cause shortages in the Canadian supply,鈥� he told CTVNews.ca.

He explained an unexpected 鈥渂usload of Americans鈥� going to one particular pharmacy could create a shortage there lasting a day or two, Power said.

'CARAVAN OF AMERICANS' PLAN ON COMING BACK

Nystrom and the others who piled into their cars over the weekend are all part of an online Facebook support group for those with diabetes.

Several years ago, member Lija Greenseid, mother of a 13-year-old daughter with diabetes, first noticed the staggering price difference when her child had needed an emergency supply of insulin during a family trip to Canada.

More recently, Greenseid asked people on Facebook if they wanted to refill their insulin prescriptions in Canada.

鈥淎nd a bunch of us responded back to her saying, 鈥榶eah, we鈥檙e in,鈥欌�� Nystrom laughed. The group was only there for a day and the caravan returned home by Sunday afternoon.

While she acknowledged the trips to Canada weren鈥檛 a long-term solution for all Americans, Nystrom said she and a larger group are planning on going again during the summer.

U.S. advocates have urged the government to enact basic steps to help reduce high drug prices which include forcing medical insurers and drug providers to show how much each of them are charging for the same drug.

Another step would be allowing the import of drugs from places like Canada or Mexico.

Power said 鈥渋t鈥檚 a very sad situation that Americans are forced to go to other countries to be able to get affordable medications.鈥�

He adds this type of medical tourism in the United States has been an issue for decades. He stressed American legislators 鈥渁bsolutely need to take steps to address it.鈥�