Cost of diabetes drugs could soar in next few years

According to a recent Reuters news article based on a report by Medco Health Solutions Inc. the cost of diabetes drug therapies could soar by 70 per cent by the year 2009.
The report blamed the growing epidemic of diabetes and the need for more aggressive treatment . Diabetes treatments, Medco said, were second only to cholesterol medications in spending growth during 2006.
Lon Castle, the director of medical policy at Medco, reportedly commented: “There are going to be a lot more drugs coming out and more and more people with type 2 diabetes will catapult diabetes to the number one class in driving year over year spending growth.”
Medco found that use of drugs by diabetics is likely to increase by 8-10 per cent per annum. Patients were actively looking for combinations of drugs to manage their blood sugar levels. New diabetes treatments will help to push up costs, particularly combination drugs.
Solutions include health care spending on prevention, the report said.