[acb-diabetics] diabetes seen as highest cost

[Patricia LaFrance-Wolf]

Lilly's Humalog 


Diabetes Seen as Biggest Driver in Increased Spending on Drugs


Diabetes Health Staff
Jun 15, 2011 

Statistics from the 2011 Medco Drug Report show that diabetes
<http://www.diabeteshealth.com/>  drugs accounted for 16.1 percent of the
overall increase in U.S. spending on therapeutic drugs in 2010. The report
states that the increase is due to the growing number of Americans who have
diabetes.

The federal government
<http://www.diabeteshealth.com/browse/legal/government-and-policy/>
estimates that almost 26 million U.S. residents had diabetes in 2010, and
another 79 million had prediabetes-about 35 percent of all U.S. adults. It
expects the number of people with diabetes and prediabetes to reach 52
percent of the adult population by 2020.

Within the category of diabetes drugs, insulin
<http://www.diabeteshealth.com/browse/medications/insulin/>  accounted for
36 percent of overall costs and 63 percent of total growth. The category
generating the second largest percentage of spending growth was respiratory
drugs, which grew at 15.1 percent. That category includes drugs for asthma
<http://www.diabeteshealth.com/browse/complications-and-care/asthma/> ,
chronic bronchitis, and emphysema. 

New Jersey-based Medco Health Solutions, Inc., is a healthcare company that
provides pharmacy
<http://www.diabeteshealth.com/browse/medications/pharmacy/>  services for
private and public employers, health plans, labor unions, government
agencies, and individuals served by Medicare Part D prescription drug
plans-in all, an estimated 65 million people. Its 2009 revenues were
reported to be just under $60 billion.

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Categories: <http://www.diabeteshealth.com/browse/community/diabetes/> 

 

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