A report from the NHS Information Centre has indicated that the number of items being prescribed for diabetes has shot up by 73 percent in six years.
The report compared the January to March 2002 quarter and the July to September 2008 quarter figures. The number jumped from 4.7 million items in the 2002 quarter to 8.2 million items in the 2008 quarter. They also show a 93 percent increase in total cost to the NHS, from £76.7 million to £148.2.
Prescribing for Diabetes in England: An Update 2002 -2008, compares the January to March 2002 and the July to September 2008 quarter figures to give the 73 percent overall increase in prescription of oral drugs, insulin and blood glucose monitors.
Interestingly, the report reveals that in the year up to September 2008, 20 million oral drug items were prescribed costing the NHS £161 million, a 10 percent rise on 2007.
It also states that at the end of June 2008 2.1 million people aged 17 years and over had a registered diagnosis of diabetes.
The report has been produced jointly by The NHS Information Centre and the Yorkshire and Humber Public Health Observatory (YHPHO), and is an update to an earlier report published in November 2007.
Sarah Bone, CEO, DRWF, says, ‘These figures tally with the increasing prevalence of diabetes. Increasing demand for drugs to treat type 2 diabetes which can be linked to lifestyle and obesity is rising at such high levels.’
‘The report states that 2.1 million people aged 17 and over were registered with diabetes at the end of June 2008. These figures are set to rise and by 2020 it is estimated that 3.2 million people will have the condition in this country, partly due to an improvement in diagnosis. For this reason prescribed medication to treat diabetes will continue to rise also’.