Medco report shows diabetes drugs lead spending growth

FRANKLIN LAKES, N.J. Medco Health Solutions has released a new report showing that diabetes treatments have become the leading driver of prescription drug spending growth, replacing lipid-lowering agents, which fell from the top spot after a decade reign, due to generic drugs cutting the cost of treating high cholesterol.

The report shows that despite continued growth in the use of cholesterol drugs, spending fell 8.5 percent in 2007 as usage of lower-cost generic versions of Pravachol and Zocor expanded in the marketplace, resulting in lipid-lowering medications experiencing the greatest spending decline of all drug categories. Meanwhile, spending on diabetes drugs increased 12 percent due to shifts toward higher-cost treatments, brand-name drug price inflation, and moderate growth in the number of patients receiving treatment.

While utilization of diabetes medications only increased a moderate 2.3 percent during 2007, the cost of diabetes treatments rose sharply as patients shifted to newer drugs. These recently introduced medications have advantages over older drugs since they are faster-acting and can help patients better maintain consistent blood sugar levels to prevent complications from the disease.

“The diabetes epidemic and the introduction of new products are reshaping prescription spending patterns,” said Medco chief medical officer Robert Epstein. “The number of people diagnosed with diabetes is increasing by about a million patients per year – meaning more people need complex drug therapies to control their blood sugar. While medications are critical for controlling the disease, many of these cases could have been prevented or delayed with lifestyle changes, such as diet or exercise.”