| May 17,
2007
Diabetes Drug Costs Could Soar 70 Pct by '09:
Report
By Bill Berkrot
NEW YORK (Reuters) - A growing diabetes epidemic and more aggressive
treatment with combination drug therapies could result in a rise
of nearly 70 percent in drug spending on the disease through 2009,
according to a report released on Thursday by Medco Health Solutions
Inc.
Medco's 2007 Drug Trend Report found diabetes treatments trailing
only cholesterol medications in total prescription drug spending
growth in 2006.
"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,"
Dr. Lon Castle, director of medical policy for Medco, said in
an interview.
The analysis projects that, by 2009, spending on medicines to
treat diabetes could soar by 60 percent to 68 percent from 2006
levels.
Spending on diabetes treatments increased 14.5 percent from 2005
to 2006 and the use of diabetes drugs increased 5.1 percent. The
U.S. sales of diabetes drugs reached $9.88 billion in 2005, according
to data from IMS Health Inc..
An aging population and the alarming rise in obesity -- a leading
cause of diabetes -- are expected to push spending growth rates
on diabetes drugs up 16 percent to 20 percent annually.
Use is expected to increase by 8 percent to 10 percent each year,
with patients more frequently using new drug combinations to reach
target blood sugar levels, the Medco analysis of likely future
prescription drug spending and utilization found.
A wave of new diabetes treatments, such as Merck & Co.'s,
Januvia, and Byetta from Eli Lilly and Co. and Amylin Pharmaceuticals
Inc.; and others expected to hit the market from the likes of
Novartis AG and Novo Nordisk A/S will help push up treatment costs,
the report said.
Some newer drugs that act on new targets are increasingly being
prescribed as first-line therapy and are frequently being used
in combination with other drugs, driving up costs this year and
going forward, the report said.
Use of lower cost generic drugs could mitigate pricing pressures,
said Medco, a pharmacy benefits manager that negotiates prescription
drug costs for companies and other large clients.
But while new medicines and combination therapies can be expensive,
the cost of treating complications from untreated diabetes would
create a much larger burden on government and private health plans
and patient pocketbooks.
"Diabetes and, in particular, type 2 diabetes, is becoming
much more prevalent among people of all ages," Medco Chief
Medical Officer Robert Epstein said in a statement.
"While prevention of type 2 diabetes needs to be a national
priority, drug treatments can help prevent the onset of complications
from diabetes that lead to hospitalizations, more complex treatment
and dramatically higher costs," Epstein said.
"For those patients who depend on medications to avoid serious
complications, compliance is paramount."
Health plan initiatives to encourage more preventive care can
also curb spending growth, the report said.
Source: www.reuters.com
Comments:
This news coming out at the apt time, when GSK’s leading
diabetes drug Avandia is under scrutiny for increasing heart
risk. This single drug earned GSK a revenue of close to
$3 Billion per year since its approval. Recently Merck also
came up with a combination drug Janumet, without any long-term
safety studies. In the last few years, nearly every major
pharmaceutical company has made diabetes research a priority,
getting their share of the business with this disease; and
yet diabetes continues to be an ever-growing problem worldwide.
Diabetes is already the fifth-leading cause of death in
the U.S., and since 1987,the death rate due to diabetes
has increased by 45%. According to a statistic, sales of
diabetes drugs had already reached $9.8 Billion in 2005.
Diabetes, especially type II diabetes, is becoming more
common in people of all ages, including children. With 18
million Americans as diabetic patients, and 51 million more
declared as “pre-diabetic,” the treatment is
going to get even more aggressive. These numbers encourage
drug companies to ignore the dangers of the new drugs while
earning billions for pharmaceutical, medical device companies,
insurance companies - and also the media from huge ad campaigns.
So everyone benefits, except the patients!
The health care system is willing to spend huge amounts
on drugs while neglecting the benefits of natural nutrients.
The scientists at Dr. Rath's Research Institute have proven
in clinical trials that the synergistically combined specific
cellular nutrients are effective, safe, and can address
the root causes of many chronic diseases, including diabetes,
at the cellular level. Over a decade ago, Dr. Rath has identified
that the root cause of diabetes and other chronic disease
is long-term deficiency of specific cellular nutrients,
which can be easily supplied and the disease progression
can be halted or even reversed safely. You can read more
about these trials and Dr. Rath's research on www.drrathresearch.org
and www.cellularhealthtraining.org.
|
|
