Diabetes Medicines Offer Solution for Patients and Health Care Costs, New Report

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Diabetes Medicines Offer Solution for Patients and Health Care Costs, New Report Shows

http://www.phrma.org/publications/value/18.02.2004.908.cfm

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February 18, 2004

Introduction of new medicines over the past 20 years has helped prolong and improve the lives of millions of Americans with diabetes, a new report shows. The report by MEDTAP International also quantified the value of improvements in the health of diabetes patients and found that for every additional dollar invested in overall care for the disease in the last 20 years, health gains valued at $1.49 result.

The MEDTAP report finds that careful control of blood glucose levels with pharmaceuticals and other therapies reduces the risk of diabetes-related death by 10% and the chance of complications by 12%.[1]

Despite the health gains that have been made, diabetes remains a serious and growing problem. The disease now affects 6.3% of the population, costing the nation $132 billion in 2002. Among seniors over age 60, nearly one in five has diabetes. In 2000, diabetes contributed to the deaths of 213,062 people in the U.S.[2]

Improving diabetes care is becoming even more crucial as the scope of the problem expands. According the Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy , “Today in the United States… diabetes is a serious public health threat,†and “Roughly 1 million people age 20 and older become diabetic every year, and the number of people with diabetes in the United States rose by nearly 50 percent during the past decade.â€[3]

New medicines are emerging to meet this challenge. In the last decade, four totally new classes of diabetes medication have been introduced. These new discoveries provide doctors with an arsenal of medicines to customize treatment to the patient, minimizing side effects and improving outcomes.

Commenting on the value of these advances, Dr. Dolinar, a practicing endocrinologist, stated, “The millions of dollars we spend on treatment for patients once they develop heart disease, stroke and kidney failure could be significantly decreased if we instead helped patients manage their diabetes with pharmaceuticals.â€[4]

Recent findings in the report by MEDTAP further illustrate the importance of ensuring diabetes patients are effectively treated with medicines. The study reports peer-reviewed findings that:

Tight control of blood glucose, including integral use of drugs, results in health gains valued at $3.77 for each additional dollar invested.

Treatment of diabetes patients with ACE inhibitors to control blood pressure produces health improvements worth $21.36 per dollar.

Diabetes patients with cardiovascular disease who receive statins to help lower cholesterol levels receive returns of $7.00 - $31.00.

In addition to producing value by preventing complications or death, new diabetes medicines can reduce overall health care spending by easing patients’ symptoms and avoiding complications. One recent study found that effective treatment of diabetes with medicines and other therapy yields annual health care savings of $685 - $950 per patient within one to two years.[5] Another study corroborated these results, finding that use of a disease management program to control diabetes with medicines and patient education generated savings of $747 per patient per year.[6]

Medicines are becoming more and more effective in the fight against diabetes. Without the emergence of these new treatments, as well as new technologies to diagnose and monitor diabetes, the disease and its related complications would take a far higher toll on the health of Americans.

As the group of people suffering from diabetes grows, more innovative medicines are needed. Pharmaceuticals will be an important tool in the effort to keep costs under control as the scope of the problem expands. The disease now affects 18.2 million Americans[7] and that number is expected to continue to multiply. With continued innovation, pharmaceuticals will save more lives, avert more complications, and save millions of health care dollars.

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[1] MEDTAP International, “The Value of Investment in Health Care: Better Care, Better Lives (Executive Summary),†(Bethesda, MD: MEDTAP, 2003).[2] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “National Diabetes Fact Sheet,†(United States: CDC, November 2003), <http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/pubs/pdf/ndfs_2003.pdf> (5 February, 2004).[3] T.G. , Speech before the Diabetes Federation of Ireland, 14 November 2002, http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2002pres/20021114a.html <13 February 2004>.[4] Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, “Diabetes and Pharmaceutical Spending: New Treatments, New Solutions,†Focus on Health Policy, (Washington, DC: PhRMA, 2003).[5] E.H. Wagner, et al., “Effect of Improved Glycemic Control on Health Care Costs and Utilization,†Journal of the American Medical Assocaition, 285 (2001): 2, 182-189.[6] J. Berger, et al., “Economic Impact of a Diabetes Disease Management Program in a Self-Insured Health Plan: Early Results,†Disease Management, 4 (2001): 2, 65-73.[7] American Diabetes Association Web Site, “All About Diabetes,†<http://www.diabetes.org/about-diabetes.jsp> (4 February 2004).