Summary

This report is the latest in a series of publications on diabetes by The Health and Social Care Information Centre. It covers the period 2005/6 to 2011/12.

Key Facts

• In the financial year 2011/12 there were 40.6 million items prescribed for diabetes (British National Formulary (BNF) section 6.1) at a net ingredient cost of £760.3 million. This was a 6.1 per cent (2.3 million) rise in the number of items, from 38.3 million in 2010/11, and a 4.8 per cent (£35.2 million) rise in the net ingredient cost, from £725.1 million in 2010/11. Overall prescribing costs fell between 2010/11 and 2011/12 by 1.3 per cent.
• Prescribing for diabetes accounted for 4.2 per cent of items and 8.9 per cent of the total cost of prescribing in 2011/12 compared with, 4.1 per cent and 8.4 per cent in 2010/11, and 3.7 per cent and 6.6 per cent in 2005/6.
• Over the period 2005/6 to 2011/12 there was an increase in the number of items for diabetes of 49.9 per cent (13.5 million) and in net ingredient cost of 47.9 per cent (£246.3 million). In 2005/6 there were 27.1 million items at a cost of £513.9 million. This growth compares with a growth of 33.2 per cent in items and 10.7 per cent for cost of all prescribing over the same period.
• In 2011/12 there were 6.1 million insulin items (British National Formulary 6.1.1), representing 14.9 per cent of all items prescribed for diabetes, prescribed at a net ingredient cost of £314.7 million. Compared with the previous financial year this was an increase of 3.3 per cent in the number of items from 5.9 million and a 2.4 per cent increase in net ingredient cost from £307.5 million. Human analogue insulins were the most commonly prescribed form of insulin.
• In 2011/12 there were 28.0 million items prescribed for Antidiabetic drugs (BNF 6.1.2), representing 68.9 per cent of all items for diabetes, at a net ingredient cost of £281.0 million. This was an increase of 8.1 per cent in the number of items and an 8.4 per cent increase in net ingredient cost compared to 2010/11 (when there were 25.9 million Antidiabetic drug items prescribed at a net ingredient cost of £259.1 million). Since 2005/6, items and net ingredient cost of Antidiabetic drugs have increased by 73.6 per cent and 91.4 per cent respectively.