Factors Contributing to the Rising National Cost of Glucose-Lowering Medicines for Diabetes During 2005–2007 and 2015–2017

Abstract

The increase in national spending on glucose-lowering medications during the past decade was mostly associated with the increased costs for insulin, analogs in particular, and newer noninsulin medicines, and cost-per-user had a larger effect than the number of users. Understanding the factors contributing to the increase helps identify ways to curb the growth in costs.