Adding up the economic cost of treating diabetes mellitus

Abstract

T he costs of treating, and not appropriately treating, diabetes mellitus were discussed by researchers from Germany and the US at the 12th International Conference on Pharmacoepidemiology [ Amsterdam, The Netherlands; August 1996 ]. Wolfgang Rathmann from the Diabetes Research Institute in Dusseldorf, Germany, showed that prescription drug use and costs are substantially higher for patients with diabetes mellitus than for those without the disease. Dr Kimberly Javor from Eli Lilly in the US reported that diabetic ketoacidosis accounts for $US1 out of every $US4 spent on medical care for patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM).