Latest News

Cost of insulin analogues – NHS has wasted £625 million on analogue insulin in the past 10 years

Research published online in BMJ Open has shown that the NHS has spent an extra £625 million over the past 10 years on analogue insulins when the recommended human insulin alternatives, which are considerably cheaper, would probably have been just as effective. During this period, insulin analogues were 47% more expensive than human insulin. The authors base their findings on an analysis from the four UK prescription pricing agencies for the years 2000 to 2009. [Costs were adjusted for inflation and reported at 2010 prices.]

Over the 10 years:

• The NHS spent a total of £2,732 million on insulin with the annual cost rising by 130%, from £156 million to £359 million.
• Prescriptions for analogue insulin accounted for £1,629m [59% of the total]. Human insulin accounted for £1,056m [39% of the total] and animal insulin accounted for £47.2m [2% of the total].
• The annual cost of analogue insulin rose from £18.2 million [12% of the total] to £305 million [85% of the total].
• The cost of human insulin fell from £131 million [84% of the total] to £51 million [14% of the total].

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Mixtard 30 has gone, Actraphane is identical and available in the EU but not to people in the UK

Update – click here

Actraphane is a pre-mix 30/70 insulin made by Novo Nordisk which is similar or near-identical insulin to Mixtard 30 and the MHRA have informed IDDT that it is licensed in the UK. Why weren’t patients and Health professionals informed at the time of the Mixtard 30 discontinuation? Are patients really at the centre of care, to find out more click here:

Then after click:
Information about Actraphane
IDDT’s letter to Secretary of State for Health, Andrew Lansley
Earl Howe responds to IDDT
IDDT’s further response to Earl Howe

IDDT appears on NHS ONLINE TV, ‘LIVING WITH DIABETES’

It can be viewed on demand at the following link:

http://www.nhsonline.net/tv

Launch of Hospital Passports

Following the release of information about the numbers of people with diabetes in hospital at any one time and the problems that can occur, IDDT has launched the Hospital Passport. This will help people with diabetes when they go into hospital by providing vital Information about their diabetes and how they manage their treatment. It also enables people to include information about all their medicines, their mealtimes, diet and any allergies.

We hope that people with diabetes will be able to take the opportunity of using the Hospital Passport whenever they are admitted to Hospital and that health professionals will give them to their patients.

Further information click here