Cost of diabetes medication doubled over the last decade

The cost of medication used to treat diabetes has more than doubled over the last decade, amounting to £2.3bn in England for 2025/26.

Statistics from the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) revealed that 4.1 million patients were prescribed items to treat diabetes in 2025/26, an increase of 46% since 2016/17.

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The NHSBSA publication ‘Prescribing for Diabetes’ also found that 83 million diabetes medications were prescribed in 2025/26, some 8% more than the previous year and 60% more than in 2016/17 when the total was 52 million.

Diabetes medication made up 20% of the total spend on all prescribed items in England, up from 11% a decade ago. The NHSBSA attributed the rise to “SGLT2 inhibitors, GLP-1 receptor agonists, and improved glucose monitors”.

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The findings also revealed that men aged 65 to 69 made up 7% of all diabetes patients taking medication, and that the most deprived areas had “an estimated 386,000 more patients” than the most affluent areas.

It comes after an intervention by Community Pharmacy England (CPE) saw the NHS price of Rybelsus tablets redetermined, preventing community pharmacy owners from losing an estimated £2.6m.

The type 2 diabetes medication will be dispensed for £120 from August 2026, up from £78.48, which the CPE says will help pharmacy owners avoid “dispensing these products at a loss”.