| Diabetic supplies are an essential requirement for | | | | November 2000. That's a compound annual |
| a diabetic patient. The supplies can prove to | | | | growth rate of 9.8 percent. However, the cost of |
| expensive or cost prohibitive for most patients. | | | | living increased 2.5 percent, according to U.S. |
| Not having access to them can mean the | | | | Bureau of Labor Statistics data. In real dollars, |
| difference between life and death. | | | | therefore, insulin sales increased 7.3 percent. |
| Once diagnosed with diabetes you have to take | | | | Simply dividing sales dollars by the number of |
| decision regarding how to control diabetes and | | | | prescriptions written might be misleading, however |
| take care of yourself. The first priority will be | | | | comparing the 26 million prescriptions for the year |
| insulin. You can use it either manually by using | | | | ended November 2000 divided by that year's |
| injections and syringes or by using the diabetic | | | | sales with the 25 million prescriptions written five |
| pump. | | | | years earlier divided by sales then shows an |
| The majority of cost allowance will go towards | | | | increase from $32.65 per prescription to $50.01. |
| insulin and not having insulin can be life threatening, | | | | That is a compound annual increase of 8.9 |
| but what does a patient diagnosed with diabetes | | | | percent of which 2.5 percent reflects the |
| do if he or she has no health insurance to pay for | | | | increased cost of living for a real increase of 6.4 |
| the medication? The recent economic indicators | | | | percent. |
| only prove that the drug cost is going up. | | | | It would be interesting to see what the new |
| Retail insulin sales in the United States increased | | | | forecast show. In any event the trend still shows |
| steadily from $816 million in the year ended | | | | progression indicating insulin sales will not plummet |
| November 1995 to $1.3 billion in the year ended | | | | during this economic slowdown. |