A new study shows that the treatment for diabetes has doubled in the last six years, patients receiving more than one drug, which is generally the newest and most expensive. Approximately 18 million people were diagnosed with diabetes in 2007 in the US and researchers wonder if the newer, more expensive drugs are actually better than the older treatments. Specialists say that it is expected that at a worldwide scale diabetes drugs may reach a $22 billion figure by 2016. The study shows that the cost for diabetes drugs has risen with 87% from 2001, in 2007 costing approximately $12, 5 billion in the US.

The study shows that 95% of the diabetes diagnoses are of Type 2 diabetes, which is linked to obesity, age and lack of exercise proving once again that people need to cut back on their fat diets and sedentary life styles. People who are suffering from Type 2 diabetes cannot produce enough insulin in order to transform the sugar in their blood into energy. It is known that diabetes can lead to blindness, kidney damage and heart disease, which are major health issues. The number of people suffering from diabetes is increasing and though this is mainly caused by some special circumstances, researchers say that doctors are beginning to diagnose people with this disease even in the mildest stages of the disease.

The study shows that the average cost of a diabetes prescription increased to $76 in 2007 from $56 in 2001. Researchers say that introducing better, cheaper drugs to deal with Type 2 diabetes is an important health priority right now.