Researchers: Cost of diabetes care on rise

Diabetes drug costs in the United States have almost doubled in six years to $12.5 billion as more people are diagnosed and patients receive newer, more expensive treatments, a study has found. Researchers questioned whether these newer drugs are more effective than older, cheaper treatments. About 18 million people in the United States were diagnosed with diabetes in 2007, an increase from 8.1 million in 1994, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Worldwide sales of diabetes drugs may jump to $22 billion by 2016, analysts say.