Relationship between clinical effectiveness and pharmacoeconomic cost in patients with diabetes mellitus

Therapeutic practices and effectiveness have a crucial impact on healthcare system costs in diabetes mellitus treatment with significant economic implications. Encompassing up to 15% of the healthcare budget in the Slovak Republic, diabetes mellitus imposes a huge economic burden on the Slovak healthcare system. The paper analyzes the treatment needs and medication costs for diabetes between 2004 and 2010 in the Slovak Republic. Both insulin and oral antidiabetic therapy are available for all patients depending on the severity of the disease. The costs analysis clearly indicates a great impact of diabetology on healthcare. The results of this work have confirmed that diabetes mellitus is a costly disease, and the costs are expected to grow further. With respect to the increasing demand and limited resources, there is a growing need for additional economic analyses. To achieve control of costs in the decision making processes in the Slovak Republic, the role of pharmacoeconomics should be strengthened.