UAE slashes cost of diabetes drugs by more than 80%

The cuts are part of the fourth round of reductions announced in November

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The price of diabetes drugs will be cut by more than 80 per cent from Wednesday in the latest wave of reductions to make medicine affordable for all.

Those 14 drugs are among more than 200 to have had their costs sliced by the Ministry of Health.

But the 83 per cent cut on the cost of the treatment of diabetes, a major public health concern in the UAE, is the highest announced since the ministry began its campaign 30 months ago.

“Providing drugs with reasonable prices is one of the ministry’s priorities and its healthcare services,” said Dr Amin Al Amiri, assistant under secretary at the ministry.

Dr Al Amiri said the reductions were especially important for those dependent on drugs for life, such as diabetics.

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The diabetes drugs include amaryl, glustin and the insulin humalog.

The other 191 drugs that will be reduced in price are used to treat diseases and conditions including osteoporosis, heart conditions, lung cancer, hormone replacements, hypertension, glaucoma, skin conditions including psoriasis, and vascular diseases and kidney failure.

More than 7,500 drugs have had their prices reduced over the past 30 months.

The ministry first announced reductions in 2011, when the prices of 565 medicines were cut by up to 55 per cent.

More cuts, of up to 35 per cent on 115 generic medicines, were announced that November.

The biggest batch of reductions came in June last year, when the prices of 6,632 drugs, including treatments for hypertension and heart failure, anti-depressants, anti-virals for HIV and asthma medicine, were reduced by up to 40 per cent.

The ministry announced a fourth wave of cuts last November, in medicines to treat chronic conditions including heart disease, hypertension and diabetes.

It has included the 14 drugs, which are used to treat patients who face a lifetime’s dependence on insulin.

The International Diabetes Federation says there are 745,940 diabetics in the UAE.

The sweeping cuts came after a review of the drug market by the ministry and long talks with both local and international pharmaceutical companies.

Abdul Rahman Al Owais, Minister of Health, praised the favourable response from pharmaceutical companies in helping to reduce the cost of medicine.

Mr Al Owais said a study had been carried out comparing the prices of medicine in the UAE with those in neighbouring and worldwide countries.

It found the cost of medicines in the UAE were considerably higher compared with Lebanon, Bahrain, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Jordan, especially for drugs used to treat chronic diseases.

Mr Al Owais said the study showed the importance of maintaining comparable prices for drugs in the region.

Meanwhile, Dr Al Amiri said the pricing system used at the ministry would be regularly monitored.

The ministry will also release a list of all the medicines and their new prices on its website.

jbell@thenational.ae