Infographic – U.S. Dominates Diabetes Drug Sales

Click on image for full-size view (Statista)

19 Nov. 2022. Diabetes continues to be a worldwide scourge, affecting some 422 million people, according to World Health Organization. In the U.S., Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says more than 133 million people have diabetes, nearly one-third of the world’s total, yet almost half of the world’s diabetes drug sales volume is in the U.S.

The business research company Statista compiled these drug sales data as part of its Health Market Outlook report. The findings show sales of diabetes drugs in the U.S. last year reached $27.1 billion, just under half (46%) of the global total of $58.6 billion. Nonetheless, says WHO, the majority of people with diabetes live in low- or middle-resource regions. One reason for the large proportion of diabetes drug sales volume in the U.S. is the high price of insulin. Statista cites a Rand Corp. report showing as of 2018, insulin prices are five to 10 times higher in the U.S. than elsewhere in the world.

Diabetes is a chronic disorder where the pancreas does not create enough insulin to process the sugar glucose to flow into the blood stream and cells for energy in the body. In type 2 diabetes, which accounts for at least 90 percent of all diabetes cases, the pancreas produces some but not enough insulin, or the body cannot process insulin. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disorder, where the immune system attacks beta cells in the pancreas, preventing insulin production.

For the Health Market Outlook, Statista says it collects data from a range of sources: company reports, health organizations, trade associations, reviews of industry media, economic indicators, and expert opinions. The company says it continuously reviews markets for various industries, and constructs forecasting models based on data collected from those reviews.

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