Printed labels for diabetes medication are in higher demand than ever before as the prevalence of the condition increases.

According to the NHS Information Centre, prescriptions for diabetes now account for 8.4 per cent of the entire NHS bill for primary care drugs in England.

One in every 25 prescription items being given out in pharmacies is now for diabetes medication, with 38.3 million items dispensed in 2010-11.

It is expected that £725 million will be spent on diabetes medication this year by the government, up by 6.6 per cent since 2005-06.

Tim Straughan from the NHS Information Centre said the news shows there is "an ever-increasing drugs bill to cope with the demands of society triggered by diabetes".

A warning was recently added to the pharmaceutical labels of pioglitazone-containing medicines, which are used to treat diabetes, after the European Medicines Agency found they may increase the likelihood of developing bladder cancer.

Denny Bros Ltd, 26 August 2011