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Diabetes medications now account for 15% of all NHS England prescription spending, with costs having risen by 18% in the past year, according to NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) data.
The figures, published on 21 August 2025, have suggested that an estimated 3.9 million people were identified as receiving treatment with diabetes medicines in 2024/2025 — a 7% increase from the 3.6 million people in 2023/2024.
Over the past decade, the number of people identified as receiving treatment with diabetes medicines has increased by 43%, from 2.7 million patients in 2015/2016, the data revealed.
They also show that between 2023/2024 and 2024/2025, the spend on Mounjaro (tirzepatide; Eli Lilly) increased by £120m, which is a 340-fold increase compared with the previous year.
Mounjaro — which is licensed for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and weight management — was prescribed to 188,065 identified patients in 2024/2025, up from 2,242 patients in 2023/2024.
The drug was approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency for weight loss in November 2023 and has been available on the NHS since June 2025.
For the past ten years, more diabetes medicines have been prescribed in areas of higher deprivation than those with lower deprivation, according to the data.
The figures revealed that, in 2024/2025, there were 986,708 identified patients receiving diabetes medicines in the most deprived parts of England, with a total net ingredient cost for these medicines of £467m.
In the least deprived regions of England, there were 637,293 identified patients, with a total net ingredient cost for medicines of £307m.
Hannah Beba, consultant pharmacist for diabetes at West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership, commented: “There has been a steady stream of new diabetes medications and technology over the last few years. These innovative solutions have excellent evidence base for efficacy in treating [T2DM] but also in prevention of secondary outcomes associated; for example, cardiovascular events.
“Whenever we think about cost, we must also think of efficacy and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has a role in England considering this, particularly when new classes of medications are brought to market.”
In August 2025, draft guidance from NICE recommended sodium–glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitors and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists for patients with T2DM, which would expand access to newer medications.
NICE said the new recommendations mark the “biggest shake-up in [T2DM] care in a decade” and a move away from a “one-size-fits-all” model towards personalised treatment.
Beba added that the prevalence of T2DM “is much higher in our deprived communities, so it makes sense that spending on medications in these areas would be higher”.
“A focus on prevention will be essential to have a sustainable solution and this is linked directly to us managing obesity well within our populations. We need solutions that are varied and give people choice to access what works for them,” she said.
OpenPrescribing data analysed by The Pharmaceutical Journal showed that the Midlands NHS commissioning region had the highest number of Mounjaro items prescribed in May 2025, at 43,478 items — around 12 million people in this region are registered with a GP.
Conversely, the lowest number of Mounjaro prescribing was in the London NHS commissioning region, with 21,066 items — around 11 million people in this region are registered at a GP practice.
In May 2025, NHS England announced that it was planning to tender for a contract to provide behavioural change support for patients prescribed Mounjaro in primary care.
