Taking diabetes medication reduces medical costs

Diabetes patients who do a better job of taking their medication have slightly lower health care costs, according to a study published in the _Health Services Research _journal. The researchers found that patients who take statin drugs to control cholesterol levels for their diabetes could save US$832 over three years if they increased their medication adherence by 10 per cent. The same increase in medication adherence from patients taking ACE-inhibitors, a class of antihypertensive drug, was associated with US$285 lower Medicare costs over a three-year period.