OBJECTIVES: The landscape of insulin prescribing in the UK faces challenges due to the strain on the NHS from COVID-19, disruptions in the global supply chain, and the growing numbers of people with diabetes This research aims to evaluate insulin prescribing patterns in the UK from January 2021 to December 2022 using automated data extraction.

METHODS: We utilized data from the English Prescribing Dataset (EPD), to analyze insulin prescription data over a two-year period spanning from January 2021 to December 2022. Due to the volume of data contained within the EPD, we employed an automated process to extract pertinent insulin prescriptions from the dataset. For a prescription to be classified as relevant, the data needed to include either the 'insulin type' or 'insulin product of interest' within the prescription record.

RESULTS: Between January 2021 and December 2022, there was an overall increase in insulin prescription across the UK (11.8%). Across regions, the Midlands had the highest total quantity of insulin products prescribed (20.64%) followed by North East and Yorkshire (16.95%). In the UK, insulin aspart was the most prescribed product (32.0%), suggesting the largest market share within the insulin landscape.

CONCLUSIONS: The trends in insulin prescribing can be attributed to several reasons including the potential backlog of undiagnosed patients due to COVID-19 and the rise post-COVID-19. Leveraging automated extraction methods and analyzing comprehensive prescription datasets provides payers with insights to allow informed decision-making regarding resource allocation to improve diabetes care and patient access.