OBJECTIVES The objective was to analyze evolving consumption, public costs as well as prescription practice pattern of the newer anti-diabetic drugs interfering with incretin system, i.e. DPP-IV inhibitors (“gliptins”) and GLP-1 mimetics, and compare it to other drugs in the anti-diabetic portfolio.   METHODS The pharmacy claims-based database of the General Health Insurance Company of the Czech Republic (VZP CR) was used as the data source. An insured person with a recorded prescription for any of the drugs of interest (ATC3 classification A10B: blood glucose-lowering drugs excl. insulins) between 2008 and 2013 was defined as a patient. Information on pricing and reimbursement were obtained from the files of administrative proceedings at the State Institute for Drug Control  RESULTS Since the introduction of sitagliptin in autumn 2008 its utilization rose to 2.1 DDD/TID in 2013, which makes it the most prescribed incretin-based drug. Overall consumption of all incretin-based therapies was 5.4 DDD/TID in 2013 and the patient number represents 9 % of all patients taking any anti-diabetic drug of the ATC A10B group (except for insulins). However, in terms of public costs incretin-based agents represent already 55% of all the blood glucose-lowering therapy of the evaluated A10B group (insulines excluded). In comparison, the utilization of the 1^st line drug metformin between 2008 and 2013 has been annually rising by 5 % to 10 %, while in other groups, namely sulfonylureas and thiazolidinediones, it has been declining each year on average by 2 % and 15 %, respectively. CONCLUSIONS The uptake of incretin-based drugs since 2008 has been rapid and their utilization keeps rising, apparently at the expense of other drugs, namely older sulfonylurea derivatives and thiazolidinediones. Consequently the overall public expenditure on anti-diabetic therapy has been increasing.