Since 1985, the death rate from diabetes has increased almost 50% while the death rate from heart disease has fallen 16%.
The full toll of diabetes is often underestimated because diabetics usually die from complications, not the disease itself.
Since 1981, the percent of the total NIH budget devoted to diabetes research has decreased 30%.
Until now, new drugs have been slow to arrive. In 1996, there were only about 50 candidate drugs in development, compared with more than 800 for heart disease.
Since 1985, the death rate from diabetes has increased almost 50% while the death rate from heart disease has fallen 16%.