Two diabetes drugs will be included as part of the State’s free medicines portfolio in September benefiting thousands whose condition cannot be controlled by available therapies.

The pills Gliptins and Repaglinide will widen the choice of medication available to doctors and will come at an annual cost of €3 million.

There are almost 26,000 diabetes sufferers on treatment with the vast majority controlling the condition with pills. The more severe cases are shifted to insulin.

According to the Health Ministry, while the majority of individuals taking pills for diabetes were doing fine, there were around 8,500 unable to control their diabetes with current treatment.

Of these, some 1,000 would probably be shifted to insulin but the vast majority could benefit from the new pills.

Health Parliamentary Secretary Chris Fearne told this newspaper the government was basing its decisions on clinical evidence.

“Studies overwhelmingly show that the introduction of these new drugs will make the lives of many diabetics better and decrease the rate of complications,” he said, adding this was part of a holistic diabetes strategy.

Uncontrolled diabetes is associated with many complications, including amputations, blindness, kidney failure and heart attacks. It is estimated that, every year, at least around 350 amputations related to diabetes are done.