A NEW diabetes treatment has been turned down for use in Scotland by the NHS on cost grounds.

Tresiba (Insulin degludec) is the first long-lasting insulin that lets patients manage blood glucose levels with a daily injection that can be taken at any time of the day.

In a trial involving 7000 patients with Type 2 diabetes, the new insulin reduced the risk of night hypoglycaemia by up to 36%, compared with standard insulin.

Half of all severe hypo-glycaemic episodes occur at night and are often undetected as the person is asleep. However the drug, made by Danish firm Novo Nordisc, is around 70% more expensive than the standard injection, and was turned down by the Scottish Medicines Consortium.

A decision has not yet been passed for use of the drug south of the Border.

It comes as new figures show a record three million people have been told they have diabetes in the UK, 250,000 of those in Scotland.

Professor Brian Frier, honorary professor of diabetes at Edinburgh University, said he was "not surprised" the treatment had been refused on cost grounds.