This study examines the predictors of preferences of pen devices used with originator insulin glargine and MK-1293, a recently approved biosimilar insulin glargine (referred to as “Pen X”), among patients with diabetes. Adult patients with type 1/type 2 diabetes were recruited from commercial panels in the U.S., Canada, and the UK for one hour study visits. Respondents rated several attributes of each pen along with overall preferences for each of the two insulin pens. Non-inferiority analyses were conducted to compare ratings of the originator insulin glargine pen with Pen X. Logistic regression modeling was conducted to identify predictors of overall preference. A total of N=177 patients completed the study: mean age of 53.2 years, 56% males, with 73% type 2 diabetes. Overall, 63.2% preferred Pen X, 22.3% preferred originator insulin glargine pen and 14.5% had no preference. Except for employment, demographics were not significantly associated with overall preference, however the ease of pushing the injection button, instruction booklet and overall quality of the pen were predictive of an overall preference of Pen X (Table 1).The current study suggests that >60% of patients preferred Pen X and that overall, functional use and individual pen characteristics were the strongest predictors of preference, after adjusting for other pen characteristics.
B. Alemayehu: Employee; Self; Merck & Co., Inc. A.M. Nguyen: Employee; Self; Merck & Co., Inc. M. DiBonaventura: Employee; Self; Pfizer Inc.. Consultant; Self; Merck & Co., Inc.. B. Shah-Manek: None. C. Karki: None. M. Crutchlow: Employee; Self; Merck & Co., Inc.. Consultant; Spouse/Partner; Novo Nordisk Inc., Zealand Pharma A/S, XOMA Corporation.
