Background: People with T2DM have increased risks of CV morbidity and mortality. Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RA) and sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) have been shown to reduce risks of CV events, but the degree to which they are used in clinical practice remains unknown. Our objectives were to describe glucose-lowering drug utilization in U.S. patients with T2DM and established CVD (eCVD) in 2014-18.
Methods: Annual drug use by adults (≥ 18 years) with T2DM and eCVD (during the same 12-months) was determined from the MarketScan claims database.
Results: We identified 345,340 (2014) to 227,418 (half year 2018) patients with T2DM and eCVD; hypertension and ischemic heart disease were the most prevalent eCVDs. About 55-60% of patients used any type of glucose lowering drug. Although the use of GLP-1 RA and SGLT2i increased 6.2 and 9.5 percentage points respectively across 2014-18, the use of dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (DPP-4i) decreased by 3.7 points and use of other glucose lowering drugs decreased by 10.8 points. Patients who used GLP-1 RA and SGLT2i were 8 years younger than users of DPP-4i or other glucose lowering drugs. SGLT2i users had the lowest prevalence of chronic heart failure and chronic kidney disease.
Conclusion: Despite recent increases, GLP 1-RA and SGLT2i are significantly underused among patients with T2DM and eCVD in the MarketScan claims database.
M.L. Ganz: None. A.V. Ustyugova: Employee; Self; Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH. N. Sawalhi-Leckenby: None. S. de Souza: None. R. Gao: None. D. Homsy: None. E. Gunnarsson: None. L. Zhang: None. N. Desai: None.
