Objectives: Lack of adherence and persistence to prescribed therapy impact achievement of glycemic goals. This study aimed to assess the association between adherence and persistence to basal insulin therapy with healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) among adults with type 2 diabetes (T2D).

Methods: This was an observational, retrospective cohort study of commercially insured US patients using IQVIA PharMetrics® Plus claims data. We identified adults with T2D initiating basal insulin therapy between January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2018. Adherence/non-adherence and persistence/non-persistence were assessed per established definitions. Demographic and clinical characteristics were assessed over the one-year baseline period (prior to initiation). Inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) was used to adjust for confounding by adherence and persistence status. Post-IPTW, all-cause medical HCRU and costs in the one-year follow-up period were compared across cohorts.

Results: The final sample consisted of 64,953 patients: 42% and 58% met criteria for adherence and non-adherence, respectively; 57% and 43% met criteria for persistence and non-persistence, respectively. The proportion of patients with ≥1 hospitalization was lower for the adherence and persistence cohorts compared to their reference groups (adherence: 12.2% vs. 13.8%; persistence: 12.5% vs. 14.2%, both P<0.0001); for these patients, mean hospitalization days were lower among adherence and persistence cohorts (adherence: 10.1 vs. 13.2; persistence: 10.4 vs. 13.8, both P<0.0001). Total mean medical costs were also lower (adherence: $16,118 vs. $17,991; persistence: $16,459 vs. $18,399, both P<0.0001), driven by lower acute care costs (adherence: $6,210 vs. $7,775; persistence: $6,385 vs. $8,171, both P<0.0001).

Conclusions: In this study, adherence and persistence to basal insulin therapy was associated with lower HCRU and costs, particularly for acute care.

Disclosure

N.F.Nielsen: Employee; Novo Nordisk A/S, Coloplast A/S. V.R.Aroda: Consultant; Applied Therapeutics Inc., Fractyl Health, Inc., Novo Nordisk, Pfizer Inc., Sanofi, Other Relationship; Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Research Support; Applied Therapeutics Inc., Eli Lilly and Company, Fractyl Health, Inc., Novo Nordisk, Sanofi. K.K.Mangla: Employee; Novo Nordisk A/S, Stock/Shareholder; Novo Nordisk A/S. V.Divino: Employee; IQVIA Inc. T.Namvar: None. J.R.Rajpura: Employee; Novo Nordisk.

© 2023 by the American Diabetes Association
2023
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