Short communication, Note

https://doi.org/10.2478/acph-2022-0011

Initiation of insulin therapy in patients with type 2 diabetes: An observational study

SPELA ZEROVNIK ; University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Pharmacy, Slovenia
MITJA KOS ; University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Pharmacy, Slovenia
IGOR LOCATELLI ; University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Pharmacy, Slovenia

Abstract

The aim of the study was to assess the initiation of insulin therapy in patients with type 2 diabetes using health claims data on prescription medicines. The study evaluated time to insulin initiation and prescribing patterns of other antidiabetic medicines before and after insulin initiation. Five years after starting non-insulin antidiabetic therapy, 6.4 % of patients were prescribed insulin, which is substantially lower compared to other similar studies. Among all patients who initiated insulin therapy in 2013, 30 % did not continue any other antidiabetic therapy. However, this proportion was lowered to 20 % in 2018. Before insulin initiation in 2018, metformin was prescribed in only 67 % of patients and sulfonylureas in 78 % of patients. Moreover, metformin and sulfonylureas were discontinued after insulin initiation in 26 and 37 % of patients, resp. More attention should be paid to the continuation of oral antidiabetics, particularly metformin, after insulin initiation.

Keywords

diabetes mellitus; insulin; metformin; sulfonylurea

Hrčak ID:

261414

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/261414

Publication date:

31.3.2022.

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