medwireNews: An analysis of electronic health records reveals changes in prescribing patterns for type 2 diabetes treatments in the UK over the past decade.
John Dennis and study co-authors from the MASTERMIND consortium found that while first-line metformin use remained “very stable” from 2010 to 2017, the percentage of second-line prescriptions for dipeptidyl peptidase (DPP)-4 inhibitors rose from 18% in 2010 to approximately 43% in 2017, overtaking sulfonylureas as the most commonly used second-line treatment.
The use of sodium-glucose cotransporter (SGLT)-2 inhibitors also increased rapidly, accounting for approximately 15% of second-line prescriptions and around 30% of third-line prescriptions in 2017, Dennis told delegates at the 2018 Diabetes UK Professional Conference in London.
Second- and third-line prescribing “has changed drastically,” in the UK since 2010, reflecting marked changes in the NICE guidelines, he summarized.
And he added that although the average HbA1c response to treatment has remained consistent over time, patients lost a mean 1.2 kg of bodyweight 6 months after starting second- or third-line therapy in 2017, compared with an average gain of 0.4 kg in 2010.
These findings indicate that increasing use of DPP-4 inhibitors and SGLT2 inhibitors has not improved glycemic control, but may have helped patients to lose weight after starting second- or third-line therapy, concluded Dennis.
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