TY - JOUR
T1 - Mining treatment patterns of glucose-lowering medications for type 2 diabetes in the Netherlands
AU - van den Heuvel, Jan Maurik
AU - Farzan, Niloufar
AU - van Hoek, Mandy
AU - Maitland-van der Zee, Anke-Hilse
AU - Ahmadizar, Fariba
PY - 2020/1/7
Y1 - 2020/1/7
N2 - Rationale and objectives Different classes of glucose-lowering medications are used for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) management. It is unclear how often these medications are prescribed in clinical practice. In this study, we aimed to describe treatment patterns of glucose-lowering medications in patients with T2DM in the Netherlands. Methods We studied a cohort of 73 819 patients with T2DM, aged ≥45 years with a first prescription for oral glucose-lowering medication between 2011 and 2017. We used the NControl database with dispensing data from 800 pharmacies in the Netherlands. Prevalence of each glucose-lowering medication class during 6 years after the index date was calculated. Using SQL Server, we identified stepwise patterns of medication prescription in this population. Findings During the study period, prevalence of biguanides (BIGU) decreased from 95.6% to 80.8% and use of sulfonylureas (SU) increased from 27.3% to 42.3%. 55.2% of all patients only received BIGUs, 19.1% of all patients started on BIGUs but switched to BIGU +SU. 13.5% of patients with T2DM initiated insulins, on average 532 days (almost 18 months) after the index date. Conclusions Our findings showed that in the Netherlands, medication treatment in patients with T2DM is mainly consistent with the clinical guidelines in the Netherlands during the study period.
AB - Rationale and objectives Different classes of glucose-lowering medications are used for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) management. It is unclear how often these medications are prescribed in clinical practice. In this study, we aimed to describe treatment patterns of glucose-lowering medications in patients with T2DM in the Netherlands. Methods We studied a cohort of 73 819 patients with T2DM, aged ≥45 years with a first prescription for oral glucose-lowering medication between 2011 and 2017. We used the NControl database with dispensing data from 800 pharmacies in the Netherlands. Prevalence of each glucose-lowering medication class during 6 years after the index date was calculated. Using SQL Server, we identified stepwise patterns of medication prescription in this population. Findings During the study period, prevalence of biguanides (BIGU) decreased from 95.6% to 80.8% and use of sulfonylureas (SU) increased from 27.3% to 42.3%. 55.2% of all patients only received BIGUs, 19.1% of all patients started on BIGUs but switched to BIGU +SU. 13.5% of patients with T2DM initiated insulins, on average 532 days (almost 18 months) after the index date. Conclusions Our findings showed that in the Netherlands, medication treatment in patients with T2DM is mainly consistent with the clinical guidelines in the Netherlands during the study period.
KW - drug utilization
KW - standards of care
KW - treatment algorithms
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85078538451&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjdrc-2019-000767
DO - https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjdrc-2019-000767
M3 - Article
C2 - 31958296
SN - 2052-4897
VL - 8
JO - BMJ open diabetes research and care
JF - BMJ open diabetes research and care
IS - 1
M1 - e000767
ER -