GLP-1 RA Treatment Patterns Among Type 2 Diabetes Patients in Five European Countries

• DOI: 10.1007/s13300-016-0224-5
• Publication Date: 2017-01-09T09:54:44Z
• Authors: Victoria Divino; Mitch DeKoven; Farhad Ali Khan; Kristina S. Boye; Hélène Sapin; Kirsi Norrbacka
• Keywords: Discontinuation; Combination therapy

Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) are a relatively new class of injectable drugs used in the treatment type 2 diabetes (T2D). This retrospective database study evaluated real-world patterns T2D patients initiating GLP-1 RAs Belgium (BE), France (FR), Germany (DE), The Netherlands (NL) and Sweden (SE). Adult exenatide twice daily (exBID), once weekly (exQW), liraglutide (LIRA) or lixisenatide (LIXI) during 2013 were identified using QuintilesIMS (QuintilesIMS, Durham, NC, Danbury, CT, USA) longitudinal retail pharmacy databases (LRx; BE/FR/DE/NL) national health register data Therapy initiation date was termed 'index date.' Eligible had ≥180-day pre- variable follow-up (minimum ≥360 days post-index). Baseline patient characteristics assessed. Treatment modification persistence over 1-year follow-up. Kaplan-Meier (KM) survival curves stopping index therapy (first discontinuation switch) available A total 4339 exBID, 1499 exQW, 20,955 LIRA 1751 LIXI included analysis (45.1–61.9% female; mean age range 57.1–62.9 years). Mean ranged from 17.7 to 30.7 months. Across countries/databases, proportion experiencing at 84.1 93.8% for 53.3–73.4% exQW 59.5–80.5% patients. with 55.0% (N = 20) 96.9% (LIXI taken off German market April 2014). In KM analyses, lowest therapy, while exBID highest across databases, exception patents. varied among RA patients, generally countries. Longer term would be useful, given recent approval several therapies. Funding: Eli Lilly Co., Indianapolis, IN, USA.