From the Journals
Most type 2 diabetes patients skipping metformin as first-line therapy
Claims data show that few people with type 2 diabetes start their blood sugar control regimen with metformin, even though the ADA recommends it as...
“If you treat diabetes, this is alarming,” she said. “These are people who should be on a diabetes med, their doctor probably thinks they’re on a diabetes med, and they’re not taking it.”
The findings are limited by factors associated with the use of administrative claims data, such as possible coding inaccuracies and missed cases in which patients paid out of pocket for medications through low-cost pharmacy offers, as well as by the 12-month window used for the study. She added that the findings may not be generalizable to uninsured or Medicare patients.
Nevertheless, the findings are concerning and may reflect misunderstandings among patients about the need to refill prescriptions after the initial supply runs out, or may relate to side effects that patients don’t report to their physicians, Sherita Golden, MD, of Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, said during a question-and-answer period following Dr. Latts’ presentation.
“I do treat patients with diabetes so I am very alarmed,” she said, adding that there is a need to improve communication between patients and physicians about treatment and side effects.
Dr. Latts reported relationships with Medtronic, Novo Nordisk, and Sanofi. Her coauthors from IBM Watson and the ADA all reported having no financial disclosures.
SOURCE: Latts L et al. ADA 2018, Abstract 135-OR.