Study suggests “alarming” diabetes med discontinuation

They had a mean age of 55 years, with 28% aged 45-54 years and 35% aged 55-64 years. About 46% were women, and all had at least one diagnosis for type 2 diabetes mellitus during the study period and at least one outpatient pharmacy claim for a type 2 diabetes medication that was prescribed to be taken for at least 30 days.

“As you would expect, far and away the majority [68%] were given metformin,” Dr. Latts said.

Other prescribed treatments after the initial diagnosis included sulfonylureas (7%), insulin (6%), dipeptidyl peptidase–4 inhibitors (6%), sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (1.5%), and a variety of combination treatments – typically metformin plus sulfonylureas (5%).

This study provides real-world evidence that a majority of patients with type 2 diabetes discontinue their treatment within 1 year – an important finding given that medication persistence is imperative for successful treatment, Dr. Latts said. She noted that prior research has shown treatment discontinuation of prescribed medication within the first year is common for a number of chronic disease treatments and is associated with poor clinical outcomes.