Initiation of insulin therapy in patients with type 2 diabetes: An observational study

Abstract

The aim of the study was to assess the initiation of insulin therapy in patients with type 2 diabetes using health claims data on prescription medicines. The study evaluated time to insulin initiation and prescribing patterns of other anti-diabetic medicines before and after insulin initiation. Five years after starting non-insulin antidiabetic therapy, 6.4 of patients were prescribed insulin, which is substantially lower compared to other similar studies. among all patients who initiated insulin therapy in 2013, 30 did not continue any other antidiabetic therapy. However, this proportion was lowered to 20 in 2018. Before insulin initiation in 2018, metformin was prescribed in only 67 of patients and sulfonylureas in 78 of patients. Moreover, metformin and sulfonylureas were discontinued after insulin initiation in 26 and 37 of patients, resp. More attention should be paid to the continuation of oral anti-diabetics, particularly metformin, after insulin initiation.