Nearly 40% of Type 2 diabetes patients stop taking their second line medication

Most patients with Type 2 diabetes will end up needing to add a second-line medication after metformin-the go-to primary drug for glucose management-to control their blood sugar levels. But adherence to these second-line drugs can be hit or miss, reports a new Northwestern Medicine study.

When patients discontinue their medication, switch to a different drug or intensify their treatment (either via an increased dose, adding a third medication or starting insulin), it wastes the doctor and patient’s time, costs the health system unnecessary expense and, in the case of discontinuation, can result in a patient not fully treating their Type 2 diabetes. The study was published Dec. 12 in the American Journal of Managed Care.

The scientists analyzed five non-insulin classes of diabetes medications. In four of the five classes, 38% of patients discontinued their medication. But among patients prescribed glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs), half (50%) discontinued treatment.

“Discontinuation is bad. It is common in all five types of medications, but we see significantly more in those prescribed the GLP-1 RAs,” said corresponding author David Liss, research associate professor of general internal medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

Reference: Nearly 40% of Type 2 diabetes patients stop taking their second-line medication; The American Journal of Managed Care; DOI: 10.37765/ajmc.2023.89466