Effect of treatment intensification on glycemic control in patients with subcontrolled type 2 diabetes who failed on two oral antidiabetic agents

Aims

Treatment intensification (TI) may help patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) achieve target hemoglobin A1c (A1c) < 7.0%. This study aimed to measure the influence of TI on A1c outcome in patients who insufficiently responded to two classes of oral antidiabetic drugs (2OADs).

Materials and methods

A retrospective observational study of patients with T2DM was performed using health plan claims and A1c records accrued between January 2010 and March 2017. The study population had an A1c ≥ 7.0% (baseline A1c) after treatment with 2OADs for one year. Patients who had TI with a third-class antidiabetic agent, including basal/biphasic insulin, glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RA), or OAD, within 365 days after baseline A1c were included. Patients who did not receive TI (NTI) within one year from the suboptimal A1c control were matched with TI patients using a propensity score approach. The odds ratio of achieving an A1c < 9.0% and < 7.0% for TI vs. NTI were calculated by logistic regressions.

Results

A1c values of 401 TI − NTI matched pairs were analyzed. TI patients achieved a significantly lower follow-up A1c than NTI patients (7.79% ± 1.45 vs. 8.02% ± 1.67, p = 0.03). The odds ratio [95% confidence interval] of achieving A1c < 9.0% and < 7.0% for TI was 1.50 [1.04−2.17] and 1.19 [0.87−1.63], respectively.

Conclusion

TI with a third-class agent further reduced A1c levels in patients whose A1c insufficiently responded with 2OADs; however, most patients failed to achieve an A1c < 7.0% on the intensified treatment.