Dosing Patterns of Dulaglutide and Semaglutide in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in France and Italy: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Abstract

Introduction: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a complex metabolic disease with several treatment options. Some glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) approved by the European Medicines Agency include dulaglutide, subcutaneous (s.c.) semaglutide, and oral semaglutide. This study examines dulaglutide and semaglutide dosing patterns for T2DM in France and Italy. Methods: IQVIA Longitudinal Prescription Data identified adults with T2DM prescribed dulaglutide or semaglutide between August 1, 2020 and December 31, 2022. Cohort 1 (incident) and cohort 2 (prevalent) users were followed for 12 months. Results: In France and Italy, 255,571 and 350,853 patients, respectively, received at least one study GLP-1 RA. Most dulaglutide-naïve patients in France (62%) and approximately half in Italy (49%) started on 1.5 mg and remained on this dose for up to 12 months (France: 66% cohort 1, 88% cohort 2; Italy: 73% cohort 1, 87% cohort 2). In cohort 1, s.c. semaglutide users mostly started on 0.25 mg (France, 78%; Italy, 61%). At 12 months, s.c. semaglutide 1.0 mg was most prescribed (France: 58% cohort 1, 75% cohort 2; Italy: 59% cohort 2), with cohort 1 in Italy mostly receiving 0.5 mg (57%). Most oral semaglutide users in Italy started on 3.0 mg (78% cohort 1; 68% cohort 2), which was increased to 7.0 mg (62% cohort 1) and 14.0 mg (48% cohort 2) at 12 months. Conclusions: GLP-1 RA dosing patterns, although similar between France and Italy, were heterogeneous over time. As oral semaglutide and higher dulaglutide doses are recent to the market, additional real-world evidence is required to evaluate utilization patterns. Graphical abstract available for this article.