Long-Term Effectiveness of Quadruple Combination Therapy with Empagliflozin Versus Basal Long-Acting Insulin Therapy in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: 3-Year Retrospective Observational Study

Abstract

Introduction: Effective blood glucose control remains a constant problem in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D), even if they are being properly treated with one or more currently available drugs. The present study was designed as a 3-year retrospective observational study to determine whether the use of either empagliflozin, a sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitor, or insulin would provide any improvement in the control of the blood glucose levels in patients with T2D who were already being treated with a cocktail of three different oral antidiabetic drugs. Methods: Adult patients with T2D were enrolled in this study if they exhibited suboptimal glycemic control (HbA1c 7.5-12.0%) despite being continuously treated for at least 3 months with metformin, dipeptidyl-peptidase 4 inhibitor, and glimepiride. Empagliflozin (25 mg/day, n = 154) or basal long-acting