Prescription Patterns and the Cost of Antihyperglycemic Drugs in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Germany

Abstract

Diabetes is a chronic disease which affects around 8.3% of the worldwide population. 1,2 It is estimated that 1 in every 13 persons in Germany has diabetes. 3 Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is found in 90% of individuals with diabetes. 4 The current annual German cost associated with T2DM of approximately €11.8 billion in 2010 will exceed €21 billion in 2040, underscoring the major burden of diabetes in this country. 5 Reduction of blood glucose levels in T2DM patients is important since it can prevent microvascular and macrovascular complications. 6-8 If these levels remain high despite the introduction of lifestyle measures such as weight control and physical activity, oral antihyperglycemic medications and insulin treatments can be used in people with T2DM. Several studies have targeted the prescription of antihyperglycemic drugs and the cost of these medications in Germany. 9-10 In 2007, Rathmann and colleagues discovered that there had been a 100% increase in the average cost for antidiabetic medication between 1994 (€86.7) and 2004 (€172.1). 9 More recently, Tamayo et al further found regional and individual social disparities in the cost of overall and newer antihyperglycemic medications unexplained by other confounders. 10 Although these works have shed light on medical and 658746D STXXX10.

Trends in antidiabetic drug utilization and expenditure in Denmark: A 22‐year nationwide study

“…Similar trends in antidiabetic use have also been observed in other countries, but with smaller changes and variation in use for specific antidiabetic drugs . In 2017, the use of sulphonylureas and GLP‐1RAs each accounted for 8% of the total antidiabetic drug use in Denmark.…”

“…[4][5][6]16 Similar trends in antidiabetic use have also been observed in other countries, but with smaller changes and variation in use for specific antidiabetic drugs. 9,17,18 In 2017, the use of sulphonylureas and GLP- speculated that the blood glucose-lowering effects of these drugs simply seem to be outweighed by their side effects.…”

Costs and Its Drivers for Diabetes Mellitus Type 2 Patients in France and Germany: A Systematic Review of Economic Studies

“…One French study also reported higher costs for younger patients (€15299.46 for patients aged < 60 years vs. €9728.25 for patients aged ≥ 75 years) (64). Similar heterogeneous results were found for sex: higher costs for men (54) and also higher costs for women (43).…”

“…Complications or comorbidities contribute to higher overall direct healthcare costs and direct costs for diabetes treatment, respectively (44,54). For Germany, the most expensive diabetes-related complications are end-stage renal disease (occurrence €32738.14, one-year follow-up €23629.17), amputations (occurrence €20512.96, one-year follow-up €12818.02) and fatal ischaemic heart disease (occurrence €19874.15) (44).…”

Frequency of Blood Pressure and Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate Testing in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Retrospective Study with 43,509 Patients

“…The quality of these data is assessed on a regular basis, and it was shown by Becher and colleagues that the Disease Analyzer database is representative of German practices [14]. Finally, several diabetes studies have already been conducted using this database [15][16][17][18].…”