Table 1:

Daily cost of treatment with and without blood glucose test strips^*

Drug class	Agent	Dosage	Cost per day, $†
			Without test strips	With test strips
Metformin	Metformin	500 mg four times daily	0.50	1.24
Sulphonylureas	Glyburide	5 mg twice daily	0.73	1.64
Meglitinides	Repaglinide	2 mg twice daily	1.28	2.20
Thiazolidinediones	Pioglitazone	30 mg once daily	3.00	3.74
DPP-4 inhibitors	Sitagliptin	100 mg once daily	3.38	4.13
α-Glucosidase inhibitors	Acarbose	100 mg three times daily	1.76	2.50
Basal insulin	Insulin NPH	0.75 U/kg daily	1.95	3.60
Biphasic insulin	Regular human insulin or insulin NPH 30/70	1.50 U/kg daily	3.81	5.45

Note: DPP-4 = dipeptidyl peptidase-4, NPH = neutral protamine hagedorn.

^*Patients using non-hypoglycemia-inducing oral glucose-lowering drugs were assumed to use 0.94 strips per day, those using insulin were assumed to use 2.08 test strips per day, and those using oral drugs in combination with sulphonylureas or meglitinides (both of which are associated with hypoglycemia) were assumed to use 1.16 test strips per day (based on data from the Ontario Drug Benefit Program).²⁸

^†For all agents, costs are for the lowest-cost alternative.