Table 1.
Characteristics of new initiators of antidiabetes medications dispensed in 2019
| SGLT2i | GLP-1RA | DPP-4i | SU | TZD | Metformin | Insulin | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New initiations, n (%) | 2,653 (8) | 4,980 (15) | 4,725 (14) | 6,497 (19) | 2,325 (7) | 7,105 (21) | 5,406 (16) |
| Age in years, mean (SD) | 70.8 (8.8) | 69.9 (8.9) | 73.7 (8.9) | 73.4 (8.7) | 72.9 (8.4) | 72.6 (8.7) | 72.3 (9.4) |
| CCI, mean (SD) | 4.2 (2.2) | 4.2 (2.2) | 4.4 (2.5) | 4.3 (2.4) | 3.7 (2.0) | 4.1 (2.4) | 5.4 (2.9) |
| Female, n (%) | 1,222 (46) | 2,664 (53) | 2,470 (52) | 3,225 (50) | 1,143 (49) | 3,712 (52) | 2,871 (53) |
| Race, n (%)* | |||||||
| White | 1,231 (46) | 2,227 (45) | 1,971 (42) | 2,914 (45) | 986 (42) | 3,103 (44) | 2,503 (46) |
| Black | 352 (13) | 678 (14) | 719 (15) | 819 (13) | 281 (12) | 890 (13) | 738 (14) |
| Asian | 120 (5) | 136 (3) | 189 (4) | 210 (3) | 95 (4) | 237 (3) | 120 (2) |
| Hispanic | 366 (14) | 685 (14) | 747 (16) | 931 (14) | 395 (17) | 959 (13) | 639 (12) |
| Other/unknown | 584 (22) | 1,254 (25) | 1,099 (23) | 1,623 (25) | 568 (24) | 1,916 (27) | 1,406 (26) |
| Region, n (%)* | |||||||
| Northeast | 232 (9) | 390 (8) | 435 (9) | 517 (8) | 129 (6) | 577 (8) | 464 (9) |
| Midwest | 360 (14) | 739 (15) | 659 (14) | 906 (14) | 248 (11) | 1,000 (14) | 993 (18) |
| South | 1,420 (54) | 2,761 (55) | 2,607 (55) | 3,510 (54) | 1,250 (54) | 3,631 (51) | 2,783 (51) |
| West | 641 (24) | 1,090 (22) | 1,024 (22) | 1,564 (24) | 698 (30) | 1,897 (27) | 1,166 (22) |
| Baseline comorbidities, n (%) | |||||||
| Nephropathy | 2,609 (98) | 4,893 (98) | 4,625 (98) | 6,315 (97) | 2,279 (98) | 6,904 (97) | 5,337 (99) |
| Neuropathy | 948 (36) | 1,971 (40) | 1,561 (33) | 2,003 (31) | 775 (33) | 2,145 (30) | 2,472 (46) |
| Retinopathy | 341 (13) | 648 (13) | 535 (11) | 635 (10) | 253 (11) | 686 (10) | 779 (14) |
| Hypertension | 2,470 (93) | 4,634 (93) | 4,401 (93) | 5,965 (92) | 2,101 (90) | 6,426 (90) | 5,116 (95) |
| Heart failure | 629 (24) | 1,177 (24) | 1,130 (24) | 1,511 (23) | 294 (13) | 1,419 (20) | 1,827 (34) |
| Ischemic heart disease | 894 (34) | 1,468 (29) | 1,410 (30) | 1,924 (30) | 502 (22) | 1,994 (28) | 2,042 (38) |
| Stroke/TIA | 244 (9) | 561 (11) | 624 (13) | 761 (12) | 237 (10) | 831 (12) | 874 (16) |
| Medication use | |||||||
| Unique DM Rx, mean (SD) | 2.0 (1.1) | 1.9 (1.1) | 1.3 (1.0) | 1.1 (1.0) | 1.6 (1.1) | 0.9 (1.1) | 1.5 (1.1) |
| SGLT2i, n (%) | — | 521 (10) | 326 (7) | 306 (5) | 185 (8) | 338 (5) | 227 (4) |
| GLP-1RA, n (%) | 560 (21) | — | 305 (6) | 537 (8) | 276 (12) | 624 (9) | 793 (15) |
| DPP-4i, n (%) | 773 (29) | 1,293 (26) | — | 1,332 (21) | 573 (25) | 968 (14) | 982 (18) |
| SU, n (%) | 1,155 (44) | 1,937 (39) | 2,034 (43) | — | 1,239 (53) | 2,235 (31) | 1,665 (31) |
| TZDs, n (%) | 351 (13) | 523 (11) | 414 (9) | 634 (10) | — | 517 (7) | 334 (6) |
| Metformin, n (%) | 1,304 (49) | 1,995 (40) | 2,028 (43) | 3,039 (47) | 1,099 (47) | — | 1,490 (28) |
| Insulin, n (%) | 496 (19) | 1,494 (30) | 585 (12) | 560 (9) | 248 (11) | 791 (11) | — |
| Laboratory data | |||||||
| eGFR, mL/min/1.73 m2, mean (SD) | 48.4 (13.3) | 43.4 (13.4) | 42.8 (13.0) | 43.0 (13.7) | 44.0 (13.5) | 49.8 (12.2) | 41.6 (14.8) |
| Creatinine available, n (%) | 1,222 (46) | 2,194 (44) | 2,201 (47) | 3,017 (46) | 1,124 (48) | 3,086 (43) | 2,101 (39) |
| HbA1c level, %, mean (SD) | 8.0 (1.8) | 8.3 (1.8) | 7.7 (1.6) | 7.6 (1.6) | 8.0 (1.7) | 7.4 (1.7) | 8.2 (2.0) |
| HbA1c available, n (%) | 1,315 (50) | 2,288 (46) | 2,295 (49) | 3,053 (47) | 1,186 (51) | 3,359 (47) | 2,228 (41) |
| Health care use, n (%) | |||||||
| ER visit, ≥1 | 609 (23) | 1,190 (24) | 1,354 (29) | 1,809 (28) | 429 (18) | 1,840 (26) | 2,293 (42) |
| Hospitalization visit, ≥1 | 232 (9) | 417 (8) | 662 (14) | 798 (12) | 150 (6) | 902 (13) | 1,392 (26) |
Patient baseline characteristics, laboratory data, and health care use information are for the 6-month period prior to cohort entry. DM Rx, diabetes medication prescription; ER, emergency room; TIA, transient ischemic attack.
*
Note that these percentages may not total 100% due to rounding.