Treatment modification patterns of glucose-lowering agents in Saudi Arabia: A retrospective real-world data analysis

Aim

The growing number of antidiabetics has broadened therapeutic options, leading to heterogeneity in prescribing patterns. Studies identifying antidiabetics modification patterns are lacking in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, the aim of this study is to describe modification patterns in Saudi patients.

Methods

Patients ≥ 18 years old with at least one antidiabetic between 2016 and 2022 were included. Follow-up started from the earliest to the last prescription. Two modification types were evaluated: “add-on,” prescribing new antidiabetics within a treatment episode, and “switching”, starting a new treatment episode after the preceding ends. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize patients and estimate events proportions.

Results

Of 122,291 patients, 47.2 % had treatment interruption or modification, totaling 303,781 events. Interruptions accounted for 54 %, add-on for 11 %, and switching for 35 %. The median time to first event was 159 days. The most add-on included dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor (DPP-4) inhibitors to biguanide and sulfonylurea (8 %), and sulfonylurea to biguanide (8 %). Among 106,405 switching events, 23 % shifted from dual to monotherapy and 17 % from monotherapy to dual therapy.

Conclusion

Nearly half of patients experienced modifications or interruptions, with notable shifts between monotherapies and dual therapies. These findings highlight the evolving landscape of treatment patterns in Saudi Arabia and guide future research and decision-making.