Most US adults with T2D meet recommended criteria for use of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) and sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2is), but fewer than 10% use either, according to a research letter published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Shichao Tang, PhD, and colleagues used nationally representative data from NHANES to examine the number and percentage of people with T2D who met the recommended criteria for, and were using, GLP-1 RAs and SGLT2is. Data were included for 1,330 adults with T2D and complete information. It was estimated that 22.4 million US adults with diagnosed T2D (82.3%) per year
would meet the recommended criteria for use of GLP-RAs and SGLT2is. Most Medicare beneficiaries would be recommended to use these medications. Of those meeting the criteria, 3.7%, 5.3%, and 9.1% used GLP-RAs, SGLT2is, and either of them, respectively. “More than 80% of US adults and nearly all Medicare beneficiaries with T2D would meet the criteria to use either GLP-1 RAs or SGLT2is,” the study authors wrote. “However, at current
drug pricing, using these two new medications as first-line agents among all eligible patients with T2D may not be cost-effective.”
