A large proportion of a Saudi population with type 2 diabetes mellitus
was found to be non-adherent to antidiabetics: a retrospective cohort
study
Abstract
Purpose: Optimal adherence to antidiabetics among patients with
type 2 diabetes mellitus has been associated with positive health
outcomes; however, studies to assess this adherence in Saudi Arabia are
scarce. We aimed to evaluate adherence to antidiabetics using a Saudi
population. Methods: This was a multicenter, retrospective
cohort study of patients (≥ 18 years old) with type 2 diabetes mellitus
who received ≥ 1 antidiabetic between 2015 and 2020. Adherence was
estimated using the continuous multiple-interval measure of medication
availability (CMA7). A CMA7 cutoff point of ≥ 80% was chosen to define
optimal adherence, and the odds of not achieving therapeutic annual
HbA1c levels (i.e. ≥ 7%) in the optimal vs. suboptimal adherence groups
was assessed using a logistic regression model adjusting for the
measured confounders. Results: A total of 36,789 patients were
included in the study. The most commonly prescribed regimens were
metformin single treatment (n=15,025 [41.6%]) and
gliclazide-metformin combination treatment (n=5,667 [15.7%]). The
median CMA7 was 70.4%, and only 13,552 (36.9%) patients were adherent
to their antidiabetics (CMA7 ≥ 80%). The odds of not achieving
therapeutic HbA1c levels one year after the index date were comparable
in the optimal vs. suboptimal adherence groups (odds ratio = 0.99, 95%
confidence interval 0.92 to 1.05). Conclusions: This study
showed that a large proportion of a Saudi population with type 2
diabetes mellitus were non-adherent to their antidiabetic treatments.
Future Saudi and regional studies are needed to assess the impact of
adherence on HbA1c levels and on cardiovascular outcomes.