Utilization patterns of insulin for patients with type 2 diabetes from national health insurance claims data in South Korea

Pharmacological and Benefit-Risk Profile of Once-Weekly Basal Insulin Administration (Icodec): Addressing Patients' Unmet Needs and Exploring Future Applications

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic metabolic disease affecting over 500 million people worldwide, which leads to severe complications and to millions of deaths yearly. When therapeutic goals are not reached with diet, physical activity, or non-insulin drugs, starting/adding insulin treatment is recommended by international guidelines. A novel recombinant insulin is icodec, a once-weekly insulin that successfully completed phase III trials and that has recently obtained the marketing authorization approval from the European Medicines Agency. This narrative review aims to assess icodec pharmacological and clinical features concerning evidence on benefit-risk profile, as compared to other basal insulins, addressing the potential impact on patients' unmet needs. Icodec is a full agonist, recombinant human insulin analogue characterized by an ultra-long half-life (196 h), enabling its use in once-weekly administration. Phase III randomized clinical trials involving more than 4000 diabetic patients, mostly type 2 DM, documented non-inferiority of icodec, as compared to currently available basal insulins, in terms of estimated mean reduction of glycated hemoglobin levels; a superiority of icodec, compared to control, was confirmed in insulin-naïve patients (ONWARDS 1, 3, and 5), and in patients previously treated with basal insulin (ONWARDS 2). Icodec safety profile was comparable to the currently available basal insulins. Once-weekly icodec has the potential to improve patients' adherence, thus positively influencing patients' treatment satisfaction as well as quality of life, especially in type 2 DM insulin-naïve patients. An improved adherence might positively influence glycemic target achievement, reduce overall healthcare costs and overcome some of the unmet patients' needs. Icodec has the potential to emerge as a landmark achievement in the evolution of insulin therapy, with a positive impact also for the National Health Services and the whole society.

The impact of youth-onset type 2 diabetes on postoperative wound healing complications

Youth-onset type 2 diabetes mellitus is associated with a more rapid decline in β cells, and earlier onset of medical complications compared to adult-onset diabetes. However, its impact on surgical wounds remains less clear. Therefore, this study aimed to determine whether youth-onset diabetes is a risk factor for wound healing complications in the 30-day postoperative period. To do so, the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program Database years 2012-2019 was analysed. Patients aged 18-24 with non-insulin-dependent diabetes were included. Outcomes assessed included wound infections, wound dehiscence, readmissions, and reoperation. Univariate analysis identified differences between the diabetic and non-diabetic cohorts after which, multivariate logistic regression was employed to control for potential confounding. Analysis included 1589 diabetic and 196,902 non-diabetic patients ages 18-24. The diabetic cohort exhibited a higher proportion of female (83.8% vs. 55.2%, p < 0.001), non-white (22.7% vs. 19.5%, p = 0.001), and Hispanic patients (16.2% vs. 13.6%, p = 0.002). Diabetic patients were less likely to have dirty or contaminated wounds (16.2% vs. 25.2%, p < 0.001); however had increased rates of superficial surgical site infections (SSSIs; 2.0% vs. 0.8%, p < 0.001) and readmission (4.0% vs. 3.0%, p = 0.026). After regression, diabetes remained a significant positive predictor of SSSI (odds ratio: 1.546, p = 0.022); however, it no longer significantly predicted 30-day readmission. Overall, this analysis of a large multicentre surgical outcomes database found that when compared to non-diabetics, youth-onset diabetic patients exhibited a higher proportion of SSSIs in the 30-day postoperative period. These infections were found, despite the diabetic cohort exhibiting lower rates of wound contamination. After controlling for confounding variables, youth-onset diabetes remained a significant predictor of SSSI. Clinically, prevention and treatment of diabetes along with judicious wound care is recommended.

Antibiotic prescription for acute upper respiratory tract infections: Understanding patient and physician contributions via patients' migration

Inappropriate antibiotic use is a main driver in microbes' development of antibiotic resistance. This study explored the extent to which patient, provider, and other factors contribute to antibiotic prescriptions for acute upper respiratory tract infection. We exploited exogenous patients' temporary and permanent migration from their residential area to robustly separate patient-related, provider-related, and other factors in terms of their contributions to antibiotic use. We analyzed claims of 914,013 URI patients from the 2002-2019 Korean National Health Insurance Sample Cohort Database. The results showed that both patient- and provider-related factors affect antibiotic use for upper respiratory tract infection treatment, although providers' impact is stronger than that of patients. Further decomposition analysis confirmed that provider-related factors explain about 55% of the total variance in antibiotic use. The demand side contributes to approximately 33-34% of the variance. Providers' local market share and market competitiveness are associated with antibiotic prescription. The findings suggest that regulations to reduce antibiotic consumption in Korea should target both patients and providers with appropriate quantifiable penalties.

Strong association of type 2 diabetes with degenerative lumbar spine disorders

Tantalizing connections between type 2 diabetes and degenerative lumbar spine disorders have become increasingly evident. However, the association of type 2 diabetes with degenerative lumbar spine disorders remains unclear. We sought to clarify the association between type 2 diabetes and lumbar spine disorders using nationwide data in Korea. Furthermore, we explored the association of diabetes with the prevalence of spinal procedures. The data in this study was obtained from Korean health claim database. Between 2016 and 2019, totals of 479,680 diabetes and 479,680 age- and sex-matched control subjects were enrolled. Patients with diabetes had more likely to have degenerative lumbar spine disorders and spinal procedures than controls. Using multivariate-adjusted analysis, patients with diabetes were at increased risk of being concomitantly affected by lumbar disc disorder [adjusted odds ratio 1.11 (95% confidence interval 1.10-1.12)], lumbar spondylotic radiculopathy [1.12 (1.11-1.13)], spondylolisthesis [1.05 (1.02-1.08)] and spinal stenosis [1.16 (1.15-1.18)], compared to controls. Furthermore, diabetic patients had an increased risk of undergoing lumbar spinal injection [1.13 (1.12-1.14)], laminectomy [1.19 (1.15-1.23)], and fusion surgery [1.35 (1.29-1.42)]. We demonstrated that type 2 diabetes was significantly associated with lumbar spine disorders and frequent spinal procedures. Our results suggest diabetes as a predisposing factor for lumbar spine disorders.