Increase in direct diabetes-related costs and resource use in the 6 months following initiation of insulin in patients with type 2 diabetes in five European countries: data from the INSTIGATE study

The burden of type 2 diabetes mellitus in states of the European Union and United Kingdom at the national and subnational levels: A systematic review

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) is a highly prevalent disease worldwide, with an equally increased expenditure associated with it. We aimed to longitudinally evaluate the epidemiologic and economic burden of T2D in the current member states of the European Union and the United Kingdom (EU-28). The present systematic review is registered on PROSPERO (CRD42020219894), and it followed the PRISMA guidelines. Eligibility criteria comprised original observational studies in English reporting economic and epidemiological data for T2D in member states of the EU-28. Methodological assessment was performed with the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Critical Appraisal Tools. The search retrieved 2253 titles and abstracts. After study selection, 41 studies were included in the epidemiologic analysis and 25 in the economic analysis. Economic and epidemiologic studies covered only 15 member states with reported data between 1970 and 2017, resulting in an incomplete picture. For children in particular, limited information is available. The prevalence, incidence, mortality, and expenditure of the T2D population have increased across the decades in member states. Therefore, policies should aim to prevent or reduce the burden of T2D in the EU and consequently mitigate the expenditure on T2D.

Real-world clinical outcomes and costs in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients after initiation of insulin therapy: A German claims data analysis

BACKGROUND

This study describes real-world treatment-related outcomes and healthcare costs of German type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) patients who initiated insulin therapy.

METHODS

This retrospective analysis includes German claims data from 01/01/2012 until 31/12/2016. Identification of eligible patients took place between 01/01/2013 and 31/12/2015, allowing for at least 1 year of follow-up. Clinical outcomes, such as HbA1c values and body mass index, were observed in a subpopulation participating in a Disease Management Program. Healthcare expenditures were evaluated for the first year of therapy.

RESULTS

Overall, 27,340 insulin starters with T2D were observed (mean age: 72.2 years, female: 51.4%). Treatment-related outcomes were evaluated in a subsample of 12,034 patients. Patients who started insulin combined with other antidiabetic drugs (ADs) achieved their HbA1c goals more frequently than patients on insulin monotherapy (+10.7 percentage points [pp] vs. +21.1 pp for insulin plus metformin). All-cause costs were by far highest among patients with insulin monotherapy (€ 12,283 per patient-year) compared with patients receiving a combined AD regimen (€ 9,947-10,509 per patient-year).

CONCLUSIONS

Changes in HbA1c values were not in favor of insulin monotherapy, compared to regimens including other ADs. It was also associated with higher costs, suggesting that insulin alone is a suboptimal treatment.

Costs and its drivers for diabetes mellitus type 2 patients in France and Germany: a systematic review of economic studies

BACKGROUND

Type 2 diabetes represents an increasingly critical challenge for health policy worldwide. It absorbs massive resources from both patients and national economies to sustain direct costs of the treatment of type 2 diabetes and its complications and indirect costs related to work loss and wages. More recently, there are innovations based on remote control and personalised programs that promise a more cost-effective diabetes management while reducing diabetes-related complications. In such a context, this work attempts to update cost analysis reviews on type 2 diabetes, focusing on France and Germany, in order to explore most significant cost drivers and cost-saving opportunities through innovations in diabetes care. Although both countries approach care delivery differently, France and Germany represent the primary European markets for diabetes technologies.

METHODS

A systematic review of the literature listed in MEDLINE, Embase and EconLit has been carried out. It covered interventional, observational and modelling studies on expenditures for type 2 diabetes management in France or Germany published since 2012. Included articles were analysed for annual direct, associated and indirect costs of type 2 diabetes patients. An appraisal of study quality was performed. Results were summarised narratively.

RESULTS

From 1260 records, the final sample was composed of 24 papers selected according to predefined inclusion/exclusion criteria. Both France and Germany revealed a predominant focus on direct costs. Comparability was limited due to different study populations and cost categories used. Indirect costs were only available in Germany. According to prior literature, reported cost drivers are hospitalisation, prescriptions, higher HbA1c and BMI, treatment with insulin and complications, all indicators of disease severity. The diversity of available data and included costs limits the results and may explain the differences found.

CONCLUSIONS

Complication prevention and glycaemic control are widely recognized as the most effective ways to control diabetes treatment costs. The value propositions of self-based supports, such as hybrid closed-loop metabolic systems, already implemented in type 1 diabetes management, are the key points for further debates and policymaking, which should involve the perspectives of caregivers, patients and payers.

Direct medical costs associated with the extrahepatic manifestations of hepatitis C infection in Europe

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a systemic disease associated with both hepatic and extrahepatic manifestations. The burden associated with the hepatic manifestation of HCV infection has been well documented in Europe, although that of HCV extrahepatic manifestations remains unknown. In this study, we estimated the annual direct medical costs associated with HCV extrahepatic manifestations in five European countries. A previously validated economic model was used to estimate the annual direct medical cost associated with HCV extrahepatic manifestations. Global excess prevalence of extrahepatic manifestations in HCV patients relative to that in non-HCV patients was obtained from a recent meta-analysis. Per-patient per-year inpatient, outpatient and medication costs to treat each extrahepatic manifestation were from the literature, national databases or expert opinion if unavailable otherwise. All costs were adjusted to 2016 euros (€). The overall direct medical costs associated with HCV extrahepatic manifestations were calculated by multiplying the total per-patient per-year costs of each by the respective excess prevalence rates and then by the size of the HCV-infected population in each country. Treatment impact with direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) was explored using HCV extrahepatic manifestations excess prevalence rates among cured patients compared to untreated HCV patients, as sourced from a meta-analysis. The total annual direct medical cost associated with HCV extrahepatic manifestations was estimated to be 2.17 billion euro (€), with a per-HCV-patient cost ranging from €899 to €1647 annually. DAA treatment was projected to result in cost savings of €316 million per year. We find that the annual economic burden of extrahepatic manifestations is significant and may be partly mitigated by treatment with DAAs.

Changes in health services usage associated with insulin initiation in primary care

Insulin initiation is often delayed in primary care partly because of clinician concerns about the additional clinical work. This study describes health services usage (HSU) pre- and post-insulin initiation in people with type 2 diabetes and out-of-target glycaemic levels. Secondary analysis of participant data from the Stepping Up randomised controlled trial of a model of care for insulin initiation in general practice was undertaken. For 142 people who commenced insulin, HSU in the 6 months prior was compared to that in the 12 months following insulin initiation. Overall, HSU events increased in the 6 months following insulin initiation from a median (IQR) of 18 (15, 29) to 23 (16, 36); (P=0.05), mostly because of an increase in general practitioner (GP) consultations (6 (4, 10) to 8 (5, 11); (P=0.01)). HSU and GP consultations subsequently returned to baseline at 12 months. There was no effect on hospitalisations or specialist consultations. Insulin initiation is associated with a small increase in GP consultations that reverts to baseline after 12 months without affecting other health services. This study can inform health services planning and resource allocation at practice and health policy levels to support insulin initiation in general practice.

Cost effectiveness of vildagliptin versus glimepiride as add-on treatment to metformin for the treatment of diabetes mellitus type 2 patients in Greece

OBJECTIVES

This study was designed to assess the cost-effectiveness of vildagliptin versus glimepiride as add-on to metformin in the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients in the Greek healthcare setting.

METHODS

A cost-effectiveness model was designed, using MS Excel, to compare two treatment strategies. Strategy 1 consisted of first-line metformin, followed by metformin + vildagliptin in second-line, while strategy 2 consisted of first line metformin, followed by metformin + glimepiride in second line. Subsequent lines were the same in both strategies and consisted of metformin + basal insulin and metformin + basal + rapid insulin. Clinical data and utility decrements relating to diabetes complications were taken from the published literature. Only direct medical costs were included in the analysis (cost base year 2014), and consisted of drug, adverse events and comorbidity costs (taken from local officially published sources and the literature). The perspective adopted was that of the Social Insurance Fund. The time horizon was lifetime, and future costs and outcomes were discounted at 3.5% per annum.

RESULTS

Adding vildagliptin to metformin increased drug costs compared with adding glimepiride to metformin (€2853 vs. €2427, respectively). However, this increase was offset by a decrease in the costs of associated comorbidities (€4393 vs. €4539) and adverse events (€2757 vs. €3111), resulting in a lower total cost of €74 in strategy 1 compared with strategy 2. Comorbidities were the largest cost component in both strategies, accounting for 43.9 and 45.0% in strategies 1 and 2, respectively. Strategy 1 was also associated with increased life-years (LYs, 0.11) and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs, 0.11) compared with strategy 2. Strategy 1 is therefore dominant, as it is associated with both lower overall costs and increased effectiveness.

CONCLUSIONS

Vildagliptin as add-on treatment to metformin in the management of T2DM in Greece appears to be dominant versus. glimepiride in terms of both cost per LY and cost per QALY gained.

Economic Impact of Treatment Duration and Persistence with Basal Insulin in Previously Insulin-Naive Users

BACKGROUND

Although insulin is a well-established therapy that is associated with improved clinical outcomes, adherence and persistence with insulin regimens are poor in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Diabetes-related health care costs and the impact of insulin persistence patterns on these health care costs have been previously studied; however, these aspects of insulin therapy have limited data beyond the first year of use and have not been characterized among patients previously naive to basal insulin.

OBJECTIVES

To (a) describe and compare medical- and pharmacy-related costs, health care resource utilization, and comorbidities and complications during the initial year and second (experienced) year of basal insulin therapy, and (b) describe and compare the impact of continuous versus interrupted basal insulin use during each year.

METHODS

This was a retrospective observational database analysis using claims from multiple U.S. commercial health plans (Truven Health MarketScan) in previously insulin-naive patients with T2DM who were initiated on basal insulin. Data collected included all-cause and diabetes-related medical and pharmacy costs, health care resource utilization (i.e., number and type of outpatient visits, hospitalization, emergency department [ED] visits), medication use, and preselected comorbidities and complications. This cost analysis described and compared health care costs and resource use between the initial and experienced years and further compared health care costs and resource use between continuers and interrupters within each of those years.

RESULTS

A total of 23,645 patients were included in the analysis; 12,224 were classified as continuers and 11,421 were classified as interrupters. Among all patients, mean increases from the initial year to the experienced year were observed for all-cause medical costs ($12,690-$13,408; P = 0.048), all-cause pharmacy costs ($6,253-$6,559; P < 0.001), and all-cause health care costs ($18,943-$19,967; P = 0.006), after adjusting for inflation. All-cause pharmacy costs were significantly higher for continuers versus interrupters, but total diabetes-related medical care costs, all-cause ED costs, and all-cause medical costs were significantly lower, resulting in similar all-cause health care costs between continuers and interrupters in both the initial and experienced years. Among all patients, diabetes-related inpatient visits and outpatient primary care physician (PCP) visits, total medical inpatient visits, and total medical outpatient PCP visits were significantly higher in the initial year than in the experienced year; however, there were fewer diabetes-related ED visits in the initial year.

CONCLUSIONS

Initiation of basal insulin appears to be associated with increased health care costs, and treatment persistence pattern (continuers vs. interrupters) is further correlated with health care expenditures. Although associated with decreased pharmacy costs, interruption of therapy increases medical costs, underscoring the importance of addressing persistence to therapy.

DISCLOSURES

This study was funded by Eli Lilly and Company and Boehringer Ingelheim. Eli Lilly reviewed and approved this manuscript for submission. All the authors are employees and minor shareholders of Eli Lilly and Company. Study concept and design were contributed by Kalirai, Duan, and Reed. Duan and Liu collected the data, and data interpretation was performed by Kalirai. The manuscript was written by all the authors and revised by Kalirai.

The Cost of Managing Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Greece: A Retrospective Analysis of 10-Year Patient Level Data "The HERCULES Study"

Objective. This study aimed to estimate the mean annual cost of treating type 2 diabetes mellitus patients (T2DM) including complications and comorbidities in Greece. Design. A noninterventional retrospective study was based on patient level data analysis (bottom-up approach) from medical records, with at least 10-year-follow-up data. Results. The total annual cost per patient for managing diabetes in Greece was estimated at € 7,111 and was, statistically significantly, higher for patients with inadequate glycemic control (Hba1c > 7%) versus patients with adequate control (Hba1c = 7%) (€ 7,783 versus € 6,366, resp.; P = 0.017). This was mainly attributed to difference in CV hospitalizations between groups 14/111 versus 4/100, respectively, OR = 3.46 (95% CI: 1.10-10.9) for inadequately controlled patients. The largest component of cost was management of comorbidities, accounting for 48% of costs, and pharmaceutical treatment at 35.9% while only 14.9% was attributed to diabetes treatment per se. Obese men and patients with poor education are the groups with higher treatment costs. Conclusions. This is the first study to capture all cost components and the real burden of diabetes in Greece. Comorbidities were found to account for almost half of total cost, significantly higher in nonoptimally controlled diabetes patients.

Clinical outcomes and costs for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus initiating insulin therapy in Greece: two-year experience from the INSTIGATE study

AIMS

To evaluate the quality of metabolic control, clinical outcomes, resource costs, and quality of life among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), who initiated insulin for the first time as part of routine clinical practice.

METHODS

The INSTIGATE study is a prospective, multicentric, observational study of patients initiating insulin treatment. This sub-cohort analysis focuses on Hellenic outcomes.

RESULTS

At baseline, 263 Greek patients were enrolled just before initiating insulin for the first time. At the 6-month visit, 237 patients (90.1%) remained and consented to an additional 18-month observation period. In these 237 extension patients, over the 24-month post-initiation period, HbA1c (mean(SD)) decreased from 9.7%(1.6%) to 7.1%(0.9%) and body weight and BMI increased (+3(6)kg and +1.1(2.2)kg/m(2), respectively). At each post-baseline visit approximately one in five patients reported ≥1 episodes of hypoglycaemia in the preceding 3-6 months. Median total costs fluctuated from 438€ at baseline to 538€ up to 6 months and 451€ at 24 months; mean costs were 496(383)€, 573(276)€ and 485(247)€, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

In this cohort, insulin treatment seems to be effective with little long-term impact on cost. Findings should be interpreted in the context of an observational study.

Evaluation of insulin initiation on resource utilization and direct costs of treatment over 12 months in patients with type 2 diabetes in Europe: results from INSTIGATE and TREAT observational studies

OBJECTIVES

To describe the changes in resource utilization in seven European countries (Germany, Greece, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Spain, and Turkey) and direct costs in four European countries (Germany, Spain, Sweden, and Greece) over the first 12 months of insulin treatment in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

METHODS

INSTIGATE and TREAT (2005-2010) were non-interventional, prospective, observational studies in patients with T2DM and initiating insulin for the first time. A 6-month retrospective data capture was conducted at baseline (insulin initiation) followed by prospective data collections at ∼3, 6, and 12 months. Statistical analyses were descriptive; estimated costs are presented as nominal values.

RESULTS

This study presents data for 1450 patients. Overall, in the first 6 months after insulin initiation, the use and cost of blood glucose monitoring and insulin increased, while the cost of oral diabetic medication decreased. Contributors to total direct costs differed between countries. Ranges of total mean direct costs over the 6-month period before insulin initiation were €489.10-€658.50 (Greece-Spain); 0-6 months after insulin initiation, €573.40-€1084.70 (Greece-Spain); and 6-12 months after insulin initiation, €495.80-€859.30 (Greece-Germany). Thus, the mean cost of treatment increased in all countries in the first 6 months after insulin initiation and then returned to baseline except in Germany.

LIMITATIONS

Overall, 15% of patients were lost to follow-up over 12 months. Costs were not pro-rated to account for variation of visits. Participating centres may not have been fully representative of all levels of care.

CONCLUSIONS

Contributors to total cost differed between countries, potentially reflecting local clinical practice patterns and insulin regimens. In each country, mean direct total costs of T2DM care increased during the first 6 months after insulin initiation and decreased thereafter.

Clinical outcomes after 24 months of insulin therapy in patients with type 2 diabetes in five countries: results from the TREAT study

OBJECTIVE

To assess factors associated with insulin regimens at initiation, changes in treatment and metabolic control over 2 years of insulin therapy in patients with type 2 diabetes in five countries.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

TREAT was a prospective, 24 month, observational study in patients with type 2 diabetes initiating insulin in clinical practice. Patient characteristics were collected at baseline and metabolic outcomes at 3, 6, 12, 18 and 24 months after initiation.

RESULTS

A total of 985 patients were enrolled, 886 assessed at baseline and 734 (82.8%) at 24 months. Baseline characteristics varied between countries: 52.8% of patients were men; mean age was 60.4 years; body mass index, 29.7 kg/m²; time since diagnosis, 10.1 years; HbA1c, 9.6%. Less than 25% of patients met ADA/IDF targets for blood pressure/LDL cholesterol. Overall, 50.1% of patients were initiated on long/intermediate insulin, 39.3% on mixture and 7.8% on basal-bolus; distribution varied between countries. Patients on long/intermediate were more likely to have lower baseline HbA1c and be intensified to other regimens (19.4%). No oral antidiabetic medication was used for 16.4% initiating on long/intermediate, 47.4% on mixture and 62.3% with basal-bolus. Overall, mean HbA1c decreased from 9.6% to 7.6%, with little difference between regimens at endpoint. The percentage of patients with hypoglycaemia was highest at 6 months and with basal-bolus.

LIMITATIONS

Sites were not selected at random. Drop-out of patients prior to 24 months may have introduced a bias that favoured responders.

CONCLUSIONS

Mean baseline HbA1c was high, indicating delayed initiation of insulin treatment. Blood pressure and lipids were suboptimally controlled. Insulin regimens varied between countries, changed little and resulted in similar HbA1c levels after 24 months.