Individuals who are prescribed GLP-1 or SGLT-2 drugs for diabetes and who have a low copay are more likely to take those drugs for more than one year compared to those with high copays, according to a study published June 1 in JAMA Network Open.
"These differences persisted even when controlling for patient demographic, clinical and socioeconomic covariates, demonstrating an independent association of co-payment amount with adherence to these therapies," the University of Pittsburgh researchers wrote.
The study analyzed data from Optum Insight that included information about more than 94,000 enrollees with commercial and Medicare plans. The individuals were 18 or older, had been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and/or heart failure and had a prescription claim for a GLP-1 or SGLT-2 from January 2014 to September 2020.
Adequate prescription adherence was defined as a proportion of days covered of 80 percent or greater at one year.
GLP-1 findings:
- Overall, 39,149 individuals had a claim for a GLP-1, of whom 65 percent achieved adequate adherence.
- Among those with a copay less than $10, about 72 percent achieved adequate adherence.
- Among those with a copay between $10 and $50, about 66 percent achieved adequate adherence.
- Among those with a copay higher than $50, about 60 percent achieved adequate adherence.
SGLT-2 findings:
- Overall, 51,072 individuals had a claim for an SGLT-2, of whom 73 percent had adequate adherence.
- Among those with a copay less than $10, about 77 percent achieved adequate adherence.
- Among those with a copay between $10 and $50, about 72 percent achieved adequate adherence.
- Among those with a copay higher than $50, about 72 percent achieved adequate adherence.