In a recent large-scale retrospective cohort study published in the journal Primary Care Diabetes , researchers used a comprehensive (n = 10,465) database-derived dataset to evaluate the adherence and persistence of newly initiating oral semaglutide type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients compared to dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor (DPP-4i) users. While the latter has been established as a well-tolerated daily dose medication, oral semaglutide is relatively novel, with limited previous literature on its market acceptance or patient adherence. Statistical analyses from the study reveal that despite being more expensive than DPP-4i, patient adherence over 12 months was similar between both medications.

Additionally, semaglutide initially presented a steep drop in persistence but then stabilized to DPP-4i levels over the subsequent nine months. Notably, semaglutide-consuming patients were observed to require fewer concurrent anti-diabetic medications (ADMs) than DPP-4i, highlighting the potentially higher enduring efficacy of the former. Study: Adherence and persistence among people with type 2 diabetes newly initiating oral semaglutide versus DPP-4is in a US real-world setting .

Image Credit: Ti_A / Shutterstock Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a chronic condition characterized by abnormally high blood sugar levels as a result of the body's inability to produce or utilize insulin properly. The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) estimates that 11.3% of all adults have diabetes (422 million.