Real-world use of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes: A retrospective database study (DEFINE-G)

Abstract

Aims: To understand glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA) use in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) in Japan.

Methods: Characteristics of people receiving GLP-1RAs between 2016 and 2020 in the J-DREAMS database were investigated. Changes in HbA_1c, body weight (BW), body mass index (BMI), and proportion reaching HbA_1c targets were analysed in GLP-1RA-naïve patients 6-24 months after GLP-1RA initiation.

Results: The proportion of patients with GLP-1RA prescriptions increased from 3.6% to 9.6% during 2016-2020. Among GLP-1RA-naïve patients (n = 569), HbA_1c reduced -‍0.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] -0.7, -0.5; -6 mmol/mol [95% CI -7, -5]) 6 months after treatment initiation and stabilised until 24 months (P < 0.001); mean BW and BMI reduced -1.05 kg (95% CI -1.31, -0.80) and -0.43 kg/m² (95% CI -0.53, -0.32), respectively, at 6 months (P < 0.001). The proportion of GLP-1RA-naïve patients with HbA_1c < 7.0% (<53 mmol/mol) and <8.0% (<64 mmol/mol) increased from 16% to 27% and 43% to 65%, respectively, and an HbA_1c reduction of ≥1.0% (≥11 mmol/mol) was observed in 33% of patients after 6 months (P < 0.001).

Conclusions: This study shows increased GLP-1RA prescriptions over 5 years. HbA_1c and BW reduced 6 months after GLP-1RA initiation in patients with T2D in a Japanese real-world setting.

Keywords: Body weight; Clinical practice; GLP-1RA; HbA(1c); Large database research; T2D.