Comparison of persistence and adherence between fixed-dose combinations and two-pill combinations in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes

AbstractObjective: To explore treatment patterns, persistence and adherence between fixed-dose combinations (FDC) and two-pill combinations (TPC) of oral antidiabetic drug (OAD) classes in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) using administrative claims databases (Japan Medical Data Center [JMDC] and Medical Data Vision [MDV]).Methods: This was a retrospective, longitudinal cohort analysis conducted between 2011 and 2015, in patients with T2DM receiving OADs as FDC or TPC. Outcomes included prescribing patterns, treatment persistence and adherence.Results: Data from 3,474 and 3,066 patients receiving FDC, and 4,325 and 5,192 patients receiving TPC from the JMDC and MDV databases, respectively, were extracted. The most common OAD combination received by over half of all patients was dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor (DPP-4i) + thiazolidinediones (TZD) (64.1% [JMDC] and 70.5% [MDV]). Overall, 12-month persistence rates were higher in patients receiving FDC compared with TPC (70.4 vs 66.2% [...