Real‐world glycated haemoglobin changes among type 2 diabetes mellitus patients treated with a maintenance dose of 7 mg or 14 mg of oral semaglutide

Abstract Aim To describe the change in glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) among patients with type 2 diabetes following treatment with a 7 or 14 mg maintenance dose of oral semaglutide. Materials and Methods This retrospective, claims‐based study included adult patients with type 2 diabetes with a pre‐index HbA1c of ≥7%, initiating treatment with oral semaglutide between 1 November 2019 and 30 June 2020; the patients had continuous health plan enrolment for ≥12 months before (pre‐index) and ≥6 months following (post‐index) the date of the first oral semaglutide claim (index). Patients were required to have a maintenance dose of 7 or 14 mg. Pre‐index demographic and clinical characteristics were captured, as were doses at initiation and prescriber specialty. The change in HbA1c between the latest post‐index and pre‐index HbA1c measurements was calculated among all patients and among those with ≥90 days of continuous treatment (persistent patients). Results This study included 520 patients, most of whom had a complex medical history, experienced a range of comorbidities and received an average of 11.5 different classes of medications during the pre‐index period. The mean HbA1c reduction during the 6‐month post‐initiation period was 1.2% ( p < .001) for all patients and 1.4% ( p < .001) for persistent patients. Conclusions In this real‐world study, patients with a pre‐index HbA1c ≥7% who initiated treatment with oral semaglutide with a 7 or 14 mg maintenance dose had significantly lower HbA1c levels following treatment.