Comparing Diabetes Medications Where Do We Set the Bar?
News Thursday, April 3rd, 2014JAMA: March 2014
More than 25 million Americans have type 2 diabetes mellitus and face decisions about which medications to use to lower glucose levels. These decisions are increasingly complex (now involving 12 different classes of glucose-lowering agents) and increasingly costly (resulting in over $18 billion in annual expenditures1). Yet, despite the enormous health and economic implications of these decisions, there are few comparative effectiveness outcomes studies to guide clinical practice. The major goals of glycemic control in type 2 diabetes are to prevent severe hyperglycemia and to reduce the risk of long-term diabetic complications, with the majority of the effort devoted to the latter. Therefore, clinicians, patients, and health systems need to know how well glucose-lowering agents (or combinations) improve the chances of living longer without cardiovascular events, painful neuropathy, kidney failure, amputation, and blindness, as well as the risks of adverse effects and other burdens of these treatments. Comparative effectiveness studies designed to assess these outcomes may not appear feasible. But what are the alternatives? Read More
