Cost-effective Analysis of Prescribed Oral Hypoglycemic Agents amongst Pre-obese and Obese Diabetic Patients in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Odisha

Objectives: Diabetes is more prevalent in middle- and higher-income groups and is spreading at an alarming rate. Drug therapy is compulsory because of the chronic and progressive nature of the disease. With such multifactorial background of high prevalence, progressive nature of the disease leading to various complications, increased healthcare cost, and availability of multiple therapeutic regimens prescribed, this study has been done to evaluate the cost-effective analysis of oral hypoglycemic agents.Materials and Methods: This is a prospective, parallel group, and comparative observational study conducted by the Department of Pharmacology in collaboration with the Department of Endocrinology at Kalinga Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhubaneswar. The duration of the study was of 2 years. A total number of 220 patients were selected and based on body mass index, patients were categorized into preobese (new and old diabetic patients) and obese (new and old diabetic patients) categories. In this study, cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) was done to evaluate the cost differences between two or more medication groups, with a similar clinical effect.Results of CEA are expressed as an average cost-effectiveness ratio or as an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio. Results: From this study, it is observed that in terms of benefit, dual therapy of Metformin and Dapagliflozin was most efficacious followed by Metformin and Sitagliptin as well as Metformin and Glimepiride combinations. If cost is considered, Metformin montherapy and metformin and Glimepiride dual therapy was most cost-effective. In triple regimen, MET+VOG+GLIM combination was seen to be more cost effective than gliptin combination, both in terms of control of FBS as well as PPBS. The cost of treatment goes parallel with duration of disease, being higher in the old cases of long-standing duration.Conclusion: The present study shows that SGLT2 inhibitors are better class of oral hypoglycemics in terms of longterm benefits and this group is prescribed as dual therapy more frequently but cost of therapy is the greatest barrier. Metformin and Sulfonylureas remain the most beneficial combination, both in terms of efficacy and cost. The cost of treatment was varying, depending on the duration of disease, being higher in old cases and lower in new cases.