Disparity in Guideline‐Based Antidiabetic Drugs Prescribing for Type 2 Diabetes Patients in Primary Healthcare Facilities Across China, 2017–2019

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the pattern, appropriateness, and cost of antidiabetic drugs prescribed for patients with Type 2 diabetes at primary healthcare facilities (PHFs) in China. METHODS: We collected outpatient-visit prescriptions from 363 PHFs in 31 cities covering eastern, central, and western regions of China. The visits of adult patients with Type 2 diabetes diagnosis were collected and classified the antidiabetic medication pattern of each patient use as recommended or non-recommended according to Chinese guidelines. We then calculated the proportion of guideline-recommended patterns and the average monthly cost for each pattern, overall and by region. RESULTS: Of 33 519 prescriptions for Type 2 diabetes, most (73.9%) were for guideline-recommended antidiabetic treatments. The proportion of guideline-recommended prescriptions varied by region (eastern [75.9%], central [87.5%], and western [59.7%]). Metformin monotherapy was the most common guideline-recommended treatment in all three regions (eastern [20.1%], central [28.0%], and western [24.6%]). The most common non-guideline-recommended treatments were monotherapy of insulin (eastern [16.5%], central [5.1%], and western [25.7%]) and traditional Chinese antidiabetic medicines (eastern [5.6%], central [5.7%], and western [11.1%]). The average monthly costs were lower for guideline-recommended treatments compared to non-recommended treatments in all regions (eastern [13.6 ± 15.4 USD vs. 28.1 ± 22.0 USD], central [9.8 ± 10.9 USD vs. 28.7 ± 19.4 USD], and western [17.9 ± 21.4 USD vs. 30.3 ± 23.6 USD]). CONCLUSIONS: The majority of patients with Type 2 diabetes received guideline-recommended antidiabetic medications at PHFs in China, with only half of the prescriptions containing guideline-recommended metformin. Utilization of guideline-recommended therapies differed across regions. Tailored interventions to promote evidence-based antidiabetic prescribing are urgently needed, especially in the undeveloped western region.