More Australians with type 2 diabetes should gain access to potentially lifesaving medications, a new analysis has found.
UNSW medical researchers say more Australians with type 2 diabetes need to be offered add-on medications that would better protect them from heart and kidney disease – which are among the major causes of death for people with diabetes.
About one in three people with type 2 diabetes are receiving early treatment with additional medicines that protect their heart and kidneys, new research led by UNSW Sydney shows.
The study, published in analysed dispensing records of a 10% random sample of adults on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). It found almost 39,000 people aged 40 and over started on metformin – the first-line treatment for type 2 diabetes – between 2018 and 2022. Only about a third received any add-on therapy within two years of starting their treatment.
“More than 1 million Australians are living with type 2 diabetes, but it is heart and kidney disease that are major causes of death and poor quality of life for these people,” said lead study author an endocrinologist with UNSW’s School of Population Health.
“Fortunately, there are diabetes medicines available that can also protect their hearts and kidneys, and potentially save lives, but many people are missing out.”
It can take time for clinicians to adopt newer medications, as they may be wary of potential side effects and comfortable with medications that they have known for longer time periods, the study notes.
Limited PBS access to these medications – restricted to those with high blood sugar or for whom other subsidised medication had failed – had potentially limited prescribing practices, the researchers added. The COVID-19 pandemic and international shortages of GLP-1 RA since 2022 may also have had some impact.
