Marc Evans, MD: Cost of GLP-1 RA Treatment in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes, CVD

As cardiovascular disease (CVD) is present in a third of patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) as a major cause of morbidity, cost of treatment is often a question.

A new study presented at the 2021 American Diabetes Association Virtual Meeting, investigated the cost implication of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) in comparison to standard of care.

Data show the higher cost of treating patients with T2D with GLP-1 RAs after CVD is offset by lower inpatient and outpatient care costs, concluding it is budget neutrality ($4288 for SoC versus $3853 for GLP-1 RA treatment).

Investigators also noted patients receiving GLP-1 RA treatment had significantly lower rates of re-hospitalization, as well as shorter hospital stays compared to patients receiving SoC.

In an interview with HCPLive, Marc Evans, MD, University Hospital Llandough, noted that there seems to be clinical or therapy inertia in terms of cost considerations of treatment with GLP-1 RA.

“Some of this is driven by cost considerations, with budget holders thinking that they may be prohibitive upfront expenditure related to these agents, as they are a bit more expensive potentially than some alternative treatment options,” Evans said.

He noted that there are local and international guidelines that advocate GLP-1 RA as a preferred treatment option for management of T2D in mitigating the risk of CVD.

“I think these sorts of studies are really important, as real-world evidence and data is growing in importance, and gaining a lot of traction, in terms of informing clinical practice, evidence and informing care,” Evans said.

In addition to the importance, he mentioned that this study and others like it are working to inform the value of research and treatment options in both clinical and economic terms.

“Certainly, payers worldwide are looking to real world evidence to answer the sort of questions this study set out to answer, namely asking are there economic returns and what are the economic implications of implementing evidence based guidelines,” Evans said.

The study, “Total Costs of Care in Patients with T2D and Cardiovascular Disease: A Comparative Cohort Study (OFFSET),” was presented online by ADA 2021.