Abstract
BACKGROUND: This study evaluates shifts in oral glucose-lowering drug prescription patterns and the adoption of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2is) in South Korea. METHODS: A cross-sectional and retrospective cohort analysis of the Korean National Health Insurance database (2015-2021) assessed the prescription patterns of oral glucose-lowering drugs by therapy level, SGLT2i prescriptions by cardiovascular-renal disease (CVRD) status, and the mean duration for SGLT2i therapy initiation and intensification. RESULTS: From 2015 to 2021, the number of individuals prescribed oral glucose-lowering drugs across all regimen levels increased. However, the proportion of individuals receiving monotherapy or dual combination therapy decreased by 9.2 percentage points, whereas the proportion prescribed triple or more combination therapy increased. SGLT2i prescriptions increased from 2.5% in 2015 to 13.9% in 2021, marking an 11.4 percentage point growth. This trend was consistent among individuals with and without CVRD, with the most significant increase observed in individuals with heart failure-from 2.2% in 2015 to 16.6%. The mean time to SGLT2i initiation post-diagnosis was shortened from 249 days in 2015 to 158 days in 2019. CONCLUSIONS: The adoption of SGLT2i therapy was on the rise, especially among individuals with heart failure, accompanied by a notable decrease in time to treatment initiation. Despite these positive trends, the overall use of SGLT2i among individuals with CVRD remained limited.