Impact of Simultaneous Versus Sequential Initiation of Basal Insulin and Glucagon-like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists on HbA1c in Type 2 Diabetes: A Retrospective Observational Study

Introduction When and how to intensify treatment in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) not achieving glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) targets with oral antidiabetic drugs (OADs) in clinical practice remains a matter of clinical preference. This pilot study was conducted using the retrospective observational data from such patients to evaluate the impact on HbA1c of three treatment sequences: simultaneous initiation of basal insulin (BI) and a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 RA; Cohort 1); BI followed by GLP-1 RA initiation within a 90-day timeframe (Cohort 2); or BI followed by GLP-1 RA initiation beyond 90 days (Cohort 3). Methods Data from the regional US electronic medical records database, Research Action for Health Network (REACHnet), were extracted for all patients with T2D aged ≥ 18 years who had encounter dates between January 2011 and August 2017 and ≥ 1 HbA1c laboratory value(s)