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Patterns of medication initiation in newly diagnosed diabetes mellitus: quality and cost implications.

Desai, Nihar R; Shrank, William H; Fischer, Michael A; Avorn, Jerry; Liberman, Joshua N; Schneeweiss, Sebastian; Pakes, Juliana; Brennan, Troyen A; Choudhry, Niteesh K
The American journal of medicine; 2012 Mar;125(3):302.e1-7. PMID: 22340932
Division of Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacoeconomics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass; Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Me
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Abstract

Six oral medication classes have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Although all of these agents effectively lower blood glucose, the evidence supporting their impact on other clinical events is variable. There also are substantial cost differences between agents. We aimed to evaluate temporal trends in the use of specific drugs for the initial management of type 2 diabetes and to estimate the economic consequences of non-recommended care.