Abstract：
OBJECTIVE: The growing number of antidiabetics has broadened therapeutic options, leading to heterogeneity in prescribing patterns. Studies identifying antidiabetics modification patterns are lacking in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, the aim of this study is to describe modification patterns in Saudi patients.
METHODS: Patients ≥ 18 years old with at least one antidiabetic between 2016 and 2022 were included. Follow-up started from the earliest to the last prescription.Two modification types were evaluated: \"add-on,\" prescribing new antidiabetics within a treatment episode, and \"switching\", starting a new treatment episode after the preceding ends. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize patients and estimate events proportions.
RESULTS: Of 122,291 patients, 47.2 % had treatment interruption or modification, totaling 303,781 events. Interruptions accounted for 54 %, add-on for 11 %, and switching for 35 %. The median time to first event was 159 days. The most add-on included dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor (DPP-4) inhibitors to biguanide and sulfonylurea (8 %), and sulfonylurea to biguanide (8 %). Among 106,405 switching events, 23 % shifted from dual to monotherapy and 17 % from monotherapy to dual therapy.
CONCLUSIONS: Nearly half of patients experienced modifications or interruptions, with notable shifts between monotherapies and dual therapies. These findings highlight the evolving landscape of treatment patterns in Saudi Arabia and guide future research and decision-making.
METHODS: Patients ≥ 18 years old with at least one antidiabetic between 2016 and 2022 were included. Follow-up started from the earliest to the last prescription.Two modification types were evaluated: \"add-on,\" prescribing new antidiabetics within a treatment episode, and \"switching\", starting a new treatment episode after the preceding ends. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize patients and estimate events proportions.
RESULTS: Of 122,291 patients, 47.2 % had treatment interruption or modification, totaling 303,781 events. Interruptions accounted for 54 %, add-on for 11 %, and switching for 35 %. The median time to first event was 159 days. The most add-on included dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor (DPP-4) inhibitors to biguanide and sulfonylurea (8 %), and sulfonylurea to biguanide (8 %). Among 106,405 switching events, 23 % shifted from dual to monotherapy and 17 % from monotherapy to dual therapy.
CONCLUSIONS: Nearly half of patients experienced modifications or interruptions, with notable shifts between monotherapies and dual therapies. These findings highlight the evolving landscape of treatment patterns in Saudi Arabia and guide future research and decision-making.
摘要：
目的：抗糖尿病药的不断增加，扩大了治疗选择，导致处方模式的异质性。沙特阿拉伯缺乏确定抗糖尿病药物修饰模式的研究。因此,本研究的目的是描述沙特患者的修饰模式.
方法：纳入2016年至2022年间至少有一种抗糖尿病药的≥18岁患者。随访从最早开始到最后一次处方。评估了两种修改类型：“附加，“在治疗中开出新的抗糖尿病药，和“切换”，在之前结束后开始新的治疗。描述性统计用于表征患者并估计事件比例。
结果：在122,291名患者中，47.2%有治疗中断或修改，总计303,781个事件。中断占54%，增加11%，转换为35%。第一个事件的中位时间为159天。添加量最大的包括双胍和磺酰脲的二肽基肽酶-4抑制剂（DPP-4）抑制剂（8％），和磺酰脲到双胍(8%)。在106,405个交换事件中，23%从双重疗法转变为单一疗法，17%从单一疗法转变为双重疗法。
结论：近一半的患者经历了改变或中断，单一疗法和双重疗法之间的显著转变。这些发现突出了沙特阿拉伯治疗模式的演变格局，并指导了未来的研究和决策。
方法：纳入2016年至2022年间至少有一种抗糖尿病药的≥18岁患者。随访从最早开始到最后一次处方。评估了两种修改类型：“附加，“在治疗中开出新的抗糖尿病药，和“切换”，在之前结束后开始新的治疗。描述性统计用于表征患者并估计事件比例。
结果：在122,291名患者中，47.2%有治疗中断或修改，总计303,781个事件。中断占54%，增加11%，转换为35%。第一个事件的中位时间为159天。添加量最大的包括双胍和磺酰脲的二肽基肽酶-4抑制剂（DPP-4）抑制剂（8％），和磺酰脲到双胍(8%)。在106,405个交换事件中，23%从双重疗法转变为单一疗法，17%从单一疗法转变为双重疗法。
结论：近一半的患者经历了改变或中断，单一疗法和双重疗法之间的显著转变。这些发现突出了沙特阿拉伯治疗模式的演变格局，并指导了未来的研究和决策。
