Study finds lower prescription rates of SGLT-2 inhibitors and GLP-1 agonists associated with race and ethnicity

In a new study, researchers sought to examine differences in the prescribing of SGLT-2 inhibitors and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonists among adults with type 2 diabetes along ethnic and racial groups. The American Diabetes Association recommends these as first-line treatments with or without metformin for people with type 2 diabetes who have or who are at high risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, heart failure, and chronic kidney disease.

Among patients with type 2 diabetes in the Veterans Health Administration system during 2019 and 2020, prescription rates of SGLT-2 inhibitors and GLP-1 agonist medications were low, and individuals of several different racial groups and those of Hispanic ethnicity had statistically significant lower odds of receiving prescriptions for these medications compared with individuals of white race and non-Hispanic ethnicity, according to the researchers.

The cross-sectional analysis was based on data from the U.S. Veterans Health Administration’s Corporate Data Warehouse. The sample comprised adult patients with type 2 diabetes and at least 2 primary care clinic visits in 2019 through 2020. The primary outcomes were prevalent SGLT-2 inhibitors or GLP-1 agonist prescriptions, defined as any active prescription during the study period. Among nearly 1.2 million patients, 10.7% and 7.7% were prescribed an SGLT-2 inhibitors or a GLP-1 agonist, respectively.