130-OR: The Association between High Out-of-Pocket Costs and Incidence of Treatment Intensification with an SGLT2 Inhibitor (SGLT2i) or GLP-1 Agonist (GLP-1a) in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes and Established Cardiovascular Disease: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Abstract

The use of SGLT2i and GLP-1RA in patients with T2D remains low despite their known CV benefits. This may be due in part to high drug costs. We sought to assess the association between out-of-pocket (OOP) costs and the likelihood of initiating these two classes in patients with T2D and established CVD. We conducted a cohort study using claims data (Optum) , which included commercial and Medicare Advantage beneficiaries. Adults with T2D on metformin monotherapy between 12/5/17 and 12/31/were eligible. We excluded those:1) not continuously enrolled for ≥1 yr prior to their first metformin dispensing,2) with no evidence of established CVD, or3) whose OOP costs (defined as the sum of copays and deductibles for a 30-day supply) for SGLT2i or GLP-1RA could not be determined. We used Cox proportional hazards models adjusting for demographics, clinical characteristics, insurance plan, provider and laboratory characteristics to estimate hazard ratios (HR) of initiation across quartiles (Q) of OOP costs, with Q1 representing the lowest and Q4 the highest OOP costs. The cohort included 72,743 patients (mean[SD] age 72[9.4], 56% male) followed for a median of 914 days. Most (88%) were covered by a Medicare Advantage plan. The unadjusted incidence of initiating a SGLT2i (or GLP-1RA) was 2.8% (2.1%) in Q4 vs. 3.8% (2.8%) in Q1 of OOP costs. The median time to initiation of a SGLT2i/GLP-1RA was longer in Q4 (418/325 days) vs. Q1 (395/3 days) of OOP costs. In fully adjusted models, the HR for Q4 vs. Q1 of OOP costs was 0.79 (95%CI 0.70 to 0.90) for initiating a SGLT2i and 0.88 (95%CI: 0.77 to 1.01) for a GLP-1RA. In this national cohort of patients w/ T2D and established CVD, beneficiaries enrolled in plans in the highest quartile of OOP costs were significantly less likely to initiate a SGLT2i or GLP-1RA compared to those enrolled in plans in the lower quartile. Disclosure J.Luo: None. R.Feldman: None. S.D.Rothenberger: None. I.Hernandez: Consultant; Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Pfizer Inc. M.T.Korytkowski: None. W.F.Gellad: None. Funding NIDDK (K23DK120956) NCATS (KL2TR001856)