Diabetes Second-Line Medication Prescription Patterns in Costa Rica and Panama: Evidence From the DISCOVER Registry

Aim: This study aimed to describe the prescription patterns of second-line medications for patients with diabetes from selected centers in Costa Rica and Panama.

Methods: DISCOVER is a registry of patients with type 2 diabetes switching from first- to second-line medications. We analyzed medication choice and the reasons to switch for each country. Results: A total of 219 patients were included during 2014-2016, 127 in Costa Rica and 92 in Panama. The most frequently prescribed first-line medication was metformin, followed by sulphonylureas in Panama, and a combination of metformin and dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor (iDPP4) in Costa Rica. DPP4 inhibitors plus metformin was the most commonly prescribed second-line medication, followed by metformin combined with sodium-glucose transport protein-2 inhibitor (iSGLT2) in Costa Rica and iDPP4 in monotherapy in Panama. The main reason to switch being efficacy. When choosing the second-line medication, the main reasons behind the switch were efficacy, weight loss, and hypoglycemia risk in both countries (tolerability being also common in Panama).

Conclusions: According to the DISCOVER registry, in Costa Rica and Panama, efficacy is the most common reason to switch to second-line medication. Metformin plus iDPP4 was the most commonly prescribed agent.