Aims: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic disease associated with significant morbidity
and mortality. The present study was carried out to assess prescribing practice for oral
antidiabetic drugs in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients seen in diabetic outpatients in
private clinics in Kerman, Iran.
Study Design: Retrospective analysis of prescription pattern for type 2 diabetic
outpatients.
Place and Duration of Study: Diabetic clinics in Kerman city, Iran
Methodology: Prescription pattern of 1118 diabetic outpatients were analyzed for age,
percentage of male and female patients, antidiabetic drug category, name of prescribed
drug, most frequently prescribed antidiabetic drug and percentage of one/two drug
combination.
Results: Out of the 1118 prescriptions of antidiabetic drugs studied, 424 (37.9%) were
for women and 694(62.1%) were for men with mean age of 56.2±11 years. Oral
antidiabetic drugs were prescribed for 777(69.5%) and 30.5% of patients received
insulin. Biguanides were the most frequently prescribed drugs (61.7%) followed by
sulfonylurea (59.9%), alpha-glucosidase inhibitors (4.5%), repaglinide (NovoNorm®)
(2.7%) and thiazolidinediones (1.7%). Metformin 690 (61.7%) and glibenclamide 670
(59.9%) were the most frequently prescribed antidiabetic drugs. About 46.9% of patients
received monotherapy and a total of 594 (53.1%) patients were on combination therapy
of 2 or more antidiabetic drugs. The Combination of glibenclamide plus metformin
(41.5%) was the most commonly prescribed antidiabetic drug combination in diabetic
outpatients. Most common prescribed drugs associated with DM were found to be
antihypertensive/antianginal (65%) and lipid lowering drugs (33.3%).
Conclusions: Oral hypoglycemic agents were the main form of antidiabetic therapy in
type 2 DM patients. Metformin was the most frequently prescribed biguanides and
combination of metformin with glibenclamide has been most widely used. This suggests
the need for development of evidence-based guidelines for oral antidiabetic prescription
by health professionals.