The purpose of a study was to assess the utilization rates of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2is) and glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RA), and the facility-level variation in their use among patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

Here, the nationwide Veterans Affairs (VA) health care system data set of the year 2020 was accessed for patient selection.

Overall, 537,980 patients were identified with ASCVD and T2DM – from 130 VA facilities. Of these, 11.2% were prescribed an SGLT2is while 8.0% received a GLP-1 RA. Most patients were of younger age-groups and a large proportion were non-Hispanic Whites. The overall facility-level rates were 14.92% for SGLT2is and 10.88% for GLP-1 RA. A notable facility-level variation was recorded with SGLT2i use, while the facility-level variation with GLP-1 RA use was comparable. 

The findings suggested that the overall utilization rates of SGLT2is and GLP-1 RA among eligible patients are low. There persists significantly higher residual facility-level variation with the use of these drug classes. Therefore, the use of these drugs must be optimized to impede future adverse cardiovascular events in this patient population.

Source: Diabetes Care. 2022 Feb 1;45(2):372-380. doi: 10.2337/dc21-1815.