The Short-Term Cost-Effectiveness of Once-Weekly Semaglutide Versus Once-Daily Sitagliptin and Once-Weekly Dulaglutide for the Treatment of Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: A Cost of Control Analysis in Spain

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Once-weekly semaglutide has been associated with greater reductions in glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and body weight than sitagliptin and dulaglutide in the SUSTAIN 2 and 7 clinical trials, respectively. These trials also assessed the proportions of patients achieving treatment targets capturing glycemic control and avoidance of hypoglycemia and weight gain. This study assessed the cost of bringing patients with type 2 diabetes to three clinically relevant endpoints with semaglutide versus sitagliptin and dulaglutide in Spain. METHODS: The proportions of patients achieving endpoints of HbA1c < 7.0%, HbA1c < 7.0% without hypoglycemia and without weight gain, and a ≥ 1.0% HbA1c reduction with ≥ 5.0% weight loss were taken from SUSTAIN 2 and 7. Cost of control was calculated as the annual per patient cost of each medication, expressed in 2019 euros (EUR), divided by the proportion of patients achieving each endpoint. RESULTS: Based on SUSTAIN 2, cost of control was lower for sitagliptin for the HbA1c < 7.0% endpoint, results were comparable for the HbA1c < 7.0% without hypoglycemia and without weight gain endpoint, and both doses of semaglutide were associated with lower costs of control for the ≥ 1.0% HbA1c reduction with ≥ 5.0% weight loss endpoint. Based on SUSTAIN 7, both doses of semaglutide were associated with lower costs of control for all three endpoints. CONCLUSION: Both doses of semaglutide were associated with comparable or lower costs of control versus sitagliptin when considering endpoints incorporating hypoglycemia and weight loss alongside glycemic control, and lower costs of control versus dulaglutide 1.5 mg for all endpoints in Spain. Plain language summary available for this article.

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